Summer & Steven's Fairytale Wedding TR, 20th Aug SBP Baby Pics!!!

[Summer-Caitlin]

Okay girls here is the full intro, 6 minutes or so. I have no sound here, can anyone tell me what the music is?

http://www.box.net/shared/static/p29s7rx6k4.wmv

[Missy H]

Truely madly deeply! It is perfect!
I'm not sure what the 2nd piece is! You video is wonderful!

[orangetiggs]

i notice it comes up as proof can you change anything if you dont like it??

I love it by the way just thinking if we book him how much scope we have

[Summer-Caitlin]

Thanks girls.

Orangetiggs - Yes, you're right it is only the proof, I can change it if I don't like it.

I managed to get on another girls computer. Does anyone else think the volume is a bit low for the Rev? I don't know if that will change whe I get the final.

[The Charmed One]

Wendy - So glad you had a wonderful anniversary, it sounded really special.
Now that you mention wedding planning, I have planned events in the past, in fact I originally looked into having my own wedding planning business, but it's just not big business here in Scotland. I have planned huge Christmas events, and I mean huge, also planned other weddings and parties. I used to work in the hotel industry abroad, so learned alot about event planning.
When you want to do a VR, give me a holler if you want, I think you can tell I'm a perfectionist by now...


Summer, I'll be sure to contact you for our VR, dh says it won't be for afew years maybe for our 10 th anniversary, so you'll just have to keep posting reports so I know where to find you. Thank you for the kind offer. Your wedding was perfect, I'd let you do anything, (I love everything you had). princess:

I loved your video intro it was wonderful and then I looked and you'd put even more on, so I watched that too, it was beautiful, I loved the music everything, I love the savage garden song and the song you had as you walked down the aisle, I loved how there we wave's over the video they were twinkling and looked lovely, it really was special, I feel like I was really there, I'd love to see the whole video.

Thank you for sharing.

Love Wendy xxx

[Missy H]

I could hear it all fine! I wouldn't say he was any different or needed to be any louder than anyone else! But that is just my opinion.

[Summer-Caitlin]

What about background noise, do you think that it was too loud? I heard it on a laptop speaker and granted the speaker here is rubbish so it may be that, but the background noise sounded pretty loud.

Also Stan has agreed to put Ready to Fly underneath the ceremony, lower volume of course!

[Kirsteen]

It's gorgeous Summer - I love the shots of Steven smiling :goodvibes You must be so pleased with it. Kxx

[MistressOfAllEvil]

I'll have to wait until I get home to watch the video, I can't wait :goodvibes

I'm sorry you had such a poor food experience at Sci-Fi. I've never ate there so I can't offer any opinion on the place. But I LOOOOOVED the 50's Prime Time Diner and have ate there more than once. I've always wanted to try the Brown Derby, but it's not DF's type of thing. Can't wait to hear more!

[DisneyObsession]

I can't get to the video here at work! :sad1: Can you believe they blocked that site?!? Bummer! :sad2: Oh well, I'll have to check it out at home later.

Thanks for the revues of Sci-Fi. I haven't been there in about 8 years, so my memories are fond ones. We have an ADR for there on our first night at WDW for dinner. I was planning on getting the Rueben, as I like those, but now am not sure. Maybe I'll order it with the sauerkraut on the side and it won't be so "wet". :confused3 Who knows?!?

[pjstevens]

For anyone that's interested Stan from STVS sent me a 1 minute intro to my wedding video. NOTE this is not the Sneak Peek. I specifically asked for a stylized edit, so this is why it isn't like ones you may have seen before.

You can access it here....

http://www.box.net/shared/static/17ytcjuyfu.wmv

Let me know what you think...

Summer, I LOVE that song. That is so beautiful, loving the drops into words. WOW!!! Can't wait to see the entire thing.

[Summer-Caitlin]

pjstevens - Did you notice I posted a longer 6 minute intro?

http://www.box.net/shared/static/p29s7rx6k4.wmv

[tlhbdm]

You video is absolutely awesome! I think the sound sounds great, but you need to be happy with it, if you think that something needs to be changed then I think you need have them change it. Awesome video!

[pjstevens]

pjstevens - Did you notice I posted a longer 6 minute intro?

http://www.box.net/shared/static/p29s7rx6k4.wmv

Summer,

I found it as I was reading along. All I can say is how beautiful it is. I can't wait to see the completed video. You looked beautiful.

[Rain]

Summer,

Wonderful video editing!!!!!

I am so glad you tried Sci Fi diner before us, we are now going to cancel and try somewhere else in MGM, sounds like the food was really dreadful. Sorry for you that it was not so good though.

[mla1977]

Summer, I've heard that the ribs were good at Sci-fi. I've never been there. We went to 50's Prime Time and I really enjoyed it. I had the pot roast and it was good, but the serving size was small, especially for the cost.

[B2B-2008]

Summer I really love your video that is the style I want. I will have to price up how much they will cost to film our wedding and beg Darren to do more hours at work!

I'm sorry to hear about your Sci-Fi experience we really want to go there. I think I will still book ADRs as I really want to experience the restaurant more than the food.

[ForKeeps]

Summer,

Your MK photos are just phenomenal. Wow. Just...wow.

Sounds like the Sci Fi is one that we can skip -- although thinking about those milkshakes makes me want to stop by.

Actually I've found MGM a miss on most food stops. Did you fins the same? The first time I tried mama melrose it was great, but then they made some changes and I didn't like.

[PrincessBrideKatie]

Actually I've found MGM a miss on most food stops. Did you fins the same? The first time I tried mama melrose it was great, but then they made some changes and I didn't like.

Have you tried the Brown Derby??? Its so great. My DF is partial to Sunset Ranch Market, just cause he worked there. I definitely recommend trying the Brown Derby.

[angel*lady]

LOVE THE VIDEO!!!!! :cool1:

[DisneyLaura]

For anyone that's interested Stan from STVS sent me a 1 minute intro to my wedding video. NOTE this is not the Sneak Peek. I specifically asked for a stylized edit, so this is why it isn't like ones you may have seen before.

You can access it here....

http://www.box.net/shared/static/17ytcjuyfu.wmv

Let me know what you think...

Summer, I know it was only a minute long but I cried. It was an absolutely beautiful start. I love that song. I think it fits perfect to the opening to a wedding video.

[DisneyLaura]

Ok. Now I have just watched the 6 minute one and gorgeous. That's all that needs to be said. Simply gorgeous. Makes my wedding video look amatuer, mind you I got married 11 years ago. I can't wait until you post the whole thing. I cried some more. I love the part when Steven is looking over teh balcony and smiling, what I great shot. We finally got to see him grin.

[Princess_Melanie]

I just watched the 6 min video too....beautiful - you both look so happy and gorgeous!! I need a tissue.... :)

[rebecca06261]

I hope you post the completed video! I just loved the tease!!!

[traceycooper]

A lovely video Summer :)
I love that song!
I think the 2nd song was Vilvadi's four seasons...not sure though....dont even know where that came from or how i knew that!!!

[Summer-Caitlin]

Hi everyone

Here is a link to the full wedding video which is now up on STVS website.

http://www.stvsweddings.com/gallery/gallery.html

Summer and Steven's (stylized)

PM me if you need the password and user name.

Let me know what you think!!!

[Wazzo]

Summer, your video is absolutely gorgeous! I'm about to PM you for the password for MORE!! :goodvibes

The second/instrumental song is Pachelbel's Canon in D major, and a perfect choice! :thumbsup2

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

Summer, could you please PM me the password? I'm dying to see it!! xx

[B2B-2008]

I love it Summer, so much that I am putting down my deposit next week to hold my date.

[dee slack]

Hi everyone
Here is a link to the full wedding video which is now up on STVS website.
http://www.stvsweddings.com/gallery/gallery.html
Summer and Steven's (stylized)
PM me if you need the password and user name.
Let me know what you think!!!

AMAZING!
It's so beautiful, you must be really pleased with it.

[Dream426]

Hi Summer. Can you PM me the username and password. Thanks. I can't wait to see it.

[apirateslife4evr]

Summer,

I just PM'd you for the login & password. Can't wait to see it !!!

[DisneyLaura]

I just PM'd you. I can't wait.popcorn::

[angel*lady]

Oh Summer! The finalized video is just wonderful!!!! :cheer2: I felt like I was right there with you! What a wonderful ceremony you had! I loved what the minister had to say! Fantastic!!!!!!!:thumbsup2

[Wazzo]

The final video is AMAZING!! :wizard:

I love the very end when you two are walking away, and then the limo... :goodvibes

CONGRATULATIONS!! :cheer2:

[seaprincess]

Summer,

Your wedding video is breathtaking!! My husband and I just watched it together and I had tears rolling down my face while you were saying your vows. The ministers words moved us both!! Originally we were not planning on having a video of our wedding....boy you have changed our minds tonight!! I am calling Stan in the morning!!

Wishing the best to you and Steven!! I heard so many wonderful things about you when I met with Tanis last month!!

Lisa:love: :love:

[traceycooper]

Hi Summer
can you pm me the password & user name,
cant wait to watch it :)

[Summer-Caitlin]

Hayley - PM sent, hope you like it, can't wait to hear your thoughts.

B2B-2008 - Woo hoo, I love to hear that. I have already told Stan to expect a bombardment of people asking for the stylized video now. I'm so glad you like it.

dee slack - I am, I am so happy with it. I had imagined how it would turn out and this was exactly what I hoped for. We are both extremely happy.

Dream426 - PM sent, I hope you like it, let me know your thoughts.

apirateslife4evr - PM sent, can't wait to hear your thoughts.

DisneyLaura - PM Sent, woah, I had no idea I would have this many messages when I got up this morning. Remember and let me know what you thought.

angel*lady - I agree, Rev Miller was fantastic, i loved that he was honest. Relationships aren't easy and he made that clear, he said marriage would be hard work and I appreciate that, i don't want things sugar coated. I really feel blessed to have been married by him. I really hope he gets alot more bookings out of this, he was fabulous. I'm so glad you liked the video. I should receive the DVD next week.

Wazzo - Thank you, Steven and I spent a long time deciding on the music. I think all the songs are very fitting. I love the bit at the end when we are getting photos taken, I think it's very movie like.

seaprincess - Oooh do tell, what did Tanis say? I am so happy you liked the video, I can't believe you got your husband to sit through the video, WOW. I must admit that I got teary too when I watched it. It took me right back to that day. I remembered how I felt saying those vows, it was such an amazing feeling.
I originally hadn't planned on video either, but now I am so happy I decided to get it. It is something I will treasure forever.

[Dream426]

Summer your video is beautiful. It makes me want to get married in Disney. Everything came together so nicely.

[Glorydaz]

hi Summer, I would love to watch when i get home from work ( no sound on my work computer ) ...could you send me PM please?

thanks!!

Michelle :cloud9:

[traceycooper]

oohh i've just watched it :)
loved the sand ceromony
loved it when DH got emotional
loved how when mum was making her speech they turned it into a snap shot
loved the kiss with your veil infront & the sun shining through
loved the bird flying a way at the end
loved the lively upbeat ending with all the clips :)
Basically loved it all but they were my fav bits :)

[Glorydaz]

fabulous!!!!!!! watching you and Steven dance as I type this....what a beautiful ceremony. I've never seen a sand ceremony, wow! and that song is the one my daughter, my MOH will be walking in with... how romantic, the two of you dancing accompanied by the violinest! loved hearing Steven laugh, touched at your Mom's poignant speech... was your cake as yummy as it looked?? the Reverend seemed very warm - nice to listen to.

your music is perfect - and I just realized you and Steven just celebrated 2 months of married life this weekend! how fast that went!

now I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip - especailly the GF and the cruise!

Michelle :cloud9:

[Rain]

Summer,

Can I please have the username and password. I tried to PM you but it says your pm box is full. ( that does not suprise me)

[Summer-Caitlin]

traceycooper - Thank you so much. There are so many aspects that I love also. During the Sand Ceremony Steven had difficulty getting all his sand out, at one point Rev Miller asked if he needed any help, while mine was coming out as a steady stream, Steven's was coming out in clumps, LOL.

Michelle - Thank you, that video really brings the day back to me, it turned out exactly as I had hoped. I am thrilled with it. The cake was absolutely beautiful, it's unfortunate that we couldn't take it home with us. To be honest we didn't even take it to The Grand Floridian with us, it was too big and bulky. I now regret not doing so though, it was the best cake I had ever tasted.
Steven actually laughed a few times during the video, he cringed when he watched it though, he hates hearing himself on video. I know it's already 2 months, next August it will be 10 years together and our first anniversary at once, that should be pretty amazing!

[apirateslife4evr]

Oh my goodness......I just sat and watched as I was getting ready for work.....I couldn't even do my makeup, as i was crying too much.

First, it was thrilling to FINALLY get to hear your voices !!!

Loved....Loved....did I say, LOVED the video? ;) Stan did such an outstanding job.......he's gonna have so much more business from this "stylized" version. I hope he gives you a cut......:rotfl:

Steven's vows got me all choked up......:sad1:

Absolutely LOVED your minister.....very down to earth and true in spirit, from what i could tell. Great choice :hug:

If we DO have a Disney vow renewal......I want to use him, and Stan too !!! :thumbsup2

[HolyCowImADisneyBrde]

Summer, your video is absolutely amazing. I know it's been said a million times by everyone else that's seen it, but it just has to be said. It made me laugh, it made me cry. I'd get excited for you guys and laugh along with you. They really captured the day beautifully, I'm sure you're so happy with it. :goodvibes

[Summer-Caitlin]

Rain - PM sent

apirateslife4evr - It's strange isn't it, hearing the voices of someone behind the monitor after so long, did we sound anything like you expected? I love sharing this video with you all, as I said I owe so much to these boards and I really appreciate you all reading along with my TR.
Rev Miller was fantastic, I just can't say enough good things about him. I know he isn't as publicised on these boards as some of the other Revs but Rev Miller went above and beyond and we couldn't have been happier with our choice.
LOL, I have already told Stan about the compliments he has been receiving, he really worked hard on this and I am so happy with the result.

HolyCowImADisneyBrde - Yes, we are thrilled with the video. Considering we didn't even want video to begin with, I am very surprised at how well it all turned out. I can't wait to show my mom and family. The stylistic version is so us, we chose the songs as they all have special meaning to us. Stan worked with them so well. I'm so excited it's finished.
I am so glaD everyone is liking the video. Stan deserves loads of bookings, he really did work with me to make my dream a reality.

[Kirsteen]

Aw wow - your video is amazing Summer - I love your Mum's speech :goodvibes You guys look great. You have such a lovely memory to treasure forever. You remind me of a girl I work with her name is Anne - you look and sound a lot like her. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous video. :thumbsup2

[Summer-Caitlin]

Kirsteen - Thank you, I have been amazed at how well things turned out for my wedding. Although we had a few teething problems at the beginning everything turned out as I had hoped. I really can't wait to show my mom, I think she will absolutely love it. It is so different from the wedding videos here isn't it?

Allright girls, I am currently working on more of my TR and I will have another instalment up tonight (UK time) Sorry it has been delayed but I have been messaging Stan back and forth to make sure we got our video correct so I haven't had that much time to write more on the report. I currently have 700 words done but I aim to write more this afternoon, there are also pics in this instalment.
Thanks for bearing with me

[Kirsteen]

Woo hoo can't wait - I'll save it as my treat after the gym (gotta get myself there somehow!) :yay: Your video is like nothing I have ever seen here, they pale in comparison! :goodvibes

[WithDisneySpirit]

I truly loved it, Summer!!!!!! You commanded my morning and I will have to cut my workout short but it was worth it :goodvibes I loved the sand ceremony and it is obvious there is much love between the two of you! My best wishes for a beautiful life together :love: :flower3:

[lpizzuro123]

I have loved reading your journal and would love to get the password to be able to watch the video. MY DF and are planning a WDW wedding next November and are going down this Thanksgiving for a site visit. I am getting all my info together and would love to add this.

Thanks,
Linda

[MistressOfAllEvil]

I wanna cry while I'm at work, errr, I mean watch the video!! Please PM the user name and password! Thanks Summer.

[D&R love Disney]

Summer would you PM me the password, thanks.

[The Charmed One]

Hi Summer,

Please can I have the password, I can't wait to see the rest of the video.

Love Wendy xxx

[MistressOfAllEvil]

Whew.... man did I cry. Thank goodness the boys are out golfing and I'm hear alone! They may start to wonder why I go through tissue so fast :rotfl:

Summer, it was absolutely amazing. The whole thing. The video. Your wedding. The nuptial nuggets. The vows. The kiss. The cake cutting. I just loved all of it. My heart is full of that happy wedding feeling right now. Thank you so much for sharing.

[DisneyLaura]

Summer

Everythine was perfect about that video. I cried too. The sand ceremony was beautiful too. It didn't look like Steven was having that much trouble pouring the sand. What is the song played at the end? I love it. I actually loved all of the music you picked out. I love Savage Garden so the first song is awesome. Sometimes the songs choke you up more than words. The reverand was excellent too. His nuggets, how true. Me and DH have been married for 11 years and dating for 18 years. Your mom looked so cute too. Her speak was very nicely said. I don't know if my mom would have held out from crying hysterical to do that but your mom did good. Anyway, back to my housework:laundy: . Waiting for tonight's next installment. Can't wait.popcorn::

[The Charmed One]

Hi Summer,
Thank you for sending me the password.

I've just watched the wedding, it was amazing so special, loved the wave's over the film at the start, loved how Steven got abit emotional as he spoke, (he nearly started me off), loved the sand ceremony, loved the kiss under the veil, the bird flying off at the end, loved everything, the music was perfect, I love the savage garden song you chose, the location was amazing, you both look stunning. Loved how it was so different from other wedding video's.

My niece Phoebe (aged 2) watched it with me and said you look beautiful like a princess.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful wedding with us.

Can't wait to hear more and see more photo's.

Love Wendy xxx

[Summer-Caitlin]

WithDisneySpirit -Thanks so much. That wedding ceremony was the best moment of my life and I am so happy with the video result. I had hoped it would turn out well but even I was surprised at how great it is. Stan and Bonnie really outdid themselves.

lpizzuro123 - PM has been sent, let me know what you think of it when you get the chance.

MistressOfAllEvil - So glad you liked it, the video really captured our ceremony well, and the music just added to it. I am so glad everyone likes it too. I am so happy just to share it with everyone, I am hoping that Stan may get more bookings for stylized versions now, as when I booked him I had no idea that he did this sort of work. This is proof he does and does it extremely well.

D&R love Disney - PM sent, hope you like the video, let me know your thoughts.

The Charmed One - PM sent, again let me know what you think.

DisneyLaura - The song at the end is Unbelievable by Craig David, it is a remix though, the original song is a ballad and it is beautiful. The remix though fits extremely well for the retrospective. We both wanted fast editing at the end of the video, no slow mo for us, LOL.
We LOVED Rev Miller, and he was fabulous, again I highly recommend booking him, so to anyone that is looking for a reverand, try Rev Miller, he is by far the best!!!

[Rain]

Summer ,

Just finished watching the video, it was wonderful. I was very suprised to hear your voices as I had not noticed you were from Scotland, I assumed wrongly that you were from the US. I had not seen the sand ceremony either so assumed that too was a US custom lol
I just loved everything about the video from the music at the beginning to the clips at the end.
You looked stunning! and you both looked so happy. The minister was great and he made some very good comments that you will be reminded of each time you watch your video.
Looking forward to hearing more of your wedding story.

[BaBeeCee14]

Hi Summer!

Can you please pm me the user name and password also? I would love to see the video :goodvibes . Unfortunately, my computer at work doesn't have sound - so I'll have to wait till I get home to watch it.

[D&R love Disney]

Summer the video is amazing :thumbsup2 Stan did such a fantastic job. I wish we didn't have early plans the morning of your wedding, I would have loved to have seen you.

[mla1977]

Summer,

I forgot to tell you. When I watched the 6-minute video, I started to wonder why you were in New Orleans. You see, I have a picture of those horse posts from when I was in NO. Then I remembered what resort you stayed at. The horses in my pictures were from the Garden District.

[meryll83]

Just got round to watching your video finally!

I really love the way it's all edited together and all the stylised shots included.

Your Rev seems a really nice guy, his voice is so friendly sounding and I like the things he says that really make you smile.

The sand ceremony was cool too - I love the pattern you ended up with in the jar, and it's something you can always keep.

Loving how the music ties it all in together as well, it's a really lovely video.

How long has it taken then to get this full version? I'm hoping to have a party after our wedding at home for all the guests who can't make it to Florida and sscreen the video at the party, think it's taken a few weeks hasn't it?

[America]

I have been reading you TR but have not posted. I normally like to read only, but your wedding has been great to read. I LOVED your video and the music, I would love to see the rest of the video. GREAT TR.:thumbsup2

[Pamlur]

Please, I would love to see the video. Could you PM me with the necessary information? Thanks.

[zalansky]

It came out incredible Summer! I LOVE the ending with the dance music at the end and the way they edited it all. I am definitely getting a video for or vow renewal. You are gorgeous! Both of you. Thanks for sharing....

[DisneyObsession]

I was finally able to watch the video last night and it was beautiful! :bride: It brought, not only tears to my eyes, but to my hubby's as well! I wanted him to see how gorgeous you were and how the video was done and it brought back the memories of the promises we made to each other when we were married 24 years ago! :hippie: Thanks for that renewed "spark" and for touching our lives by sharing your wonderful day with us! :love:

:cool1: I am looking forward to more on your trip! :banana:

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

Stupid movie players...

Tried it on my iBook, wouldn't work - trying it now on my eMac, still won't work :( ARGH!!

Anyone on a Mac that's got it to work, please help!

[allie_to_you]

Beautiful video summer...you both looked great and it was a beautiful romantic ceremony.

My husband and I had a friend tape our wedding, but if I could do one thing over about my wedding day it would be to have hired a professional videographer.

[lpizzuro123]

Got to watch your video last night. It was just wonderful. It was nice to actually hear your voice rather then just your words in writing. Loved all the music that was chosen. The Sand Ceremony was great also. I didn't know if I wanted to do that or not because I had never seen it being done so I thought it might look cheesy but it was just beautiful. The sand holder you chose was wonderful and I loved the shape of the glass that the sand was originally in. I have to ask though - how did it make it home. I would be worried that the sand would get all mixed up.

Thanks for sharing your special day with us and looking forward to reading more.

Linda

[mla1977]

Summer,

I got to watch the video this morning. It was beautiful! I think I will use Rev. Miller (?) when the time comes. The sand ceremony was beautiful too. I was fighting back the tears (couldn't go to work with a puffy face, could I?). I also loved how they caught your mom wiping away some tears. It must have been great to have her there.

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

I finally got to see the video - Els got it working for me!!

It was so beautiful, that stylized cut is really cool! When Steven put the ring on your finger I had a huge lump in my throat, because it looked like he had trouble getting the words out since he was overcome with emotion :)

Your accent is so cute Summer, it sounds half-Scottish half-Aussie!

[Summer-Caitlin]

Rain - Thanks. I am surprised you didn't realise I was from the UK, alot of people hear my voice and have no clue where I come from, my accent is very strange. Most people think I don't actually have one. The Sand Ceremony, well, I don't know of anyone here that does that, it does seem to be more popular in the US, along with Unity Candles.
I can't say enoough good things about Rev Miller, he is by far the most underated Rev on here.

BaBeeCee14 - I hope you managed to view it, let me know what you think when you get the chance.

D&R love Disney - I really wish you could have stopped by, it would have been great to see a fellow DISser, I seemed to pass loads but never actually met anyone. Glad you liked the video.

mla1977 - That's good to know that POFQ does resemble NO somewhat, I always wonder which parts they are modelled on. I love that bit on the video, it works so well!

meryll83 - Thank you. We are yet to receive the full film on DVD yet. Stan has told me he will mail it to me this week but I am not expecting to receive it until Nov 3rd or so. Our wedding was on Aug 20th so really it has been over 2 months to get the video complete. You have to remember too that if you are having a custom wedding then that is more footage that Stan would have to edit. We only had Stan for 3 hours, so the more you have the more time it will take him.
I know he can rush it for you but he charges extra for this service. Plus, I think I would rather let him have the time to get it perfect.

America - I have Pmed you, love to know your thoughts when you get the chance.

Pamlur - Thanks for the PM, glad you liked the video.

zalansky - Thanks so much. I love the editing at the end, it is so perfect, exactly what I wanted. I want a video again when we do our VR too!

DisneyObsession - Awww, thanks, I'm so glad it had that effect on you and your husband. I can't wait until I have the copy in my hands and I can watch and rewatch as much as I like. I'm glad your hubby agreed to watch it, maybe for your VR you could do the same thing...

Hayley - Do you not have access to Windows Media or anything like that? I wish I could help but I don't have a clue how to access it on those pieces of equipment.

allie_to_you - Thank you. I am so glad that we decided to splash out and hire a videographer, I am sure I would have regretted it, especially as we only had my mother in attendance. i agree about the ceremony, I think it was very romantic, the Rev's words were perfect.

lpizzuro123 - Thank you. Unfortunately the Sand Ceremony didn't make it home looking like that. when we checked into Orlando Airport, the woman thought it looked like liquids on the scanner so she took it out and shook it, well you can imagine my reaction. It looks nothing like that now and I have been really upset by it. We both decided that we will do it again, most likely on our anniversary. Steven thought it was okay as it was but it just looks like completely mixed up sand, it doesn't symobolize anything at the moment, I loved the layered look and that meant much more.

Okay so I intended to put up a new instalment last night but as I had written it at work I had to send it to myself by email, unfortunately I must have mistyped my own email and I didn't receive it when I got home. Hence no instalment.

So today I have typed up loads more on our day at MGM, so tonight you will get a pretty big instalment, with pics.
I apologise I know I haven't been posting loads lately, but I assure you it will be up tonight, so far I have 2292 words and it just keeps getting longer...

[donald&daisy]

Yay! I can't wait. It's so much more fun to read your TR than doing my homework :rotfl2:

[Funniebunny]

Hi Summer, I'd love to see your video. Please pm me the password and link :goodvibes

[4luvofthemouse]

Thanks Summer, I watched your video 4 o'clock this morning.
It's absolutely beautiful!!
I love your flowers and your cake and your SHOES! I could go on & on.
It really is an amazing video!
Thanks again for sharing it with us! :goodvibes

[Summer-Caitlin]

We exited Sci-Fi Dine-Inn and Steven said that I should go ahead and cancel our other reservation for Sci-Fi. Like I wasn’t going to anyway! I decided to cancel it when I got back to the resort as I didn’t want to be questioned as to why I wouldn’t be returning.

We were already quite close to Echo Lake and didn’t want to do anything extreme after we ate so Drew Carey’s Sounds Dangerous sounded like the right sort of thing to go and see.

We got in straight away and I had really been looking forward to this. I like Drew Carey, I don’t think he is as talented as Ryan Styles or Denis Leary but he has his moments. So I was excited. I had told Steven very little about this and my mom was totally oblivious.

So we entered the attraction and took our seat. The show started almost instantly and the story line was complete garbage, sorry, but it was. I know these things are never the best but this was way out there, even for me.

The sound effects were really good, surround sound, and when we were plunged into total darkness it was great. I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face it was that dark. Other than this, it was very disappointing. I expected them to take full advantage of being in complete darkness and use sound effects to their best ability, but they didn’t. They could have done so much more with this show and for 12 minutes, nothing really happened. I could have quite happily missed this show.
My mom didn’t say anything about it when we exited and Steven thought it was just okay.

We quickly moved on as I didn’t want to leave it too long before we saw something decent.

I thought it would be a good idea to see Muppet Vision 3D.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-3-6.jpg

The queue for Muppets was quite long but I knew the theatre would hold a lot of people, so we joined. Unfortunately the queue was outside and in the sun, and we could feel ourselves melting. Luckily we didn’t have to stand for more than 10 minutes and we were soon ushered inside to an air conditioned room, BLISS!

Steven and I had seen this show in LA and I remembered it being really good, I knew mom would love it and even though I was beginning to feel tired again, I wanted mom to see it.

We saw the pre-show and this one seemed very long, I totally blanked it and started swinging back and forth on my heels, desperate to be allowed in to the theatre.

Eventually we went in and I quickly scanned the theatre for the best seats. Steven started to go into a row and I pulled him back, I wanted to let at least 10 people go before us so we could hopefully get the center.
We slipped in after the 11th person and settled down right in the center of the row. Feeling pretty pleased with myself, I put on my glasses ready to enjoy the show.

I noticed that we had another newly married couple next to us and I congratulated them, she too was wearing the ears and button. It was nice to be able to say congratulations to someone; I know that I always appreciated people saying it to me.

The show started and I put my glasses on, I always preferred the Muppet Babies, don’t know if anyone else remembers them, but they always were so much cuter than the adult muppets. Anyway it was enjoyable, but when the theatre went dark, I swear I almost fell asleep. I don’t know what happened but I felt exhausted all of a sudden. Watching shows was obviously not a smart move when you’re so tired so I decided that I would look for something more exciting as soon as this ended.

I remembered a lot from LA, and as far as I could tell it was the same show from beginning to end, I even remembered some of the jokes, yup; I have that good a memory.

My mom enjoyed it and that was the main thing. I was eager to get out and into the daylight, I really needed a drink so we found some bubblers and I quenched my thirst.

As we walked along the Streets of America I was pleasantly surprised by the buildings. We managed to get a few photos along the way:

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I love this pic:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-8-3.jpg

Notice my mom looking fed up in the background:

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We had a look to see when the next showing of Lights, Motor, Action was and noticed it wasn’t showing until 2.45pm. So we moved on to the Backlot Tour and luckily only had a 5 minute wait.

This was quite disappointing. I guess I had been spoiled by, dare I say it, Universal, on their own backlot tour in California. I know, MGM doesn’t profess to be Universal, nor does it have the same repertoire as Universal, but I guess I expected more. It couldn’t have been that interesting really as I cannot remember all of the things I saw while on the tour.

It started out with ‘Harbor Attack’ where volunteers took their places and simulated a…Harbor Attack! This bit was very entertaining, even if it was because we saw unsuspecting audience members get soaked.

We then walked through a prop warehouse, but I just saw this as a means to get to the next area, to be honest I don’t think I stopped once.

We boarded the tram and then passed through a wardrobe department, but this was over quickly so didn’t get the chance to get a good look.
We managed to get some photo ops:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-12-2.jpg

We then passed vehicles that had been used in Disney movies, but our guide wasn’t the best at explaining all the things we saw. However I did manage to get a good pic of the ship from ‘Flight of the Navigator’ this was one of my favourite movies as a child:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-14-1.jpg

Also the steam roller from ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’

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‘Catastrophe Canyon’ was the best part. The tram comes to a complete stop and the ground began to shake, a fuel tankard explodes which sends off tremendous heat and then a flash flood happens. It all happens really quickly, but it is definitely the best part of the ride. I was also on the left hand side of the tram, so I got the best view imo:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-15-1.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-17-1.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-18-1.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-19-1.jpg

I did get slightly wet, but it was welcomed, the sun had been beating down on us for the last 40 minutes or so, yup, this is one long ride!

After this we walked past the hat, took some obligatory pictures:

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Maybe not obligatory, but cool all the same:

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and then walked down Sunset Boulevard. I didn’t know what my intentions were as the rides this way were all way out of my family’s league.

We bypassed some stores and again, didn’t bother to go inside, shopping was a thing I actually didn’t like to do when I was in Disney. I always make a last minute dash for souvenirs right at the end of the vacation. I don’t like to waste any time in stores if I can help it!

The view of Tower of Terror was amazing, I had no idea it was so big. Of course I got some pics:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-25-1.jpghttp://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-26-1.jpg

By this point I was really hot and quite frankly bored. I don’t know if the tiredness was getting to me or what but I suddenly announced I was going on Tower of Terror. I had NEVER intended to go on this ride EVER. It’s not my sort of thing really. I really like coasters but dropping down from a great height didn’t really appeal.

I noticed the queue was only 10 minutes for Single riders, and although I had married only yesterday, today I was single again! Steven and my mom agreed to wait for me off to the side in the shade. I hurried on before I had the chance to change my mind.

I walked round the winding entryway and noticed all the furniture with cobwebs and dust. There were props but as there was no queue whatsoever I didn’t have time to stop and look. I was immediately directed into the library to watch a black and white set. Rod Serling appears and his voice rings out through the room. I love Twilight Zone so this was the only reason this ride became part of my Disney experience, well that and boredom.

I was questioned by the CM where my new husband was, after telling him he was outside waiting for me; he made some joke about losing him so quickly.
We all got ushered into our elevator. I didn’t even have a five minute wait, so much for getting time to find courage.

I noticed I was not the only girl here alone. There were 2 others in my elevator, one British girl and one American. We all got talking and none of us had been on it before so there were no horror stories to leak.

We were seated in the front row and I took my ears (bridal ears) off as I wasn’t sure how severe the drop was. We all fastened our seatbelt and the elevator doors closed in front of us.

We moved up and my heart began to pound. I started to wonder how someone would know if they had a heart condition, I mean, what if I did? I looked around and didn’t notice any emergency panic buttons and this slightly freaked me. I mean, what if I started getting chest pains or blacked out, how would I, or someone else get the elevator to stop? I breathed deeply. Have you guys realised yet that I think way too much?

So the doors open and there is a cool illusion, this momentarily makes me forget my concerns and I am immersed in the ride.

The doors close and we move upwards, the doors open again and we move forward this time, cool, I didn’t know that this was part of the ride. I start thinking that Steven may have enjoyed this. We stop, drop and scream!!!
We stop again and I manage to breathe, I’m alive, woo hoo! We then shoot back up, now I will say here that this was by far the worst part. Sure the drop was scary and fun in a strange sort of way, but nothing prepared me for going up. I literally screamed until my throat was hoarse. Imagine those Horror ‘b’ flicks and the screams in that, well they could have learned a thing or two from me I’ll tell you.

Luckily this part didn’t last for eternity like I’m sure it would, and during this time I was aware of the doors opening and closing intermittently, I remember briefly seeing the outside but this quickly vanished and we were plunged into darkness again as we accelerated down to the ground. We went up 3 times and fell 4 times. When the doors opened we all escaped.

I viewed the picture of us snapped at the precise moment that terror enveloped us, and I now wish I had purchased it as it was pretty funny. We all chatted on the way out and we girls started giggling about how terrified we all were. Although looking back on it, it was fun, but I am unsure if I would feel a need to do it again.

I returned to my camp and told them in great detail about what I had just endured. You know me, I don’t skimp so they heard everything, I even managed to whisper the scream, yes, it is possible to do this!

So we continued back up Sunset Boulevard and headed towards Lights, Motor, Action:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-10-2.jpg

Steven wanted to make sure we would get a good seat, so that meant going much earlier than the show time. We arrived 30 minutes before it would start, so I demanded that we get a drink.

We stopped off at a drink stand and we all got frozen cokes with our snack credits.

Content, we moved on. We managed to get some good seats right in the center, but I wasn’t too pleased to notice that some of the fans weren’t working.

I knew that sitting for an hour was not going to be easy. The only thing that was keeping me awake was the constant moving about. I sat and continued to drink my coke, I felt so tired.

The 30 minutes dragged on and I started to get on my own nerves by constantly sighing. I decided that coming to MGM the day after the wedding was not one of my brighter ideas. I really should have stayed in and slept, it was clear I was not a happy camper.

Still, I stayed as I could see that Steven and my mom were looking forward to it, so I spent the last 10 minutes or so with my eyes hidden under my sunglasses. I managed to cat nap while cuddling in to Steven.

The show eventually started and while it was really good, I just wasn’t in the mood. I had a splitting headache and I found it difficult to focus on the cars. Steven managed to get a good picture though of the car mid flight, he is mighty proud of this one:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-20-1.jpg

I wish I could go into more detail, but it was just a stunt show with cars, jet skis and motorbikes, well done but not ideal on a hot day when you are extremely tired. We all learned some Hollywood secrets and the stunts were very good, but the noise was almost unbearable for my poor head. I could see that Steven wasn’t that happy either and he confessed that he too had a headache and was pretty tired.

My mom on the other hand loved this and had no idea that the audience member was not driving the car with her remote control. For those that have seen the show you will know what I am talking about!

I was eager for the show to end so we could get out of there. I really didn’t feel in the mood to go to The P & P Party but I thought if I was to go back and have a nap I would feel much better.

The show ended and I didn’t engage in any conversation as I was too tired to not be sarcastic. So we joined the crowd and we headed for the exit.
I was cheering up at the thought of going back to POFQ, but we decided to quickly have a look at the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure:

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This was worth a look but it’s definitely geared towards small kids only. Some of the things were pretty cool though, but it was filled with little kids that just wouldn’t get off of things, to let a real kid (ME) on.

We left the playground and headed towards the exit of MGM. I was disappointed that we couldn’t stay to see some shows but I knew that I was getting grumpy so I thought it best to leave. Plus The P & P Party started at 7pm so I had to have a nap or I would never stay awake for it.

I knew Kona was a bust, which is why I agreed to see Lights, Motor, Action. We originally had a reservation at 5pm but I knew we couldn’t make Kona, plus we weren’t even hungry, so it didn’t particularly bother me that we weren’t going. Steven and I had reserved Kona again later on in our trip so I knew we could try it then.

As we exited we got bombarded with Congratulations and I mustered a smile, I was so exhausted though, I just needed my bed.

I was really looking forward to the P & P Party after reading so many good things about it. I’m sure after a sleep I would feel fine. I couldn’t wait to see us in our costumes!

We sat in line for the bus and my mom came up to me and said

“Do you mind if I don’t go the Pirate Party tonight?”
“What?”

My mom had bought a costume and I had purchased her ticket, she had been really looking forward to it so I was stunned to hear her say this.

“I’m really tired” she said.

I almost felt like I was on the verge of tears. I was exhausted and hot, I had a splitting headache and now my mom didn’t even want to go to the Party! I knew how much she would love it and I felt like she had slapped me.

Before coming to Disney my mom and I had talked excitedly about this party, we bought our costumes and relished at the thought of getting some pictures together all dressed up as Pirates. We both really looked forward to the parade and the firework show, not to mention going from place to place collecting our loot!

I explained to her that she had said she was looking forward to it and it’s not like she could go again another night.

“Well” she said, “I guess…”

She looked at me and sighed, but in my heart I knew she would end up not going…

Coming up…

Do we go to the Pirate and Princess Party?

[mla1977]

Yay! An update! I can't wait to hear about the party. I would love to do that, but I don't know when I'll be back to WDW.

[PrincessBrideKatie]

I am so biased when it comes to the pirate and princess parties! THEY ARE AMAZING! My DFH proposed to me during the fireworks on my birthday at one. I definitely recommend the parties to everyone who likes pirates and/or princesses. pirate:

P.S. I Love your TR!! Its given me tons of ideas!

[Funniebunny]

Summer, your video was fantastic. I could definately hear your accents. You were right about the Reverend, he obviously loves his job and did a fantastic job. I'm so pleased your day turn out so well :yay:

[DisneyLaura]

Summer

I LOVE the Muppets. I can't believe you went on Tower of Terror. I remember when me and DH went for our 1st anniversary we ran towards that ride and as we ran closer the screams got louder and I chickened out. Maybe next time. Can't wait for more.

[dee slack]

Tower of Terror is my favourite ride!
Hope you DO get to the party '*** I want to see pic's of your costumes:thumbsup2

[HarbinsMom]

Summer, thanks for the password. I saw the video and loved it. It was so unique and I love your accent. You and Steven look so happy together.

I was disappointed in Lights, Action, Motor Cars. I just didn't like it at all. The Backlot tour at MGM used to be much better. They actually used to film on the backlot and had some exterior houses, I believe one was *The Golden Girls*. They tore them down to build Lights, Action, Motor Cars. A complete waste if you ask me. I understand about being spoiled by Universal California's backlot tour. Although, that's the only thing we like at Universal-CA.

The first time we took Alex to WDW he was about 5. We lost him for a few minutes in *Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground*. He's now 15 and every time we go there we laugh about it.

[MUDisneyCouple]

I loved the teaser of your video! I'm going to PM you for SURE!! That guy did great work in the first minute and 7 seconds!!!

We finally got to go on the TOT when we were in Disneyland and we were so scared!!! I managed to get my mom on that ride - her expression was SO funny. She swears that she loved it though :lmao: It wasn't as bad as the look on her face on Space Mountain - she looked like death, all white and eyes closed...it was awful!

I'm pretty sure that we went to the P&P party the same night that you did, so I hope that you got to go. The fireworks were GREAT!

BTW, I totally remember the baby muppets...they were so cute! I agree with the Backlot Tour, not my thing. I thought it was really boring. Too bad about the action show, my DH was really sad that we missed it. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with MGM this time around...hopefully they will add more stuff or something to make it more appealing.

[HolyCowImADisneyBrde]

We moved up and my heart began to pound. I started to wonder how someone would know if they had a heart condition, I mean, what if I did? I looked around and didn’t notice any emergency panic buttons and this slightly freaked me. I mean, what if I started getting chest pains or blacked out, how would I, or someone else get the elevator to stop? I breathed deeply. Have you guys realised yet that I think way too much?

:rotfl: I thought I was the only one that thinks this way!!! Literally, I'm totally fine going on most rides, but some I get in line and I just start to freak out with the EXACT thoughts you describe here, and it's so bad sometimes, that I literally am convinced I'm going to be so scared I'll have a heart attack or something and I won't go on the ride. :lmao:
..then of course, once I do go on it (I always do, sometimes it just takes a few tries ;)), I'm totally fine and I can do it forever after that. Atleast I have a very understanding DF! :goodvibes

[traceycooper]

Hi Summer
loved the MGM report :)
I wasnt going to do TOT either - i hate heights & lifts!!!
But when we got their i thought 'i've come all this way, to my dream place'
so i took a deep breath & did it! We ended up going on FOUR times in a row!!
love this ride :)
i wasnt impressed with the stunt car show either - think its more a man thing!!
thanks for reminding me of so many memories :)
This time last year we were in WDW for our wedding with my parents who had never been to WDW & my dad was convinced he'd hate it....they're still talking about it now & want to go back ;)
hope you made the P&P party!

[LoveStitch]

I agree with you about MGM in general...that's a park I can go long periods of time without visiting. (Except for Rockin' Roller Coaster - and the pre-show for Beauty and the Beast...I love both of those!) But I usually go in and out of that park pretty quickly.

I'm loving your stories...but now that I'm finally caught up (took me many, many weeks, since I don't have much time to read each day) I'm having withdrawal on the mornings I get up and there's no installment to read! Can't you skip work for oh, say, a week or two and just write??!!:rotfl:

But then...hmmm...what will I do when you're all done? Okay, I guess this way works!

[D&R love Disney]

Summer I'm laughing at your description of your ride on ToT! Thats my love to hate ride. Love the theming but hate the waiting for the drop. DH and I usually ride it once maybe twice a trip. I think we did it 6 times this summer with the kids LOL.

[TwistofLemon]

Hi Summer

I've finally caught up, have read your entire TR in the last couple of days. You and Steven are a beautiful couple! Best wishes to you both for a lifetime of happiness!

Thank you for writing all of this. You have brought back some wonderful memories for me; my DD and DSIL were married last year at WDW. It is truly a magical place, a fantastic place to have a Fairytale Wedding.

Congratulations and again, Best Wishes!

[DisneyObsession]

I'm proud of you for riding TOT! I went through the que, but didn't do the ride. I really don't like elevators! :scared:

Can't wait for more! popcorn::

[tazz23]

:love: Wow I love this report! I have spent the last 4 hours reading!
I agree with everyone else, you are a great writer and looked stunning on your wedding day. :goodvibes I am not engaged yet, but dream of having a disney wedding and reading your story makes it seem like a reality.. cannot wait to hear what happens next! :hug:

[Kristen14]

Hi Summer, your TR is one of the best i've read! Congratulations on your marriage, everything looks wonderful!!

[Pezalicious]

I can't wait to read more. This report, along with Janet's, has kept me entertained for hours! You have such a wonderful way of telling your tale, it just leaves me wanting more (and makes me keep checking, in case I've missed something!).

[KitKatarina]

Hi Summer

Your wedding was beautiful. What song was the violin playinging? Did you have them play the same song you had in your video? :cool1:

[blondie7]

Summer I just got a chance to watch your weding video. It is beautiful. You both looked so happy during the ceremony. Congratulations to you both. Congrats also on going on Tower of Terror. I have walked through the line a few times with my nephew but never had the guts to get on. Did you know if you chose not to ride you have to get on an elevator to get down. A few of us started laughing saying how do you know we aren't on the ride. I can't wait to hear more. PS Good Luck with the move and don't forget let me know if you have any questions

[DisneyBride2000]

subscribing

[DisneyObsession]

Hope all your studying is going well.

Miss you around here! :hug:

Hope you come back soon!

[The Charmed One]

Thank you for the latest part of your report. I love MGM it's a shame you were so tired, can't wait to read more and see more picture's.

I replied to your wedding video, I just loved it, not sure if you saw my reply as you posted just after it.

[Summer-Caitlin]

mla1977 - I know my updates haven't been as frequent as I would like them to be. I am definitely going to have another instalment up today. Did we get to the P & P Party, you'll have to wait and find out...

PrincessBrideKatie - Thank you for reading. Yes, I have heard so much about the P & P Party, I read up so much about them before I went to Disney, I just knew we would have to go, if only for the fireworks show. Glad my TR is giving you some ideas.

Funniebunny - Thank you for the compliment on my video. Rev Miller was fantastic, he was by far one of our best choices. It's funny that you can hear the accents so well. I have been told I don't have an accent, but I must admit Steven does sound like he has a stronger accent than he does.

DisneyLaura - Yup, ToT was a spur of the moment decison, I don't regret trying it, I don't know if I would need to go on it again though, I think once was quite enough.

deeslack - Well all hats off to you, ToT was really good, in hindsight, I do think that, but I was terrified in a good way. The P & P Party didn't happen as expected...

Harbinsmom - How cool to have a backlot with sets like that. I loved The Golden Girls, I would have thought that was so cool. Is Lights Motor Action going to be there all the time? I thought it was only being brought in for 'YOMD' I hope it's not there forever.
Thanks for the compliment on the video, we actually receive it today so I can't wait to watch it on the TV.

MUDisneyCouple - I did like MGM, I mean we went back another day and had a much better day next time. However we did different things and we weren't as tired. You definitely don't need a whole day to explore MGM though, although there were loads of shows that we didn't get to see.

HolyCowImADisneyBrde - Believe me I have thoughts like that all the time on the more scary rides, but ToT was definitely the worst one. I have never been on a drop like that before, I always avoid rides like that so I have no idea what drove me to go on it.
I'm glad I managed it though, but there were much more of those moments to come...

traceycooper - Glad you went on ToT, I had read reviews of it before and it really didn't appeal to me. My next trip to MGM and I went on another ride that had me freaking out even more...
Your parents remind me of Steven, he isn't or rather wasn't a huge Disney fan, yet he talks about it all the time now, he can't wait to go back!

LoveStitch - I know what you mean, I so wish I could write more frequently. I intend to write quite a bit at the weekend so I can have a few instalments. I start a new job on Monday too so I am going to be really busy. But as you said the trip lasts longer this way, all for the best I guess.

D&R love Disney - I am thinking that ToT is my love to hate ride too, although I have found a few other rides that fit in that category...

TwistofLemon - Thank you so much for the compliments. I do feel that Disney is such a magical place and it was perfect for our wedding. I wouldn't have changed a thing. I am glad it brought back so many memories for you.

DisneyObsession - I'm not fond of elevators either, that's why I'm surprised I even went on it. It was good in a strange sort of way. I will have another instalment up today.

tazz23 - I can't believe you spent 4 hours reading this TR, thank you. I really enjoy writing this and reading all of your comments, it brings it all back for me. My wedding really was a dream come true.

Kristen14 - Thank you very much. My wedding was fantastic, to be honest I am already thinking of our VR.

Pezalicious - Thank you for reading along. I wish I could have put up more instalments, but I hope to write alot more this weekend and I will definitely have an instalment up today.

KitKatarina - The violinist was playing the exact music that played in our wedding video. I asked our videographer to overwrite it with the real music as I thought the sound quality wouldn't have been great on the video. I think it turned out really well.

blondie7 - Thank you, woo hoo another Canadian. I am getting so excited about the move, I can't wait. I will no doubt have loads of questions nearer the time. I have heard about this elevator on ToT that you go on if you choose not to ride, I may get Steven to do that next year.
Thanks for the compliments on the video. We are both so happy with it.

DisneyBride2000 - It still surprises me how many new subscribers I get, thank you.

DisneyObsession - I'm back and thanks for your sweet comments. Sorry it has taken so long. I am putting up another instalment today and loads more at the weekend.

The Charmed One - I do like MGM, we had a better time the next trip. Being tired does not help the situation, I was exhausted. Thank you also for the compliments on the video. Steven and I are so happy about it, it turned out exactly the way we hoped. It is sitting at the post office just now and I am going to collect it today. I can't wait to see it on the TV.

Okay ladies, I will have a new instalment up today. I have to go into the city and buy myself a new suit as I got a new position as a Legal Secretary with a top law firm. This will be wonderful for my Law Studies. I start on Monday so I hope to get a few instalments out of the way at the weekend. here's hoping I can get loads done before Monday.

Thank you all for your comments and compliments, I love logging on and seeing them and I thank you all for taking the time to read along and bear with me while I study. I hope that you are all enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.:grouphug:

[meryll83]

Congratulations on the new job hun, well done! :goodvibes
Sounds like it will be a perfect opportunity to get an insight into the career you want.

looking forward to the next installment......

[Wazzo]

Congratulations, and good luck! :woohoo:

[disneydreamgirl05]

Congrats on the new job! :goodvibes

Can't wait to hear the rest!!

[piglet50]

i've been reading along and have enjoyed your report. thank you for sharing your wonderful time with us.

[Kirsteen]

Congratulations on your new job chick - that is great news and will be great experience. Looking forward to your next installment - OH has his stag night this weekend so will be adding this to my to do list - I have the TV, Sky and Internet all to myself - no golf to watch, no Playstation games to listen to - yippee :lmao: :goodvibes

[Summer-Caitlin]

meryll - Thank you, I'm really excited about this job. How are you coming along with your planning? You must be getting really excited?

Wazzo - Thank you, I just went and spent a fortune on new clothes!

disneydreamgirl05 - Thanks, I am putting up my next instalment now.

piglet50 - Thanks, I really wish I could have written more for tonight, but I will have a few instalments up this weekend.

Kirsteen - Thanks, this job has been something I have been hoping for, for a long time. Oooh so you have some alone time this weekend then, perfect time for some pampering!

As promised, I know it's small, but until tomorrow...

[Summer-Caitlin]

Day 7, Part 4

On the bus back to POFQ, I realised how exhausted I was, I swear I could have fallen asleep right there and not woken ‘til morning.

Mom had definitely decided that she wasn’t going to The Pirate and Princess Party so Steven and I knew we would be going alone. Not only was I annoyed that I had paid extra for the ticket but I was more annoyed that she had paid for her pirate costume and wasn’t going to get to use it at all.
I don’t know, I guess I was just feeling sorry for myself. I expected the first day of our honeymoon to be spectacular, but I was so exhausted I could barely stand. The heat didn’t help and I was getting grumpy each second I was out.

My mom said she would get something to eat again at the food court and this made me even more disappointed. The whole point of the DDP was so we could eat at proper sit down restaurants, yet my mom would be eating at the food court 2 days in a row. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I knew how much she would have loved Kona, as the menu was perfect for her.
Steven was getting really tired too and he had a headache. I didn’t know how much of a nap we could have before the party but I intended to sleep as soon as I got in.

We arrived back at POFQ and it was almost 5pm. We said goodbye to mom and said we would see her in the morning for Chef Mickeys and would pick her up at 8.00am.

Steven and I continued on to our room and I was really happy to see these little guys when we arrived:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-1-12.jpg

These guys are now sitting in my bathroom as a constant reminder of Disney!

We were exhausted, there was no use denying it, we needed to sleep. We fell on to the bed and it seemed so cool and inviting. I had left the air conditioner on and the room was a wonderful temperature. I changed into my PJ’s and cuddled up with the pillow, I didn’t want to leave this bed…EVER.

Steven and I discussed the night in front of us and we both realised that we weren’t hungry nor were we that bothered about going to the Party.
I think if I had more stamina I would have been itching to go. In hindsight, I don’t know what I was thinking when I booked the tickets for the day after the wedding.

I suggested to Steven that we just stayed in and cosied up on the bed, and slept for as long as we needed to. If we got hungry later on we could always grab something from the Food Court, or we always had wedding cake!

Steven was all for it and I was disappointed he didn’t urge me to go. I thought to myself that there were 2 more possible days available for us to see The P & P Party and I figured I could convince Steven to fork out a bit more money and go on one of the other days. Thinking this, I felt much better and decided to stay in and sleep.

I switched on the TV and settled on the news. I plumped the pillows, set the alarm for 7am, cuddled up to Steven and closed my eyes.
Within seconds I was asleep. The next time I opened my eyes it was morning.

Coming up…
Chef Mickeys and loads of pictures!

[MistressOfAllEvil]

Summer~

First off, cogratulations on the new job :thumbsup2 I know how much it means to get that kind of leg up in the field you're trying to break into. And I know school keeps you busy too :teacher: I'm working full time, going to school full time and planning the wedding. This me most of the time -->:hourglass : :crazy2:

Okay, two, I'm sooo glad you guys decided to stay in and get some sleep. I was starting to get exhausted for you guys. (hmm, maybe now would be a good time to take a nap.) Don't get me wrong, I'm a Disney warrior... up at 5am... parks open to close, back in bed at 1am. But I just don't think I could do it with all the extra stress. Heck... you just got married! And, looking after your mom prolly drained you some too.

Anyhow, I look forward to additional installments this weekend. I'll use them as breaks between this huge project I have to finish in two weeks. My life is shot until after the 13th! Hmpf.

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

Awesome news on the new job Summer!!!

It's really tough for UK Law Students to find a Training Contract after studying, and something like this can most certainly give you a leg up - well done!!

Where are you at in your studies Summer? I teach Contract Law and Tort so anything I can help you with :teeth:

[traceycooper]

Congrats on the new job Summer :)
I hope you managed to get to the P&P party another day!

[DisneyLaura]

Summer - congrats on the new job. That's great. I was excited to see that you decided to get some sleep. I hope you get to go the the P&P party though because I am dying to see pictures of that but if you don't I understand dishing out more money but I hope you do. Can't wait for more.

[blondie7]

Congrats on the new job Summer. I am sure you will do well and the experience will be great as you continue your studies. I can't wait to hear more about your trip

[Summer-Caitlin]

MistressOfAllEvil - Thanks for the congrats on the new job, I am now at the stage of being nervous. I know where you're coming from when you talk about having no time. I have zero free time anymore but I can't give up anything, It get's really hard sometimes to squeeze everything in.
That sleep was wonderful and we so needed it, it allowed us to have a better day. I like to think I could stay up constantnly at Disney but in practice it just isn't possible, we were exhausted. Hope you aren't working too hard!

Hayley - Hiya girl, how are you getting on? I am studying Contract Law this year so if I have any questions I will be sure to drop you a line. I'm also studying Criminal and Administrative Law. Thanks for the job congrats, I am hoping this will give me a leg up in the field. I am looking forward to starting.

traceycooper - Thanks, unfortunately it means no getting on the computer for sneaky peeks all day, although it might be a good thing and I can concentrate on my studies for once! The Dis is too much of a draw!

DisneyLaura - Thanks! I needed that sleep, I hate being grumpy full stop but being grumpy in Disney is just not on. Stay tuned to find out about the P & P Party, we eventually do go, but it's easier said than done...

blondie7 - Thank you, I think this job is going to help so much with my studies. I am looking forward to seeing this impact on my studies.

More coming up...

[Summer-Caitlin]

Day 8, Part 1

So we awoke at 7.00am. I was shocked that I had managed to sleep all night long without waking. 13 hours of sleep resulted in us feeling wide-awake and ready for the day ahead.
This was my mom’s last full day with us and the plan was to visit Sea World. I hoped that she had enjoyed herself so far, and although I was glad she had came, I was looking forward to spending the rest of the honeymoon alone with Steven.
I quickly showered, dressed, donned my Minnie ears and removed the cake from the fridge. I was really hungry and I thought a bit of cake before breakfast would go down well, only in Disney, of course!

The cake was beautiful, it was so much better after being refrigerated, the icing was firm and the cake was cold. I tried both sections, almond and chocolate and they were magnificent. I can’t pick a favourite actually, the chocolate was rich and full flavoured and the almond was light and sweet. Both were equally tasty, although Steven preferred the almond cake.
After having about 6 forkfuls, I made myself stop; I had to save room for breakfast at Chef Mickeys!

Once Steven was dressed we headed down to pick up my mom. We made sure we had our tickets for Sea World as we didn’t intend coming back to the resort after breakfast.
Mom was ready and I told her that we didn’t make it to The Pirate and Princess Party either. I explained how exhausted we were and that we decided it was best to catch up on our sleep. I think she felt relieved, as I’m sure she felt guilty about not going to the party.

I had been looking forward to Chef Mickeys for a long time. Mom had missed out on a lot of character interaction so I was really glad I had reserved this on her last day. We were guaranteed pictures with our favorite characters here and although we would be paying OOP for this breakfast, I thought it would be worth it.
We headed down to the bus stop and waited for the bus that said Magic Kingdom. Mom was now not going to get the chance to see MK as we had planned to visit it during The P & P Party and as we all didn’t go and this was her last day, there wouldn’t be any time for her to go back. I was really disappointed about this as I knew that the MK would be my mom’s favorite park but there wasn’t anything I could do!

The bus arrived quickly and we boarded. We arrived at the MK within 15 minutes and we hurried over to the Monorail. It was 8.50am and our reservation was for 9.10 so I began to panic that we would be late. Luckily the monorail was waiting there and we boarded straight away. It was only one stop to The Contemporary Resort and we were there in 2 minutes.

I was excited to see this resort as it had been one of the resorts Steven and I had really liked the look of. I LOVE modern, contemporary looks and the rooms looked amazing, but when I got it priced up, it was way over our budget. For the same price I could have scored The Poly and there was no way I would choose The Contemporary over The Poly.

I thought it was really cool that the monorail entered the resort, but when we stepped foot on the carpeting, I thought it lacked the usual Disney theming. Now I know that The Contemporary is home to many business executives and they have loads of meeting rooms etc here, but it was so far removed from the usual Disney feel that I knew immediately that we wouldn’t have been as happy here.

We quickly looked around for the sign to direct us to Chef Mickeys and followed it. We arrived to a huge queue, everyone waiting to check in. I was annoyed about this as we had managed to get here before our reservation time, but by the time we got up to the desk we would likely be late!

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-2-9.jpg

We stood in line and slowly eased up the queue. We finally got to the desk and we checked in and got our beeper. A Cast Member came up to us and asked if we would like our picture taken, my mom immediately said yes so we were led over to the photo shoot point. Once the woman had left, I told mom that we would have to pay for this picture and it really wasn’t worth it, we would have loads of opportunity to get pictures with characters and that was the main reason for coming.

So we sidled over to another area while we waited for our beeper to go off. We noticed Goofy getting his picture taken with some children; the queue or what vaguely resembled a queue wasn’t long. I dragged my mom over and said we would get our picture taken with him.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-4-11.jpg

At this point loads of adults obviously noticed that Goofy was stopping for pictures and autographs; people started circling like vultures and the queue dispersed and people started jumping in wherever they saw a space.
If there is something I cannot stand, it’s queue jumping. It’s totally disrespectful and I never do it nor condone it.

I exclaimed loudly that people obviously didn’t realise that there is a queue. A Cast Member must have heard me as she walked over and started positioning people to form a queue. Satisfied, I waited my turn.
We were seen within minutes and I was shocked to see just how tall Goofy is. Do they have to have a really tall person play Goofy?
I don’t know what Goofy is either, it is a question that has plagued me for years, is he a dog? I mean he talks and he stands on 2 legs in the cartoons, unlike Pluto. If anyone can fill me in on what animal he actually is, I would be very grateful.

I got a pic with Goofy alone:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-5-6.jpg

Mom and I were very happy to get our picture taken with Goofy:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-6-4.jpg

Steven chose not to get his pic taken with him, much to my disappointment. He was happy being cameraman and vowed to get really good pics of me and the characters!

Shortly after our picture was taken, my beeper went off. While we waited at the desk for our host to show us to our table, mom asked me what kind of food they served here.
I explained it was a buffet and that she could have whatever she wanted, I gave her a rundown of the types of food, French toast, eggs, sausage, bacon, corn beef hash, coffee, donuts etc.
She said and I quote “But I don’t eat food like that, I don’t like fattening stuff”
I told her she was bound to find something that she liked, as I knew they had a huge variety.
We were shown to our table over in the smaller part of the dining room on the right hand side, we had a booth, so Steven took the comfy seat and told mom and I to sit on the opposite side so he could get photos of us with the characters. I told mom that the characters came round to our table so she didn’t have to chase them round the restaurant. Believe me, if I didn’t tell her that she likely would have been tailing Mickey!

Our server came over to us and offered us coffee and told us to help ourselves. She wished us both Congratulations and said that the characters would be round shortly.
Hunger called and I had to get some food. We all found a station and started loading our plates. I didn’t know what to have, surprisingly everything looked really good. I had read mixed reviews about this place but I figured you could hardly go wrong with breakfast so I gave it a go.
I picked up scrambled eggs, sausage, corn beef hash, French toast and a croissant. Steven picked up similar and my mom, remember the one who DIDN’T eat stuff like that, well she picked up French toast, eggs, sausages (plural) 2 croissants, omelettes and a bagel. Her plate was a mountain of food and towered way above Steven’s or mine. I had to laugh at her comment earlier as judging by her plate you would think she lived for food like this!

We headed back to our table and noticed Mickey coming towards our section. We quickly sat down and waited patiently for him to arrive. Steven got a great pic of Mom, Mickey and I together:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-1-13.jpg

We started on our breakfast after I poured the coffee, which was very good by the way. The corn beef hash was beautiful. I LOVE corn beef hash, but it’s not something that is very popular over here. It was slightly spicy and I wished I had picked up more of it. The scrambled eggs were just that although slightly undercooked for my liking, the French toast was beautiful. I would love to know how they do this. It doesn’t taste like there is much egg on this French toast and I know they put a dusting of icing sugar on it. It is so sweet and tasty; it’s also really crispy, perfect! I had only taken one slice and regretted not having another. The croissant was a bit on the firm side, it seemed like it had been sitting out a bit too long. I had forgotten to take butter too so I just ate half of it plain. The sausage was pretty nice, but again a bit undercooked for me; I don’t like meat underdone, as I’m sure you already know.

Our server came back and gave us our special placemats and our mini cupcakes, she told us the next song was for us.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-7-4.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-8-4.jpg

I was so excited, I was ready for a napkin-twirling good time and it was for us, even better. The music began and everyone was instructed to twirl his or her napkins, Steven looked a bit confused and I explained to him that this was for us and he had to participate. He picked up his napkin and gave it a twirl but then decided to concentrate on getting some pictures of me having a good time:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-9-2.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-10-3.jpg

It was a great sight, a sea of green twirling napkins, everyone was having a blast!

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-11-3.jpg

We blew out our candles on our cupcake and I decided to eat half, the cake was really sweet and the mickey confetti made it even sweeter, I could only eat half anyway, I wouldn’t be able to stomach any more.

Pluto’s turn was next and I adore Pluto, so I just had to get a good picture with him:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-13-2.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-14-2.jpg

He is so unbelievably cute; I swear I could just take him home with me. Pluto offered his hand to Steven and I told him to get up so I could get a pic of them both. He agreed, he didn’t want me to put this up, but what the hell, I think it’s cute:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-15-2.jpg

We finished off the rest of our breakfast and we noticed Donald coming towards our table. I LOVE Donald, it is a tie between him and Pluto; I can never decide who I like best.
Donald noticed my ears and Steven took a picture of us together:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-16-2.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-17-2.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-18-2.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-19-2.jpg

He was adorable; I think Donald was overtaking Pluto for my affections. He cuddled me and looked at my ring and feigned a heart attack. I thought that he had finished and was about to leave, but he motioned for me to get out of my chair. Willingly I took his hand, paw or whatever he has and followed him. We circulated and mingled with all the other diners. He introduced me by his actions as his now wife, he showed off my ring to the diners and everyone congratulated us. When he was to get pictures with the children he would stand me off to the side and motion for me to stay.

One diner said to me that it doesn’t bode well for our marriage if he is already leaving me on the sidelines, LOL. I said I was only with him for his money and the fluffy children!

Here you can see Donald and I way in the background:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-20-2.jpg

Donald came back to me and took my hand again and took me up to the buffet and motioned to the spread. I told him I already had some breakfast and I was no longer hungry.
A Cast Member told Donald that he was being selfish and that I already had a husband, but Donald pointed to himself quite forcefully and stamped his feet. She asked him about Daisy Duck, and he shook his head and hands back and forth. The Cast Member translated that he had dumped Daisy for me, so he grabbed my hand again and walked with me up through the buffet line. He kept stroking my hand and I accidentally stood on his feet. I apologised to him and explained that I wasn’t used to walking beside someone with feet like his.
I told him that I wasn’t aware that the restaurant was so big; I was going into unknown areas here!
We returned to our table and I thought he was going to let me go, but no, he wanted to circulate again, with me by his side. The woman next to us wanted a picture with Donald and this time he didn’t want to let me go, so she said it wasn’t a problem for Donald’s new wife to be in the picture with them:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-21-3.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-22-3.jpg

Again we went round, and I must admit I was enjoying every minute. We walked over to the other area of the restaurant and greeted the other diners and servers. One server looked at my ring and exclaimed that she wished we were on her side as judging by my ring it must mean I‘m a good tipper!
Another Cast Member came and found us and told Donald that he was needed in the kitchen and couldn’t take me with him.

He got down on one knee and grasped my hand, I would have considered this quite romantic if I hadn’t just got married and he hadn’t been a duck. I told him that although he was sweet, I had to go. I told him we would always have Chef Mickeys and he wiped away a tear. I gave him a kiss on his bill and he showed me his heart breaking. He grabbed me for one last hug and everyone in the restaurant cheered. I waved goodbye to him and he blew me a kiss.
It is by far one of my most treasured moments and something I will never forget. I practically skipped back to my table.

Mom had gotten out of her chair to come find me and I told her what had happened. I was so excited, what an experience!
I decided I was in need of some sugar and I was sure I had spotted some glazed donuts on my way round the restaurant. My weakness has to be donuts, jellied or glazed they are all here to tease and tempt me, I often succumb to their powers and this was no exception.
I picked up a glistening glazed donut and a chocolate one and headed back to my table. They were awesome, so sweet and sinful but a necessity. I offered Steven some but he refused, how he could pass it up was beyond me.

Steven went back for some fruit, as did mom but I happily sat back with my donuts. I figured I would walk it off in no time anyway. I had more coffee, mmm, coffee and donuts, is there anything better than that?

Once I had my fill and Steven and mom were finished we thought it was best to make a move. Mom had decided to pay for the whole lot, as she wanted to pay me for my old GHD flat irons, so I told her if she paid for breakfast we would call it even. It came to just over $60, which I thought was very reasonable.
The character interaction was brilliant and although we didn’t get to see Minnie, it was well worth it. This is definitely a place we would come back to; it is on my list already for when we return to Disney. I felt like we had bathed in Pixie Dust, this meal had really been magical for me.
Mom loved it but she didn’t get as much pics with the characters as she had hoped for. She kept concentrating on taking pictures of the characters and me and by the time she took our picture they were moving on.
Steven enjoyed it although he pretended not to, I saw him smile loads during breakfast, even if he thought he had disguised it!

We walked to the front of The Contemporary and Steven snapped his famous walking away shot again:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-23-3.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-25-2.jpg

I checked with a Cast Member how we could get to Sea World. She didn’t seem to know too much about transport but she thought it would be best to get a cab. I frowned at this as I thought this would be really expensive and I was sure I could get a bus from somewhere, I just couldn’t remember where.

We went outside and I asked mom if she really wanted to go to Sea World. I told her that we could go anywhere she wanted. It was her last day and I wanted her to choose. I said that I thought she would love the Magic Kingdom and it was really close by. It didn’t matter to us where she wanted to go as Steven and I knew that we would be returning to all the parks anyway.
Mom said that although she wanted to visit Sea World, she really wanted to see Magic Kingdom. She asked me if that was the park with the castle and I said “of course”. I knew that it would be easier to go to MK, but I really wanted mom to be happy on her last day and if she chose Sea World it wouldn’t have bothered me. We had paid for her ticket to Sea World and I knew it would be wasted if we didn’t go, but I wasn’t bothered.

Deep down I knew she would love MK, there was so much more there that we could see and do, and of course more opportunity for characters again!

After a discussion where mom went back and forth on her choice, mainly due to her saying she wanted to go wherever I wanted to go. Mom admitted that she preferred the sound of MK and that she had been looking forward to that park the most. She exclaimed she now regretted not going to The P and P Party. I rolled my eyes and softly sighed as we made our way back into The Contemporary Resort and up to the monorail station.

Coming up…
We hit Magic Kingdom, get serenaded by a quartet and lunch at Peco Bills.

[Wazzo]

Summer, your breakfast stroll with Donald sounds AWESOME! :yay:

I LOVE Donald, he is by FAR my favourite, and we didn't get to see him at all during our Chef Mickey breakfast. I'm so excited for you that you have a such a fun and happy memory! :wizard:

[Rain]

Summer it sounds like you had so much fun. What a great time you had with DD you must have been the envy of every lady there.
I can't wait to hear more!

[thunderbird1]

Mom admitted that she preferred the sound of MK and that she had been looking forward to that park the most.

YAY!! You took your mom to the MK!!!! I'm finally caught up and de-lurking, and am thrilled to end the night on that note. Really, it would have been a tragedy of monumental proportions to bring your mom all the way to FL and not even get her to the MK.

I don't usually hang out on the wedding boards much, as I'm an old, married lady (albeit a former Disney bride myself--who married during my last year of law school, no less). But I saw you several times on the DDP board, and was intrigued by all your planning, so couldn't resist becoming addicted to your TR (page 42 and your mother hasn't left yet)? :faint: Will I have the strength to see it through to the end? As you've had me in tears and stitches several times already (often in the same post), I'm sure somehow I'll manage. :surfweb: Keep it coming, girl, your fans await!

[B2B-2008]

Summer your breakfast sounded like so much fun. I think I might have to add Chef Mickey's on my list of places to eat.

[MUDisneyCouple]

We also went to Chef Mickey's on our trip and LOVED the character interaction...it was so much fun. We were also done with our meal and still hadn't seen Minnie, but we hunted her down (I think she was less than happy to stop, but we got a pic anyway). Character interaction is so much fun. On our recent trip to Disneyland, my Mom loved all the characters. I thought her face was locked into a permenant smile ;)

So, glad that you all are going to MK with your Mom!!! :goodvibes Can't wait for more!

[traceycooper]

Hi Summer
Chef Mickeys souded great, especially with Donald :)
I had the same reaction as you the first time i saw the Contempory, Although last year we ate at California Grill (on the top floor) & it was amazing, we timed it with the fireworks at MK & watched them on an outside deck, the food was my favourite of the whole trip - i thought you may want to know about this maybe for your next trip ;)
looking forward to the MK report :)

[Summer-Caitlin]

Wazzo - It is by far one of my favorite memories of the whole trip. I have heard that Donald sometimes tries to take new brides away, but I don't think he normally spends so long doing so. It really was a great experience.

Rain - Yes, I think loads of people envied me, I got so much hugs off of Donald and I know the kids would have loved that. But I enjoyed the moment so much, I swear I would have paid double for that experience. it's a shame my mom and Steven never saw it all though, they were left eating breakfast while I mingled with Donald!

thunderbird1 - Aww, i am so glad you came out of hiding. Thank you so much for the compliment. I had to laugh when you mentioned I'm on page 42 and my mom hasn't left yet, it made me realise I still have 2 weeks to go, can you imagine how many pages I'll be on, how many words I would have written and how many words you all have read? This is the biggest TR in history of this I am sure! Glad that I am keeping you entertained though. Next section coming up...

B2B-2008 - Definitely add Chef Mickeys, you are guaranteed to have character interaction and it's the big ones, the head honchos, it's the only reason I booked the breakfast!

MUDisneyCouple - Yes, Minnie was AWOL for some reason, I know she was there as I heard someone say they had just missed her when we sat down for breakfast, but she never returned and I never saw her on my trip with Donald. Going to MK was the best decision yet, in fact the majority of this day was filled with magic and surprise...

traceycooper - We actually did eat at California Grill and we timed it with the fireworks and watched them from the deck, I had read about this prior to our wedding so I knew it had to be booked. You are right it is a wonderful experience!

More pixie dust coming up...

[Summer-Caitlin]

Day 7, Part 2

We arrive at the monorail station and snapped a picture of The Contemporary Resort, well the view of the rooms:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-1-14.jpg

For the past week my mom had been trying to get a picture of a monorail. She was always too late, by the time she fumbled about with her camera, the monorail had always passed and she would vow to catch it the next time.
Steven decided to get a picture for her, as we both knew that although she had made several attempts, her pictures would likely be blurred or too far away. Here is Steven’s attempt:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-2-10.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-3-7.jpg

I was happy to be going to the Magic Kingdom and I felt better that mom would get to experience the magic of Disney full force. There is nothing better than being immersed in the Disney wonder that exists at The Magic Kingdom. I knew that we would have to try and fit in as much as possible into this visit. We had dinner reservations at Jiko at 7pm and there was no way I was missing this reservation. I wanted my moms last meal at Disney to be memorable and I had heard so many wonderful things about Jiko, I thought it would be the perfect place to end her trip.

On the monorail, Steven managed to get a picture as we went round the circuit:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-4-12.jpg

I had been hoping that mom might have had time to visit The Poly and The Grand Floridian properly, but we always seemed to have so much to do and a week just doesn’t leave a lot of free time. She at least visited both of these resorts and she was going to get to see AKL tonight so I felt a little better that she had visited most of the main ones.

She was really excited that we were getting to stay at The Grand Floridian and I must say it does look very majestic from the monorail:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-5-7.jpg

Little did we know that Tinker bell herself wouldn’t dream of leaving our side while at The Grand Floridian…

In no time we were at The Magic Kingdom and I couldn’t wait to explore. We had our cards at the ready and mom and I went through to get our bags searched before we entered MK. I picked up 2 maps, even though I knew the layout, and passed one to Steven. On paper the MK looks huge, and in reality it is, but when you are concentrating on some rides and attractions only, it’s not that bad. I knew that we couldn’t possibly see and do everything I would like, but we were definitely going to give it our best shot.

I wanted to leave MK by 4.30pm at the latest. We were going to go back to POFQ to shower and change for Jiko. I always liked to feel refreshed for my meal and nothing irked me more than feeling icky while I ate. That would give us 1 hour to get ready and catch the bus to AK and then again to AKL.

So as it was now 11.00am that gave us 5 and a half hours to do The Magic Kingdom, okay everyone, at the ready…

I advised them that our first stop would be Adventureland and we would move in a clockwise direction. There were certain lands that were pretty much going to be walkthroughs for us as some only housed thrill rides or attractions that my mom wouldn’t be that interested in.

There were many rides that I knew mom wouldn’t go on, but out of all the parks I knew this would be her favorite, there were loads of things here for her to see and do, plus MK had that magical feeling going on, so I knew she wouldn’t be disappointed.

Our first sight was The Walt Disney World Railroad:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-6-5.jpg

I have never been on it before, I always want to, but for some reason I never have time.

So Main Street, USA, dozens of shops, all pretty much bypassed. We didn’t have time to shop, again I was on a mission and once you’ve seen one shop you’ve pretty much seen them all.
Our first glimpse of the castle was breathtaking, it was the first time I had seen it in daylight and from where I stood it still looked huge!

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-7-5.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-8-5.jpg

I took note where The MK Bakery was as I intended to get a French Toast Loaf one of these days, I also noticed Casey’s Corner as I hoped to get a hot dog at some point. Hmmm, I seem to be revolving my visits around food!

More balloons:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-9-3.jpg
I love the balloons with the Mickey heads encased in another balloon!

We moved closer taking pictures of the castle as we went:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-11-4.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-12-3.jpg

We noticed caricature artists and Steven and I said again how we wanted to get one of these done. We did get our caricature done at Universal Studios California and I loved it. We sat for about 30 minutes and it was airbrushed, I personally think that the one we had done was better than the ones I saw here, but I guess it depends on the artist.

Steven doesn’t think his likeness in the caricature is that good, but he loves the one of me. He was wearing a Hard Rock Café baseball cap, oh, and he was wearing a shirt! I remember the artist smirking as he changed the words on the cap to read ‘Hard as a Rock’ and he obviously decided to make him shirtless to show off his guns!
I was wearing my Universal Studios visor and my hair was curly after being soaked on Jurassic Park.
I LOVE it and it is one of my most treasured souvenirs of the trip and worth every cent, all $50.00 of it!

Here is a picture of our caricature in California:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-15-3.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-16-3.jpg

As we walked down Main Street it was clear it was going to be a scorcher of a day, I was wearing my cool top and trousers so I felt comfortable, but my hair was down and my Minnie veil was acting like a mask again. I was tempted to take it off, but I refused to in case I missed out on some added pixie dust.

As if to thank me, our first bout of Pixie Dust soon happened and it appeared in the form of the Barber Shop Quartet. Steven saw that they were making a beeline for us and tried to avoid them but he was too late and the main guy told his men to surround him, LOL. He asked us our names and when we had gotten married and we told them it was 2 days ago at Sea Breeze Point. They were so happy for us and said that this called for a song. He shouted that this song was dedicated to Steven and Summer, who had recently married at Disney. They stood in a row and told us to hold hands while they serenaded us.

The song was Bella Notte from Lady and the Tramp.

It was absolutely beautiful and really romantic, passers by cheered and congratulated us. It certainly drew attention from everyone, as they are pretty loud singers. We felt really special, and although it was a bit embarrassing, I loved every minute of it. I have never been serenaded before and I LOVE that song.

Steven took a picture of them singing to us:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-13-3.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-14-3.jpg

We thanked them and they shook our hands and wished us hearty congratulations. They said the least we could do was kiss, so we obliged and Steven planted a big kiss on my lips. They cheered again and we waved them goodbye.
My mom was really happy as she thought it was such a lovely thing to have happen to us. Funnily enough on all my later trips to the MK, I never once saw the quartet again. It really was a special and memorable moment.

So Tinker bell had caught up with us again today and I thought we might have left her behind at Chef Mickey’s. I was eager to see what other magical things awaited us…

Coming up…

Adventureland, pixie dust and Peco Bills

[DisneyLaura]

Summer - I love Chef Mickey's for breakfast. I never saw Donald there. I of course had to get the picture and DH was so mad at me for one because DS was 2 and the cast member shouted that Chip and Dale were walking by and he looked at the exact time the guy was taking our picture but I bought it anyway. Did you see Chip and Dale? I am guessing no because you didn't mention it. I agree that Goofy is tall. I didn't expect him to be but he is very tall when you stand next to him. Well I am off to go read Day 7, Part 2.

[DisneyLaura]

As if to thank me, our first bout of Pixie Dust soon happened and it appeared in the form of the Barber Shop Quartet. Steven saw that they were making a beeline for us and tried to avoid them but he was too late and the main guy told his men to surround him, LOL. He asked us our names and when we had gotten married and we told them it was 2 days ago at Sea Breeze Point. They were so happy for us and said that this called for a song. He shouted that this song was dedicated to Steven and Summer, who had recently married at Disney. They stood in a row and told us to hold hands while they serenaded us.

The song was Bella Notte from Lady and the Tramp.

It was absolutely beautiful and really romantic, passers by cheered and congratulated us. It certainly drew attention from everyone, as they are pretty loud singers. We felt really special, and although it was a bit embarrassing, I loved every minute of it. I have never been serenaded before and I LOVE that song.

My DH would have ran to not be the center of attention just like Steven but I am glad that you had this experience. Very cool and well worth the problems with your bride ears I think. I love this song too. I teared up when I read that this was the song they sung to you and Steven. How lovely. I love the Grand Floridian and can't wait to stay there, which isn't going to be any time soon. I love the MK myself and it's my favorite park. I think it's classic Disney and that's what I love about it. It has something for all people, kids, adults, adults who think they are kids (like me). I am excited to hear more about the pixie dust coming your way. :woohoo:

[blondie7]

Summer I am glad you were blessed with some great Pixie Dust. Your trip to Chef Mickey sounded like so much fun. I love Chef Mickey and we try to visit every time we go to WDW. Wow being serenade on Main Street at the MK I can't think of anything so romantic. I can't wait to hear more about your trip.

[angel*lady]

Hi Summer!

Congrats on the new job! :cheer2:

I am buried in studying today but had to come and catch up on your updates! I can understand how tired you were the day after the wedding! We always think that we can do more than we can and do with less sleep than we need! Sometimes our bodies just say ... NO WAY!!! :rotfl: What fun you had at Chef Mickey's! I love the photos you got with the characters! I can't wait to go myself! I am so glad that your mom decided to go to the MK on her last day! Sea World is fun but if I had to choose between SW and MK there is no question that MK would win out! How great that you got serenaded when you got there! That song is one of my all time favorites!!!

Oh well - back to the books! :rolleyes1

I look forward to the next installment! :surfweb:

[ForKeeps]

Summer,

What a great start to the MK! A serenade from the quartet -- how lovely!

I loved reliving Chef Mickeys -- it brought me right back to the day after my wedding. When I took a deep breath after seeing my dress laying on the couch and willed myself to get excited for the honeymoon (now that the wedding was over). It was the perfect place to instill a youthful joy over you.

Now, I'm a bit jealous. Because Donald and I have always have had a connection. And last I saw him at the AK he demanded I kiss his bill. So I'm a bit peeved that he's long since forgotten me :) I guess it's a good thing I'm going back.

Shhhh...don't tell Simon....

[D&R love Disney]

First off I want to congradulate you on the new job :thumbsup2

I remember how hot the day after your wedding was, we spent most of it at Typhoon Lagoon and then the Red Sox game in Tampa. I hope you get another chance at the P&P party, we went to the one on Saturday night before your wedding.

Chef Mickey's sounds like an awesome experience for you :cloud9: I can see Donald pushing Pluto out as #1 :rotfl2:

So glad that you got your Mom to the MK, Sea World is fun but it's no Magic Kingdom. We were there that afternoon and it was crowded!

[pjstevens]

Summer,

Sounds like your moms last day is turning out to be wonderful. Can't wait to read more.

:goodvibes

[meryll83]

Good luck for today, hope it goes well! :hug: Let us know how it is!

I'm with everyone else, I'm glad your Mum chose to do the MK, it has to be the most magical ending to her holiday, and from what you write about her she sounds like she would love all the theming and characters here, which just wouldn't be the same at SW.

Me & Si went for a meal with my parents for my Dad's birthday at the weekend and I think I've managed to get my mum out of flat out refusing to fly to Florida, she still needs working on though, but my Dad says if I don't push her too much she may come around. She says she's not scared of flying she just doesn't like it, especially on such a long flight. Sigh.:rolleyes2

Can't wait to here more about your MK day, I'm surprised you can still remember everything, I've kinda given up on the idea of doing a trip report now! (Although we did make a planning spreadsheet which we partially stuck to, so I should be able to figure out roughly where we were each day).

Oooh and Happy Bonfire Night! Don't know if you're planning on going to a bonfire, not sure if we are yet, think we missed some on Saturday night in our local area coz we were at a late Halloween Party!

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

Summer, I love your updates!! Awesome!! :teeth: You've put me to shame with my abandoned-for-now TR :laughing:

Your Chef Mickey experience sounds absolutely awesome! I'm not going to tell Els or he'll get very jealous... he absolutely loves Donald (I'm not sure how many photos with different Donalds we have :laughing:) You know what? You sat in the same table as us in Chef Mickey's!!!

Can't wait for your Jiko TR - we're thinking about going there next year :)

[The Charmed One]

Hi Summer,
First of all congratulations on your new job, I hope everything goes well for you and you enjoy it.

I just loved your report from chef mickeys, the photo's are great and I just loved the part with Donald Duck, it sounded like you had an amazing time. I'm so glad your dm choose MK for her last day, it would of been a shame for her to go all that way and miss it. Can't wait for more, love hearing about the pixie dust that keep's getting sprinkled onto you two.

Love Wendy xxx

[Kirsteen]

Loving your latest installment Summer, also can't beleive we are only on the first week of you holiday. Do you think I'll hear the end of the fairytale before we go? :goodvibes I'm chuffed you guys decided to go to MK for your Mum's last day. Good luck for today. Kx

[shasess]

I always love your new installments!!! Cant wait for the next one!!!!!!

[MistressOfAllEvil]

woo hoo! :banana: I'm caught up again!

Oh Summer, I'm soooo happy that your mom choose MK!! I know it's rough to do in 5 hours (I had about the same amount of time to drag two girlfriends through the joint) but it's sooo worth it. And everyone was all rested. I can't wait to read more. MK is my home. It was my home on the college program and I just can't get enough of it! Keep up the great writing!!

[BaBeeCee14]

Summer,

I'm so glad you had a great time at Chef Mickey's! Your pictures are so cute!:goodvibes Can't wait to hear more!

[HarbinsMom]

Hope your first day at your new job went well. Love the last 2 updates. I too, hate queue jumpers, especially when trying to get character autographs. When Alex was younger, we would wait patiently for autographs, while ADULTS would skip over a patiently waiting child. Irritates the devil out of me.

Can't wait to hear the next installment. You keep teasing us with the Pixie Dust and I can't wait to hear what y'all get.

[DisneyObsession]

Summer! YAY!!! A few new installments!!! I am sooooo excited!!! :banana:

Congratulations on the new job! What a great opportunity for you! Hope your first day was all you hoped it to be! :thumbsup2

Chef Mickey's sounded like sooo much fun! :dance3: What an awesome experience with Donald! Sometimes the characters just seem to be so into the "magic"! :wizard: I have a ressie there for Wed 11/14 at 9 am! I can't wait to go, as this will be my first character breakfast ever! I do regret not taking the kids when we were there. At the time, all DH & I looked at was the cost. Guess I forgot how priceless the memories are! :confused3 Oh well...I'll have to take them & my grandkids someday! (Since my grandson is only 20 mos old, I think it may a few years yet!):hippie:

I :love: the barbershop quartet that strolls down Main St! I enjoy just listening to them for awhile. The harmonies are wonderful! You're so lucky to have been serenaded by them! :hug: (Even if Steven wasn't thrilled! ;) )

I hope Mom loved MK as much as you do! It was the better choice and I'm so happy she was able to go after all. I think you made the wiser choice the night before. P&P on little sleep just isn't worth it. You definitely needed the sleep! :angel:

I am looking forward to reading more before I leave on Sunday!!! I'll be thinking of you while I'm at WDW and on the cruise!!! :yay:

[meryll83]

Hi hun,
Sorry to crash your thread again, but I know you can help me!

With Randy, which of his packages did you use, and what exactly did this entitle you to? (time-wise and photo-wise)
I've been looking at the Disney Bride packages on his web site and I'm confused about what the prints received are and what the preview album is.
And is the Master CD containing all ther photos of a high enough quality for you to print images yourself / take them to eg. Boots and have them done? Do you own the copyrights to allow you to do this?
Or do you have to order more prints at an additional cost from Randy?

Thanks chick, maybe next time I should just PM you, but sometimes it useful for others to see the answers too right? :thumbsup2

[Summer-Caitlin]

Hi Meryll

No problem. I chose the 3 hour package from Randy but I added an extra hour on to the package so that he could come out and get pictures during Wishes. I am sure he can customise dependending on your requirements. The whole package costs $575 but he charged extra for the additional hour. To be honest I can't remember what he charged, it may be in am y emails at home.
Included was a Master CD with all the pictures taken and you get one enlargement 11x15 I think, but don't quote me on that.
You get the copyrights to all of your photos which I think is a huge bonus and the quality is amazing, you can easily print them at Boots or wherever you choose. I so far have never had any issues with my photographs or the copyrights.

Any other questions, just ask, you know how much I loved Randy's work!

[meryll83]

Thanks for the info Summer!

I think we may have to look at adding hours on rather than going for a more superior package if that's what we can do.

I'm happy with what's included in the basic package, other than we would probably need more time!!

Do you know if Randy has an outer time scale he can be booked at, I think I've read that someone has reserved him at 18 months out, this should be plenty time shouldn't it? I'm just worried as he is such a popular choice.
But then I don't know if Disney will "pencil us in" for a date at this stage either, or if we have to wait for the 12 month mark.

Anyway, I'll get out of your TR now and go back to my own thread!!

Thanks again for the help, it's so great to have someone on hand that's just been through all this!

PS - How's work?

[Summer-Caitlin]

DisneyLaura - I had no idea Chip and Dale ever went to Chef Mickeys, that's a shame really as I love them, they are so cute! Although now Donald is my favorite, I can even quack like him! I really loved The Grand Floridian but i didn't think I would, it must be allt he extra pixie dust that we received while there. I couldn't afford to stay there again though, maybe on our anniversary for a few nights.

blondie7 - I know, I look back on it now and I think how romantic it really was, it surprises me that they aren't more of a big thing, I swear I would seek them out in the future.

angel*lady - You poor thing, you seem swamped, as am I, hence the lack of updating. I am loving my new job but it is making me get home later than my other job and I don't have the internet access I used to have. I hope you can bear with me;) I absolutely loved our last day with my mom although she did kind of get me annoyed at the end of the day...

Tiffany - YAY, so glad you can still find time for my TR, I knoow you too are swamped. Hmmm, Donald never mentioned you, it shows how quickly we forget, doesn't it? Maybe ducks don't have a great memory, I'm sure he won't remember me either when we go back, although I could always take the pics in and show him:rotfl: Never mind I will always have that day. Mind you I had a great rapport with Mickey and Pluto later on in the trip, they were both wonderful! Hope you are keeping well!

D&R love Disney - SW just doesn't compete with Disney at all imo, we had an awful time at SW but I think it was beacuse of many things going wrong that day, maybe we caught it at the wrong time:confused3 The P & P Party does play a part in the rest of our trip, so stay tuned!

pjstevens - Mom had a great time on her last day, she only remembers the good parts of the trip, thankfully!

meryll - I have no problem remembering these things at all. I find that because I had such a great time, it all comes flooding back. My mom was really happy she went to MK, I think it was the perfect end to her holiday, it wouldn't have been the same if she didn't visit it.
Keep working on your mom, I'm sure she will come around. I hate flying but it is a means to an end, you have to do it if you want to go to Disney and I was damm well going to Disney!

Hayley - I know how swamped we all seem to be so don't stress about your TR, I am stressing about mine too, I know I started off with the intentions of posting updates every day, but my studies have taken over and my new job.
Wow, can't believe we got the same table at CM, how cool. Oh definately go to Jiko, it was Amazing, my review will be up shortly, over the weekend anyway!

Wendy - Our CM experience was awesome, I couldn't have planned it better if I'd tried. My mom certainly had a blast at MK too, in fact the majority of the day was sprinkled with pixie dust so it was all good. My new job is going really well, I'm just trying to find my feet at the moment.

Kirsteen - You should hear the end before you go, I still have 2 weeks left to write, how on earth did it get so long, I told you, this is going to be an epic!

shasess - Thanks for the compliment, my next instalment will be up tonight, hope you enjoy it...

MistressOfAllEvil - MK is wonderful, I loved it as did Steven and my mom. I would say we probably hit that park more than the others the whole trip. We managed quite alot in the 5 hours we were there with my mom though. More instalment coming up tonight! How are you getting on?

BaBeeCee14 - CM was awesome, I love my pics with the characters, it made it so worthwhile, a must for every trip I think!

HarbinsMom - Queue jumpers are the worst, I can't stand them, they do it here alot at Christmas and it gets on my last nerve! Our main pixie dust starts when we get to The GF, I swear Tinker bell was securely fastened to our door, sprinkling us every time we went out!

DisneyObsession - WOW, I can't believe you are going already, I am so jealous, will you be writing a TR when you get back? I hope so, I would love to hear your experiences and see photos. I will hopefully have loads of updates for you before you go and you will always have loads to come back to as well! Who knows, we may even be into 80 pages by then, the photos become more frequent as the trip goes on for some reason! I no doubt will speak to you before you go, but if not, HAVE A BLAST!!!:yay: :cheer2: I can't wait to hear all about it, I'm sure you will love every minute of it!


Okay girls, again I want to thank you all for all your well wishes for my first day on the job. I am absolutely loving the job and it has definately confirmed that I want to work within the Law, it has definately given me the motivation I need to finish this degree and become a lawyer. I have so much responsibility but I really love it, I have 2 lawyers I work for and they both know I study law so they are very helpful.
As you can see I have been swamped recently but I am trying to come up with a routine so I can post more updates. I now take Wednesdays off of studying so I work on my TR then and again at the weekends, so I should at least have 3 updates a week for you all. Even though, it may mean it still takes a while to finish this report, as you know I write an awful lot and each day is broken down into several sections. By my watch though, we should be finished by Christmas:lmao:

So thank you all, you have made this retelling so much fun and I love logging on to see comments from you all, it really makes my day. I will be putting up my next instalment tonight, I have it all typed I just need to add the pictures, so it will be up, I promise.

Much love to you all, until next time

Summer x

[MistressOfAllEvil]

MistressOfAllEvil - MK is wonderful, I loved it as did Steven and my mom. I would say we probably hit that park more than the others the whole trip. We managed quite alot in the 5 hours we were there with my mom though. More instalment coming up tonight! How are you getting on?


Okay girls, again I want to thank you all for all your well wishes for my first day on the job. I am absolutely loving the job and it has definately confirmed that I want to work within the Law, it has definately given me the motivation I need to finish this degree and become a lawyer. I have so much responsibility but I really love it, I have 2 lawyers I work for and they both know I study law so they are very helpful.
As you can see I have been swamped recently but I am trying to come up with a routine so I can post more updates. I now take Wednesdays off of studying so I work on my TR then and again at the weekends, so I should at least have 3 updates a week for you all. Even though, it may mean it still takes a while to finish this report, as you know I write an awful lot and each day is broken down into several sections. By my watch though, we should be finished by Christmas:lmao:

So thank you all, you have made this retelling so much fun and I love logging on to see comments from you all, it really makes my day. I will be putting up my next instalment tonight, I have it all typed I just need to add the pictures, so it will be up, I promise.

Much love to you all, until next time

Summer x


Hey Summer~

Aside from the death wish my business communications teacher apparently has for me, and the in-law drama over my wedding and shower, I am doing absolutely fantastic! :upsidedow

I'm soooo glad you are enjoying your new job and it's such a perfect fit for you! You've got the right idea; just keep plotting your course and you'll reach your goal before you know it.

Can't wait to read the next installment... oooooh, I love MK!!!!!!!!!

[Summer-Caitlin]

Day 7, Part 3

We continued to walk closer to the castle; it really was a beautiful sight:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-1-15.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-2-11.jpg

I still think it looks better at night, but it is magical, nevertheless.

I was really excited to be at MK, my mom had not been to Disneyland since 1991 and when we visited The Jungle Cruise was closed. She had really wanted to go on that ride so I was happy she could get to go on it today.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-3-8.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-4-13.jpg

It amazed me how much bigger everything seemed in comparison to Disneyland, I mean I love Disneyland, but I was certainly enjoying this experience.
We saw this cute alligator carved out of hedging and we had to get a pic of it:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-5-8.jpg

Onwards to Adventureland…

Swiss Family Treehouse was the first thing we stumbled across, that is of course after stopping off at Aloha Isle and convincing Steven to get a Pineapple Dole Float. I am not fond of pineapple unless its on Glazed Ham or Pizza, I think it compliments these dishes really well, so on this occasion I didn’t want to try this drink, but after reading so many rave reviews on the DIS, I knew I would have to get Steven to taste it, he is pineapple king!

So I ordered him a pineapple dole float and got myself a frozen coke (this would become my drink of choice most of the time), my mom wanted water, so we decided we would use her snack credits to pay for them all. She was leaving the next day and we wanted to make sure all her credits were gone.
The woman behind the counter was really sweet and she asked me how long I had been married. I told her it had only been 2 days. She was so happy for us, she said that our drinks were on the house and she wished us a wonderful honeymoon.

I was surprised as it was unexpected. I had heard about freebies, but I thought it only happened at restaurants, not kiosks. Another bout of pixie dust, gratefully received! I thanked her and left and we decided to stop while we had our drinks. Steven had no alternative but to stop, his ice cream, or whatever it is on top of the pineapple drink was melting, he had to drink it quickly to stop it oozing down the cup and onto his shorts.

He liked it, but didn’t love it. He said it was really sweet and thought it would be quite sickening if he were to have anymore. I, as usual, loved my frozen coke, but it doesn’t really do much to quench your thirst, if anything it makes you thirstier because it’s so sweet. Why don’t they do diet frozen cokes?

So after filling up on our drinks, we decided to visit the Treehouse:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-10-5.jpg

Now I can’t remember off hand, but I think this resembles the one in Disneyland, but isn’t that of Tarzan? It was great, purely for the view alone:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-6-6.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-7-6.jpg

The one thing that annoyed me though was people that stopped for such a long time. I mean, the stairwell isn’t exactly wide and I would sometimes have to squeeze past people, many times there were queues, and this is something that is supposed to be a rolling attraction. My mom liked the little bedroom, way up high but I was pretty much ready to get off. The higher we went, the hotter I became and all that foliage wasn’t exactly helping:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-8-6.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-9-4.jpg

Our next attraction had to be The Jungle Cruise. I loved this ride, and yes, I know it’s cheesy and it’s obvious that the animals aren’t real, but it’s so cute!

The sign was quoting 20 minutes in the normal line; we decided that this would likely mean 10 minutes, so we joined. It was actually quite cool as there were fans blowing with misting sprays so the wait seemed quite pleasurable.

I stood and hoped that we would get a good skipper. I watched the banter between them and said to myself ‘I hope I don’t get that one’ or ‘ooh, I hope I get him’ I find that males tend to be more enthusiastic. I think it’s because they are more immature than girls and don’t mind if they look or act foolish, many of our previous hosts have given it their all, and it makes such a difference to the journey. I still remember the guy we had in Disneyland, he was a hoot.

So we were ushered on to a boat and I immediately knew that we were in for a great trip. Our skipper was sarcastic and I love that, so I settled in for what I was sure, to be a fantastic cruise. He noticed my ears before we even set off and asked what music I walked down the aisle to? I assumed this was rhetorical, and I was correct as he started humming the tune from Jaws, everyone laughed, including us, although my mom was the loudest!

He picked on a guy in the back of the boat and told him to stand every time he saw an animal. Every time he did, our skipper started to sing “don’t rock the boat baby, don’t tip the boat under” this happened constantly as, as you would expect there are plenty of animals on the Jungle Cruise.

My mom really enjoyed this ride, it was nice and cool and it was different to the ride in Disneyland, longer and better. I do think however, that this ride is in need of some modernisation; I noticed some of the animals looking a bit worse for wear. I think this ride could be fantastic if they added some new things. I attempted to convince my mom that this ride was mixed with both fake and real animals, and I think for a second she bought it. I told her that we were coming into an elephant patch and these were real.

She oohed and aahed over the baby elephant and said that it was cute, but definitely not real, but the one in that back was! She had taken her glasses off at this point to take pictures, so really anything goes…

I always laugh at the bit with the Rhino and the men up the totem pole, I think it’s hilarious. I saw the waterfall approaching and part of me so wanted our boat to go right under it, how cool would that be? They could make this into a rapid ride!!! But our skipper steered us away from it, although he pretended we were all going to get soaked.

We were nearing the end and our trip had been short but sweet, our skipper was great and he had kept us entertained throughout. My mom had tried to get loads of pictures on this ride, but kept complaining that all the good animals were on the other side, or that he didn’t stop to let her take her picture.

We exited the boat and immediately headed to Pirates of the Caribbean. This was a walk on as a nice CM who saw my ears bumped us to the head of the queue. I really enjoy this ride and I loved the added things, especially the special effect on the steam of Barbosa, I thought it was pretty cool.

I seemed to remember that the drop was bigger and better, so I was sort of disappointed when I made myself ready to scream and by the time I opened my mouth, we were already down! The addition of Jack Sparrow was good and I spent the majority of the ride looking for him:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-11-5.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-12-4.jpg

My mom loved this ride and Steven surprised me when he said that it was much better than he remembered. As in It’s a Small World, the song stays in your head forever and it becomes quite irritating after a while. We all enjoyed this ride though and loved how air-conditioned it was.

We exited the ride and it took several minutes for my eyes to adjust to the light again. We continued on to walk through Frontierland, even though we had no intentions of going on anything here:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-14-4.jpg

I love Splash Mountain and Big Thunder but they are not rides for Steven or Mom, although I planned to work on Steven.

I wanted us to have lunch at Peco Bills and after researching lunch options at MK; I decided that Peco Bills sounded like a good option. First of all, we all love burgers and the fixin’s bar was just the icing on the cake. Now, you might as well know that the only places I chose for us to eat, had to have good dessert options, this was a stipulation and not something I was willing to compromise on. I had been on a diet for what seemed like forever and as I was on my honeymoon I wanted to be able to eat all those things I had seen on the food porn threads for months and this included the desserts.

So, I knew Peco Bills had the Peanut Butter Brownie Mousse and that satisfied me, so Peco Bills it is.
We entered this huge restaurant and I was taken aback by its size, I had no idea that the seating area was so big. I was pleased to see that this was all automated service, I prefer this and it is so much quicker you no longer have to encounter people that haven’t even bothered to look at the menu before they reach the till.

We all wanted the same 3 Burgers with fries, 3 cokes and 3 Peanut Butter Brownie Mousse’s (what is the plural for Mousse, is it Mousse’s?) We headed to the Fixin’ bar and we all had onions, lettuce, mustard and ketchup. It didn’t take us long to find a table and we pulled up a chair to enjoy our lunch.
Now you would think that after our huge Chef Mickey’s breakfast we wouldn’t be hungry, but once I smelled those burgers, I felt famished.

Peco Bills did not disappoint, my first bite of the burger took me to heaven, I can’t put my finger on it, but it was quite honestly one of the best burgers I have ever tasted. It reminded me of the burger shop I used to go to in Australia, it was called Andy’s Burgers. I haven’t had one of those burgers since I was 10 years old, but believe me; I still remember that taste like it was yesterday.
Steven devoured his burger and normally I would offer him some of mine, but to hell with him, this baby was mine, all mine! He started in on my fries like he normally does, but I slapped his hand away. Disney does the best fries imo, they are so crispy and not at all greasy. Mom said that she loved the burger and agreed it was among the best she had tasted.
The brownie was beautiful; BEE-UUU-TIFUL, and I ate every morsel. I swear Peanut Butter and Chocolate; it’s meant to be, kinda like Sandy and Danny on Grease! Alone they are nice, but together, WOW. It’s not a big thing in the UK, and it is one of the things I take advantage of when I come to the US, everything peanut butter and chocolate must be sampled.
The brownie was moist, crumbly and gooey and way too high in calories.

Satisfied and stuffed, we waddled out the door…

Coming up…

Fantasyland, Mickey’s Toontown, Tomorrowland with loads of pics and what ride am I on now…?

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-13-4.jpg

[mla1977]

Yay!

Now, I always seem to get hungry while I am reading you TR. I guess since it is 5pm here and I am so ready to head home for dinner with no hope of leaving in the next hour.

[MUDisneyCouple]

By Christmas??? Really!?!?! :sad1: I'd hoped that it would last into the new year...this is like a great story and I'd hate for it to end. I'm bummed that we didn't do the treehouse at WDW or DL - my DH didn't want to "waste time" on them. I'm also excited to hear how AKL looks when you go to Jiko's (I think you were also bumped from AKL like us)...I trust your judgement about the construction. Glad to hear that everything is working out well for you at your new job :goodvibes Here's hoping to getting Steven on Splash Mt!!!
P.S. You were right about the treehouse being Tarzan's at DL as well as the drop is bigger at DL.

[angel*lady]

Peanut butter and chocolate - my favorite combination! YUM YUM!!!! :banana:

[meryll83]

Peanut butter and chocolate
Cinnamon
Cherry
There are NOT enough things these flavours in the UK so these are my US fix!

I'm trying to figure out what ride you're on by the seat in front of you but I can't think what it looks like!

[BaBeeCee14]

Loved your last installment Summer :thumbsup2! And that picture, its a tough one. I've been sitting here for awhile trying to figure out what ride you are on and I am ashamed to say that I have no idea. :confused: Please tell us soon because its going to drive me crazy! :laughing:

[DisneyObsession]

Another fun installment! Thanks!!! :banana:

DH & I ate at Pecos Bills in 2005 when we were there. The food was delicious and one of the best counter service meakls IMHO. We were able to dine on the patio and watch the fireworks at the same time. Wonderful! :hippie: Very Romantic! :love:

BTW...I have started a pre-TR (link in my siggie) already and will be writing a TR with LOTS of pics when I get back. I've been looking forward to doing one since reading your PJ & TR along with many others. :cool1:

I'll check in after I get back on the 18th! :woohoo: Have a great week!!!

[The Charmed One]

Another great installment, sounds like your having fun, lovely pixie dust treat of free drinks and dole whips, (we got free mickey pretzels at the bakery in mgm, we didn't even order them a cm just wrapped them up for us with a congratulations). The brownies sound wonderful but I can't have nuts so I'll never really know.

Look forward to the next part.

[DisneyLaura]

I seemed to remember that the drop was bigger and better, so I was sort of disappointed when I made myself ready to scream and by the time I opened my mouth, we were already down!

That's funny, because I do scream at that drop :lmao:

So, I knew Peco Bills had the Peanut Butter Brownie Mousse and that satisfied me, so Peco Bills it is.…

That makes Peco Bills go on my list


Fantasyland, Mickey’s Toontown, Tomorrowland with loads of pics and what ride am I on now…?

Are you Buzz Lightyear or Space Mountain, one of those is my guess but I am going more towards Buzz Lightyear

[meryll83]

Are you Buzz Lightyear or Space Mountain, one of those is my guess but I am going more towards Buzz Lightyear

I think I'm wrong but I'm gonna go with the Winne The Pooh ride...

[MUDisneyCouple]

My guess is...It's a Small World.

[Pattymouse]

Summer and Steve,

What a beautiful wedding video. Thank you for pming me the password. I watched it twice! Lovely!

Pat

[meryll83]

My guess is...It's a Small World.

You may have it there actually, I think the seat in front is the right colour for this!

[MUDisneyCouple]

You may have it there actually, I think the seat in front is the right colour for this!

Summer is the only one who can verify...but I'm sticking with that guess. :) For me, it was the tiny tree/flower thing in the background.

[angel*lady]

I vote for It's a Small World too! The tree in the background looks familiar! :)

[DisneyLaura]

Oh Summer come back soon, I can't wait to hear what ride you were on? It's A Small World was good one too. But I am sticking with Buzz.popcorn::

[HarbinsMom]

Going by the part of the ride vehicle in front of her, I'm gonna go with *it's a small world*.:banana:

[tiggerfan4me]

I just love seeing the wedding's and reading the stories. What a fabulous wedding and thanks for posting and sharing.

[The Charmed One]

Just checking to see if you'd had time to give us some more wedding and disneymoon fun.

[Kirsteen]

hey Summer - how is your new job going? Kx

[DisneyObsession]

Well Summer...I got back from WDW yesterday and had an amazing trip! :cool1: The cruise was fabulous! I can't wait to hear about your experience on it!
Hope you update soon. I'll be starting my TR soon! :banana:

[meryll83]

Oooh I didn't realise Summer did a Disney cruise.

We're going to do one in 2009 (when the prices are finally released!) so I'll look forward to hearing about this.

(And your experience DisneyObsession, if you're writing a TR up!)

[DisneyLaura]

Hi Summer - Just checking to see if you had an update. Hope everything is going well. :hug:

[oneyodafan]

Hey there Summer. Hope things are going well for you!

[tiggerfan4me]

How was your Disney Cruise? I did one the first year August 98 and my kids who were teenagers then loved it. Thinking about doing one in 09 also with my new husband and stepkids. Thoughts...

[Summer-Caitlin]

Okay ladies, I apologise profusely for the delay in responding with another instalment. This job I have is keeping me really busy and I have had no spare time whatsoever. I have been trying to study too and it is leaving hardly any time at all. I am so sorry:guilty:
I am working on an instalment just now and i will have it up tonight. Unfortunately I don't have time to respond to everyone individually just now, but I will try my best to respond to you all on Monday during my lunch hour. I appreciate you all taking the time to read this report!

So on with the show...finally

[pjstevens]

Summer,

Can't wait to read the next installment. I don't know how you can keep up with all the individual replies, you are so good.

[Summer-Caitlin]

We moved on to Fantasyland and I was so excited to say the least. In this area there were loads of things I thought we could go on with mom, it would all depend on the queues, but I was sure we could squeeze in some old favourites.

We immediately headed for ‘It’s a Small World’ and for those of you that did hazard a guess at what ride I was pictured on, it was ‘It’s a Small World’ I have a few other pictures of me on that ride and one that actually oozes my feelings while on that ride. I don’t need to explain it, you can see what I mean when you view the pic…

Anyway, the queue was long, but it’s always fast moving so we didn’t mind waiting. It was also under shade and I figured it would be good to go on a slow moving boat ride just after we ate, nice and relaxing!

We moved constantly through the queue and soon enough we were at the front, it couldn’t have taken us more than 15 minutes. We boarded our boat and we all settled in for a leisurely journey around the world. The first time I was on this ride, I was 11, then it was cute, the second time I was on this ride, I was 21, then it was verging on annoying, this time I was 27 and annoying doesn’t even come close!

The dolls are cutesy, some of the areas are nicely decorated and it’s air-conditioned, a huge bonus, but why, oh why, do I insist on going on this ride every time? I tell you why, because it’s a must-do. No matter how cheesy, irritating and downright “get me off, get me off, get me off” this ride is. It does have a certain strange appeal. It’s like your favourite movie as a kid, one of mine’s being ‘Santa Claus the Movie’, in those days it was brilliant and I didn’t notice the special effects were cheesy and the script was ropey. Now however, it’s obvious, but I love it just the same, I guess it brings back fond memories!

I won’t go as far as to say that ‘It’s a Small World is as enjoyable as sitting in front of a cosy fire, hot chocolate in hand, on a cold winters night watching Santa Claus, but I do understand the need to revisit this ride, at least every once in a while!

So, we cruised, we laughed, we screamed, well I screamed, and then Steven screamed, this picture says it all:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-1-16.jpg

By the end of this ride, I was actually considering swimming for it, the edge didn’t look that far away, but unless I was happy staying with these spawns of Satan forever, I decided it was in my best interest to stay on board. My mom on the other hand loved this ride; it had been years since she had visited Disneyland so I know she was enjoying every moment. I don’t know how long this ride is but it is a bit too long in my opinion. Every time I though it was coming to an end, there was just more and more.

We departed our boat and I was happy to be off, that song, it stays in your head for days, I think I even can quote all the different languages singing that song, AAAAAHHHHHH!

Mickey’s Philharmagic was showing in 10 minutes and this was a show that I was really eager to see. I had heard so many good things about this and I love 3D show, as does my mom, so I hoped it was all it was cracked up to be.

We quickly entered the theatre, taking our 3D glasses as we went. We found some seats just slightly further back than I would have hoped, but they were in the middle of the row so I couldn’t complain.

The show started and I was mesmerized. This by far was among my favourite attractions so far, in any of the parks. I love Donald, even more so now after Chef Mickey’s, so I was so happy to see him become the main star. He excelled and it was really funny and so well done. The sound effects were great and the 3D stuff was better than I had seen in a long time. The only thing that betters it imo, is IMAX, but we all loved this attraction and Steven and I agreed that it would certainly be something that we would view again.
The storyline wasn’t ridiculous and I loved the water effects and the gusts of air from the popping of the champagne corks, truly wonderful!

After viewing this I had hoped we could go on ‘Peter Pan’s Flight’ as I love that ride, but the queue was quoting 50 minutes and I couldn’t justify standing that long for such a short ride.
Similarly ‘Snow White’s Scary Adventure’s’ had a wait of 40 minutes and if I remembered correctly, it wasn’t worth it. We had reservations at Jiko that night and there was no way I was going to cancel. I really wanted us to hit Toontown as I hoped we may get some more character opportunities for mom, plus visiting Mickey and Minnie’s house, well how could we pass that up?

So we moved on, reluctantly, but we had to be ruthless and go for what was most important.

We decided that we would take the ‘Walt DisneyWorld Railroad’ as we always pass by these things and never go on them. It looked so old fashioned, I loved it:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-2-12.jpg

It wasn’t going to be a long journey but it was pleasant and it saved walking. We arrived at Mickey’s Toontown Fair’ within minutes. The first sight that greeted us was the colourful display of Mickey’s house, it looked fantastic. We also saw Stitch signing autographs but as he is no biggie to me, I bypassed him. My mom wasn’t interested in him either and was more concerned about seeing Mickey’s house.

It was so adorable and the letterbox was brilliant, I want one of those at home:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-3-9.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-4-14.jpg

We entered the house to see how Mickey lived…

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-5-9.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-6-7.jpg

What I loved is Disney’s attention to detail. I mean look at all the shoes and the gloves in his drawers, the slippers, his outfits and even his bowties. It was all so sweet and so well done. This was only his bedroom and I couldn’t wait to see the rest.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-7-7.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-8-7.jpg

The living room and games room was just as good, I noticed that if you sat on anything, an alarm went off, not that I did, but a little girl took it upon herself and sat on the gating and this alarm sounded, it gave us all quite a scare!

We then were faced with Mickey’s kitchen and what seemed to be his DIY room all rolled into one, he certainly doesn’t keep it tidy:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-9-5.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-10-6.jpg

There were paint cans everywhere and the doors were hanging off the kitchen cupboards, obviously a male mouse lived here!

It was then time to see Mickey’s garden:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-11-6.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-12-5.jpg

I loved seeing Pluto’s kennel, it was such a cute addition to this already outstanding house, Pluto is my next favourite character and I hoped he may be around here somewhere…

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-13-5.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-14-5.jpg

Those pumpkins were huge.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-15-4.jpg

I thought the Cacti were adorable, my god, they think of everything!

We could have waited in the never-ending queue at the end of this garden to see Mickey, but it was so long, I took a peek in the tent and knew we couldn’t possibly wait that long, so again, we missed our boy and headed over to Minnie’s house…

Coming up…

Minnie’s House and Tomorrowland.

[pjstevens]

Another great installment Summer. We'll be in Disney in 16 days and I'm afraid I have us to scheduled I'll be stressing to get to this reservation or that party, etc. Hope you make it to your dinner.

[donald&daisy]

Thanks for the update! Philharmagic is one of my favorites also, as is Donald!

[MUDisneyCouple]

So glad to see you back on the boards and sorry to hear that you are so busy! I hope that with the holidays coming up you will be able to just relax a bit. We LOVE Philharmagic - it is our favorite "attraction" at WDW...last time we were there we watched it 5 times. It never gets old...I still find myself grabbing for the treasures when they fly past and who can resist trying to help Donald out of the vortex?!?!?! Take care, Summer!

[HarbinsMom]

Summer, thanks for the latest installment. I think it's awfully sweet of you to reply to each of us individually! I know that must add as much time as just writing each installment.

I KNEW you were on *it's a small world*. That's my husband's favorite ride. Me, take it or leave it. But the funny thing is, about 5 years ago, my MIL (whom I love dearly), gave me 2 *it's a small world* figurine sets. It was a new Disney collectible and they are precious. So, now my set has grown to 25 of the little people. Each little person represents a different country (just like the ride) and with each little person, a symbol of their country comes with them. Like the little African boy comes with a giraffe. Anyway, I just LOVE them. We actually bought an entertainment center just so I could display them and my Disney Village from Department 56.

Well, I've digressed enough. Take your time with your TR. We're all on pins and needles and I for one can't wait to hear more about the pixie dust. Tink's my fav. :tinker:

[DisneyLaura]

Summer - Glad you're back, hope things slow down at work for you. I LOVE It's a Small World, DH on the other hands does not. The last time we were there in 2005 it was under construction and I was upset, DH was smiling ear to ear. I also love going thru Mickey and Minnie's house. We never went in line to see them at their houses because they are way too long but we see them at Chef Mickey's so it's ok that we miss them there. I think you get more time with them at Chef Mickey's anway. I think the 3D shows are great and Donald does deserve to get a show that he is the star. Me and DS who was 2 at the time went and saw it. My other DS who was 5 at the time was afraid of anything that was in the dark, which is almost everything. Anyway can't wait for more. Loving your TR as always.

[pepples22]

Hi Summer,

I have not been on the boards for a while now. But as soon as I logged in I had to read your trip report. WOW!!! So much details and so many things you did reminded me about my wedding trip. It makes me want to go back so much. I have just spoken to hubbie and we have just decided we are booking flights next month as your trip report got me so excited. :cheer2:

I love reading, keep typing the report. :surfweb:

It is making my day go faster at work reading it.

x

[MistressOfAllEvil]

Summer!!! You're back. And with another amazing installment, of course! I know how much time and effort it takes to organize all of your thoughts. Don't worry. Take all the time you need!

I loved your picture of the Train coming into the station. I worked as a conductor while I was on the college program at disney, so the train is very near and dear to my heart. I'm sooo happy that you didn't pass it by! If only I could see the face of the engineer in the picture, perhaps I could identify him. Also, I can't tell from just the engine, but I think if the train had yellow cars then that was the Roger E. Broogie. Walt has red cars and Roy has blue. The lilley bell has green cars but she only comes out for the welcome show and during steamtrain tours. Okay, not that you need all this useless train info. But I can't help it! :rotfl:

Again, great intallment. Again, I'm so glad your mom choose MK. :goodvibes

[MistressOfAllEvil]

oops, double posted!?!

[Glorydaz]

Summer, so glad to see more of your TR!! busy at work is good - I'm glad you finally got a position that is an asset to your future! and good luck with all the studying..

I had to laugh at your photo on "It's A Small World" -:lmao: JJ and I leave in a little less than 2 weeks for our honeymoon and I think we'll skip that one!! hahaha...LOVE your photos of Mickey's house - I've never visited but we just may. I also want to take the railroad - looks like a fun alternative to getting to the other side of the park.

as usual, another fabulous installment - looking forward to more! :surfweb:

Michelle :cloud9:

[The Charmed One]

Thanks Summer for the latest part, sounds like your new job is keeping you busy.

I enjoyed reading about it and the photo's were great, I'll look forward to the next part when you get chance.

[Summer-Caitlin]

Okay, first of all, I am so, so sorry for taking so long on this TR. I have been so busy at work. Everyone is trying to fit in their holidays before the end of the year so I find I am covering for loads of people and that leaves me little time for writing my TR. I usually try and write some during lunch but at the moment I am actually working through most of it.
Also Christmas is here, as you all know, and I love Christmas so it is also taking up most of my spare time, well that and studying, and figuring out the move to Canada, oh and decorating the house so we can sell it, phew!

But, I have another instalment, it's not really long, but it's a new one. Again I haven't been able to respond to everyone individually and I apologise for this, I love responding to you all, but if I did that just now, I would never get this new instalment up.

So in advance I hope you are all having a wonderful festive season so far!:banana:

[Summer-Caitlin]

So we head on over to Minnie's House, I was looking forward to this as I heard that she had some interactive appliances that I could mess with. Her house was pink, need I expect any less?

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-1-17.jpg

Steven wanted to get a few pictures outside and my mom, well she spent a long time waiting to get pictures, I think she was actually trying to wait and see if she could get a clear shot.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-2-13.jpg

Inside it was very pink, cute and fluffy, very girly. My mom and I got pictures taken over beside the fireplace:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-3-10.jpghttp://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-4-15.jpg

I loved all the detailing, I mean you could spend a long time here and not notice all the little things. I guess that's what makes Disney so special, they care about all these things.

We entered the kitchen and saw a kid playing with the microwave, if I remember correctly it has Popcorn in it, I think I remember hearing pooping sounds. I so wanted to play with it, yeah I know, a grown woman like me, but I wanted to use it all the same. There was a huge crowd of kids waiting in the wings so I thought I better leave them to it:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-6-8.jpg

We walked on but there wasn't as much to see in Minnie's house. I was kinda disappointed, there was more to Mickey's house, maybe cause he's the main man!

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-7-8.jpg

However we walked outside and noticed Pluto was in the Gazebo posing for some pics, the queue only had 4 people in it so I dragged Steven over for a picture:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-10-7.jpghttp://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-8-8.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-9-6.jpg

Mom was really happy to have seen Pluto, Steven took a picture with her own camera and I got one quickly with my own, it's sorta cute that you can't see her much cause of Pluto!

After seeing the houses thre wasn't much else to do in Toon Town so we moved on to Tommorowland. THere were certainly a few things there that I thought Mom would enjoy.

On the way I stopped in front of Pirate Mickey and Princess Minnie. I thought it was very fitting seeing I still had intentions of going to The Pirate and Princess Party somehow:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-11-7.jpg

The first ride that caught my eye was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, the stand-by queue was only quoting 5 minutes so we rushed over to join it. Again this was a fast moving queue so we barely waited 3 minutes to get on. Mom went in front of us and I explained the rules to her. I'm pretty competitive so I wanted to be beside Steven, mainly so I could kick his butt!

We were off but funnily enough it took us a few minutes to realize that you could spin yourself, I assumed that the 'spin' part was done automatically. We when we did realize our points started shooting up. Although Steven decided to take control of the spinner, which meant that he had better targets to shoot. Just as I was about to line my shot up, Steven would spin us around so that he could get a better shot! It was a brilliant attraction and very addictive. I somehow knew this wouldn't be our last go on this ride.
If I remember correctly Steven scored about 600,000 and I scored 602,000, there wasn't much between us, except I had found some 'hidden' areas to shoot!

My mom really enjoyed the ride too, except her score was about 100,000, she was more interested in the visuals than anything else.

When we exited we saw Buzz himself but the queue was way, way too long. So we got a picture of him from the side:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-13-6.jpg

Our next stop was Stitch's Great Escape. Now I had high hopes for this, from what I had read it sounded like it would be a surround sound, dark, kinda freaky ride. We waited about 15 minutes in the queue and then streamed in to what looked like a space age room. My god, this attraction must have cost a fortune, I really was expecting a lot! We all sat down in our chairs and my mom started asking if I was sure this wasn't some sort of spinning ride. I said it wasn't but to be honest, I wasn't that sure. Our overhead constraints came down and I started to wonder what this ride was all about. I couldn't remember reading about that? So we sat and waited for everyone to be seated and one guy put his hand up before it started as his constraints wouldn't remain down, it took a little while for them to secure it, but eventually it was working.

The attraction started, it was quite dark and there was some commotion from Stitch up front. I started to feel air blasting on my hair and the restraints started to go up and down to resemble Stitch jumping on your shoulders. There were speakers in the chairs so it was good sound effects but I thought the attraction was pretty lame. It could have been so much better and the reviews I had read previously had raved about it, maybe I just didn't get it?

My mom thought it was really good but Steven agreed with me, there just wasn't enough happening. For a new ride I thought it was disappointing, I mean I could see it must have cost a lot of money but it seemed to go on the visual rather than anything else.

At this point Steven wasn't up for going to The Laugh Factory as he was too worried he would get picked. I looked at the time and notice it was close to 4.30pm. I didn't want to have to rush to get to Jiko as I was really looking forward to this meal. We all agreed it was best if we headed back to the resort.

Mom waved goodbye to MK:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-15-5.jpg

and so did we until another day:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-17-3.jpg

We had rushed around MK but we covered the majority of areas and saw most of the attractions that mom would have wanted to see. She said she had a wonderful day and I could tell that Magic Kingdom was by far her favourite park. At least she could tell all her friends she had visited the main park now.

We were lucky, the bus was waiting at our stop, so we hopped on and relaxed. We were 'home' in no time. We agreed to meet back at mom's room at 6pm and head over to Jiko, this was something we were all looking forward to immensely...


Coming up...

Our meal at Jiko, walking around AKL and mom and I fall out...

[meryll83]

Hi hun,
Nice to see you back here fo a new update, we've all missed you!
It's a crazy time of year for everyone, but you have so much stuff going on at the moment it's great you've managed to find time to keep us updated.

When are you hoping for the big move to be? Some time next year?

I'm glad your mum had a fab time at the MK, I hope the falling out to come isn't too severe - it happens to all of us though!
I don't know where you'd seen the rave reviews of SGE coz I think the majority of folks here think it sucks!:lmao: The audio anamatronics are really good though, it's a shame this "ride" disappoints so many people. I have to say I wasn't overly impressed. It's the sort of attraction I only do now if the line is going in straight away, or towards the end of a fortnights holiday when you are going back to do the things you missed.

Well just in case you don't get chance for a return visit now the season is truly upon us, have an awesome first Christmas as a married lady and hopefully hear from you soon!:santa:

[DisneyLaura]

Summer - glad to hear from ya. Yes the holidays are tuff. SGE I have not been on but I will tell you it was called The Alien Encounter years ago and that was cool. Instead of Stitch is was this horrible yucly looking alien and I'm sure it has the same stuff that Stitch had but I will tell you I was scared with we saw it with the Alien. Sorry it wasn't as good. I didn't go on it with Stitch as I said because we had little guys at the time (DS were only 5 and 2) and we knew what it used to be so we thought it would be the same only with Stitch. Have a good holiday and good luck with the house selling.

[BaBeeCee14]

Hey Summer!

We've missed you here! How have you been? I'm glad your mom got to go to Magic Kingdom during your trip. It definitely my favorite park and a Disney trip just isn't complete without a visit to MK. DF and I are planning to go eat at Jiko for our honeymoon so I'm very excited to hear what you thought about it ;)

[angel*lady]

Summer! So good to hear from you! I know what you mean about being busy! Work is crazy with end of the year stuff and I am in the middle of finals (last one of the semester is tomorrow night!:cool1:). Just in case you don't get back ... I hope you and Steven have a very Merry Christmas!:santa:

[tiggerfan4me]

I haven't been over to Minnie's House in years since my children were little. I sure need to get back there next time. Thanks for sharing the pics.:santa:

[Missy H]

I know what you mean with work and christmas!
It's great to read another instalment can't wait for the next!

[DisneyObsession]

Summer! So great to "see" you back and posting!!! :banana:

I know how life gets busy...I am starting new job at the beginning of the new year, so things are winding down here but I am getting excited about my new job! It'll still be in insurance, but with a different company. :banana: More money, more hours and better benefits! Can't beat that!!

I'm so glad Mom liked MK...it really is my favorite park as well. ::MickeyMo Something about Mickey that makes it the best! Hope the falling out with Mom isn't too bad and you worked it out. Travelling with someone other than your spouse can be difficult. Been there, Done That!!! :sad2:

If you don't get back before Christmas...I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!!! :hug:

[MUDisneyCouple]

Glad to see you on the boards again...sorry to hear that things are busy - 'Tis the Season, right :santa:? Take your time, I don't think any of us are in a rush ;)

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year as a married couple! Take care! :goodvibes

[The Charmed One]

Hi Summer, glad to see you back, hope you are both well.

Really enjoyed the latest part of your report, great picture's, glad your mum enjoyed the MK.

Have a wonderful christmas and new year. Take your time with the report's we can wait, hope you get some time off over the holiday's so you and Steven can spend some time together and have a rest.

Take care,
Love Wendy xxx

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

Hallo Summer!! Nice to hear from you again!!

Hope you're having a good first married Christmas :teeth:

Love the latest edition! I didn't think too much of Stitch either - I kept waiting for 'something' to happen... I was kinda confused as to what was going on to tell you the truth - although I remember being concerned at the time that my hair was stuck in the seat so that might be the reason why :laughing:

[Beep]

Hey Summer, I've spent the last 5 hours reading through everything and loved every minute! We are planning a wedding at SBP followed by photos and lunch at the GF so this has been brilliant for me.

Can't wait for your next update x

[FamilyGuyDisney1965]

Nice post!:cool1:

[DisneyLaura]

:santa:

Summer - just wanted to wish you a Merry 1st Christmas together as DH and DW and Happy New Year too.

Laura :flower3:

[Summer-Caitlin]

Hello everyone.

I am sorry I haven't had the chance to come back and update my TR, but I have been working on another few instalments. I have been so busy with the festivities lately that I just haven't had the chance to resize pics or anything. I am glad that you have all decided to stick with me, I promise I won't disappoint, I have loads of pics coming up in the next instalments, oh and of course lots of pixie dust!

So I came on to thank you all for being so patient and for making this journey a wonderful one so far. I have found tremendous joy in retelling my fairytale and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I also want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I hope all your dreams come true and you find time to spend it with your loved ones.
All the best for next year and I will be seeing you on the boards soon.

Love Summer x

[pjstevens]

Summer,

Enjoy your first Christmas as a married couple (those first years go by so fast). Will keep checking back for updates, as I've so enjoyed your trip through your retelling.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Hello everyone.
I also want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, I hope all your dreams come true and you find time to spend it with your loved ones.
All the best for next year and I will be seeing you on the boards soon.

Love Summer x

[angel*lady]

Hi Summer! Thanks for checking in! I hope that you and Steven are enjoying your first Christmas as husband and wife! :thumbsup2 I look forward to your new installments but in the meantime - Happy New Year!!!! party:

[John's Mom]

I have been lurking! I love your trip report and can't wait for more.

[Goldeelox9]

I read all 46 pages of your Trip Report Board last night. I thought my Fiance was going to kill me I stayed up so late! I have enjoyed it so much. I even called this morning to request Paul Looper as our photographer this morning because your Magic Kingdom Photo Session was beathtaking! Thanks!

[dee slack]

I even called this morning to request Paul Looper as our photographer this morning because your Magic Kingdom Photo Session was beathtaking! Thanks!

we managed to get Paul Looper after requesting him after seeing Summer's photo's too - but only for our honeymoon shoot. He told us that he's usually doing wedding's at weekend's so doesn't normally take MK pic's Sat or Sun (and our's was Sat unfortunately) we would have rescheduled had I know this in advance as Paul is really nice and an excellent photographer - he even popped in to say 'hello' when he passed our cake cutting reception at commender's terrace which was sooo sweet of him. Hope you get himpixiedust:

[Ms.Grumpy]

I have caught up!!
I have been a lurker long enough:lmao:. Summer I Love reading your installments and I appreciate all the great visuals that you provide. Hope you had an awesome Chistmas and Happy New Year.
:cheer2:

[tiggerfan4me]

Love the picture. Your son sure looks like he is enjoying himself, and he is really cute. It sure takes me back to when my sons were that age.

[Ms.Grumpy]

Love the picture. Your son sure looks like he is enjoying himself, and he is really cute. It sure takes me back to when my sons were that age.

Awww.. thanks for the kind words. He truly is the center of my life and that smile of his just makes me melt.:goodvibes
I know that one day he will grow up and want to do things on his own, so right now I am trying to create as many memories as possible.:hug:
:cheer2:

[tiggerfan4me]

Yes definitely enjoy him now and do things with him. They grow up so fast. My boys are 25 and 23 and one Lives in CA in the Air Force, and the other works for Disney and lives in Orlando. I am hoping for grandchildren sometime in the near future, but who knows. then I can enjoy the little ones again, but I can give them back.

[Goldeelox9]

we managed to get Paul Looper after requesting him after seeing Summer's photo's too - but only for our honeymoon shoot. He told us that he's usually doing wedding's at weekend's so doesn't normally take MK pic's Sat or Sun (and our's was Sat unfortunately) we would have rescheduled had I know this in advance as Paul is really nice and an excellent photographer - he even popped in to say 'hello' when he passed our cake cutting reception at commender's terrace which was sooo sweet of him. Hope you get himpixiedust:

Our shoot is on a Friday, so my fingers are crossed!!!!

[ZPT1022]

What a wonderful wedding trip report. It's taken me a few days of reading to get through all 48 pages but it is fantastic! I hope you are doing well and that there will be more to come :goodvibes



Summer, I'm really enjoying your report! World Showcase is my favorite part of WDW, and I was actually there the same day you were! We had lunch at Le Cellier and made our way around WS counterclockwise - but didn't see you!

One thing I thought you (and others) might be interested in, if you didn't know already - my understanding is that when WS was built, the decisions about which countries were represented were partially made by the countries themselves, and the actual national governments of the various nations paid for the design and construction of the buildings. In other words, the government of Morocco built the Morocco pavilion, Norway built the Norway pavilion, etc. That is at least partially why some are bigger/more detailed/have rides and some aren't. At least, that's what I've heard.

Anyway, great TR and can't wait for the rest!

Actually, the pavilions are not sponsored by governments. The only exception is Morocco. This was done on purpose though I forget the exact reasoning. If you look around the pavilions it is easy to tell who sponsors for which one. For example, it used to be AMEX for the United States, but now that they have the Disney Visa, Visa is the sponsor of the pavilion. Mitsukoshi is the biggest sponsor of the Japan pavilion. I used to work at Epcot :)

[Summer-Caitlin]

Okay everyone I am back and I promise never to leave you again:flower3: I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you on this TR. I have been so busy and I have had a few things that had to get sorted.

So updates on my life at the moment as I feel like many of you have been through all of this with me.

I am going to Court regarding myother wedding dress, yes, that's right, she took me to Court. My hearing date is on the 31st of January and so far I have been trying to gather as much evidence as possible about the wedding dress not being as advertised. We will see how it goes:thumbsup2

I received a cheque yesterday from the Travel Agency for the amount that I made in phone calls from the US to the UK, to their agency. It was not ideal as personally I felt they should have given me more for all the stress I endured before the wedding, but hey, I guess at least it's over now.

We are planning on moving to Canada in August if possible now, so that is less than 7 months now. We are decorating the house and need to have it on the market by June at the latest, regardless of how it looks. My course has two starting dates in Canada, one being in September and the other being in November. I am hoping to sign up for the November one and give myself some time in Toronto to settle down before I start my studies.

My work is still as hectic as ever, and at the moment I am out sick, but I will be returning on Monday. I enjoy my job but I find it so exhausting and to be honest it has made me question if Law is my forte...

So that said, I have decided that the best thing to do is to have a back up. So when we get to Canada I am doing a Make-up and Special Effects Course instead. I will get taught Bridal, Fashion, Photography, Black and White, Theatre, Movie and Special Effect Make-up inclucing animatronics. As you all know I love make-up so this seems like a good choice. I have chosen to study with Complections International Make-Up Academy so if any of you have heard anything about them I would love to hear, bad or good. I have only come across great reviews and I want to go the best make-up school I can, more chance of a job at the end of it!

So that's me:goodvibes

Thank you all for keeping with me during this perios of adjustment, as I said I am now back and I plan to get this report finished. I promise not to skimp on details though.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are having a great New Year.

As they say, on with the show....

[meryll83]

Hey hun, welcome back!

Sorry that you're sick :sick:

Sounds like you have had an unreal amount of stuff going on lately, no wonder you've not had time to get on the boards!

I can't believe they are taking you to court over the dress - it's crazy!!! Your law studies should help you win though!

That course you are going to take in Canada sounds really really interesting, I'd love to do something like that (less of the makeup but more of the photography and film special effects side - I'm not girly enough for that!)

Well it's fab to have you back and I'm ready and eager to read the next section of your TR!...........

[MistressOfAllEvil]

:hug: We love you Summer. So glad your back. Can't wait to read the next installment. If I remember correctly, you get into a tiff with your mother??? We're still at MK?? OH BOY. :goodvibes <-- me very excited.

[MistressOfAllEvil]

[QUOTE=meryll83;22644266]Hey hun, welcome back!
I can't believe they are taking you to court over the dress - it's crazy!!! Your law studies should help you win though!
QUOTE]


Ditto! This is absurd. Good luck to you. Can't wait to hear how it turns out!

[Kirsteen]

Woohoo welcome back Summer - I thought I was going to be finished my trippie before you! lol Can't wait for the next installment! Hope you are feeling better soon. I am chocked with the cold and freezing in my tiny office with the radiator and heater on full blast! :confused3 I can't wait to get home. A make-up course counds fab and right up your street - I think you will be brilliant at that.it. Kxx

[Summer-Caitlin]

I showered and changed when I got back to the room, I was aware that Jiko was fancier than the other restaurants that we had been to so far, so I wanted to wear something fresh, I ended up deciding on my yellow skirt and black top, it was still hot, so my choices were limited. Steven showered and got into new shorts and a polo-shirt, for someone that claimed he would never wear shorts during the trip, it seemed to be the only thing he ever wore. I told him he would never wear his jeans, but he insisted on bringing them:rolleyes:

I was so glad I had made this reservation, I had swapped my reservations around so many times, as most of you know, but I had wanted our last night with mom to be special so I always knew I was going to book a 2 TS restaurant for her last night. I had originally booked California Grill, then I swapped it to Artist Point, then lastly I went with Jiko. After looking over all the menus for hours, it was clear that Jiko had the best selection for my mom, plus it consistently had the best reviews online. I hoped that we would get a chance to look around AKL when we were there as Steven and I had no intentions of going back again during the rest of our honeymoon.

We met mom and headed to the bus stop. The bus came quickly to take us to AK, we had been so lucky with the buses as we always waited less than 10 minutes. It was a bit of a pain to have to take the bus to AK then hop on another bus to get us to AKL, but it seemed the easiest way to get there. The journey wasn't long and we didn't even have to wait for the bus to get to AKL, it was there when we arrived. Less than 5 minutes on the bus and we caught a glimpse of AKL. It did look like a beautiful resort, but I was very happy with my upgrade to GF and I had been very happy at CBR and POFQ. I would have loved to stay on the Savannah but as we had only booked a standard room and with the construction going on, it seemed best to take the upgrade we had been offered. Standard room at GF for 7 nights is something we could never justify, esp as we had spent so much on the Wedding and Honeymoon anyway. So it was a pretty big perk to us:thumbsup2

We entered the lobby of AKL and were greeted with this site:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-4-16.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-5-10.jpg

The lobby was beautiful, dark woods, low lighting, all the things I really like. Steven thought it was a beautiful sight but he was glad that we had not stayed here. He thought it was too dark. It was nearing our reservation time so we didn't have much opportunity to look around. I was very impressed with the ceiling though, I thought it was stunning, I felt transported, it really was magnificent.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-6-9.jpg http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-7-9.jpg

We moved along to the elevator that would take us downstairs to Jiko. I could see Boma from upstairs and it looked really crowded. I had initially made a dinner reservation there but as I also had Jiko in my plan I figured there was no point visiting both.

Steven decided to get a pic of me in the elevator:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-9-7.jpg

We found Jiko no problem and I went up to the desk to tell them we were here. They checked us in and gave me a beeper and we sat down in the quiet bar that they had.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l82/Summer-Caitlin/Untitled-11-8.jpg

We didn't take any more pictures while in Jiko as the room was very dark and our camera isn't the best in dark situations. I mean we have flash but I didn't want to scare the other diners:eek:

We were seated within 5 minutes and taken to a really nice table, it wasn't a window seat but we had a great view of both the outside and the cooking table. I immediately fell in love with this place, it was beautiful, I just hoped the food would live up to the hype.

Now I had looked over this menu countless times before we left the UK, so I had pretty much decided on what I was going to eat already.

All 3 of us decided that for our Appetizer we would go for the Kenyan Coffee Flatbread. I kinda hoped that Steven might have had something different so I could have tried something else but he thought the flatbread sounded great so there was no tempting him.

For our mains, we all chose the Oak Grilled-Filet Minon with Mac and Cheese. I had been looking forward to trying this for months and I hoped Steven would order it too. I must admit I kinda pushed mom into ordering this as I thought she would love it.

Our waiter was really nice and he presented us with a card from all of them at Jiko to wish us Happy Honeymoon. It was beautifully signed by all of them at Jiko and all the words are in African. I have always meant to look them up so I can see exactly what they wrote. I am sure I will get to it someday. It was a nice surprise as I hadn't expected anything from them.

Our drinks came, Diet Cokes all round again. As I said before we all prefer soft drinks to alcohol so it was great that the Dining Plan included this as part of our meal.

It was a quiet restaurant, I could hear the sizzling at The Cooking Place and I could smell the aromas in the air. It was a very intimate restaurant, and I thought it might have been nice to have come again, on our own. Never mind there is always the next Disney trip:idea:

Our Appetizers arrived and I could smell the coffee straight away. It was a very big portion, way too much for one person, but I was prepares to give it a good go. It was so tasty, I never thought Apple and Coffee would go together, but the sharpness of the coffee was balanced out by the sweetness of the apple. I am also not a big cheese person, as you can probably tell from my report at V & A, but the 4 cheeses on this flatbread did wonders for my palate, I swear it was like the best pizza ever, to bring it down a peg or two  The onions were plentiful and I love onions. The bread was soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, it really was perfection.
I was very surprised at how well this all worked together and I was even more surprised to see Steven polish his off then move on to mine. He said that he couldn't allow me to leave any and it was only right that he finished it. I reminded him that he has his main and dessert to follow but he was immersed in the flatbread before I had a chance to finish the sentence.

My mom also finished all of hers and agreed it was in a class of it's own. I barely managed half, I find flatbreads very filling and I didn't want to be too full to enjoy my filet.

Our waiter collected our clean plates and topped up our cokes. Our filet's were in front of us within 10 minutes. I was glad of the break as I was feeling quite full and hoped I would get a chance for the flatbread to settle before topping myself up.

The Oak Grilled-Filet Minon looked beautiful, the red wine sauce glistened in the light and the mac and cheese looked creamy. The filet itself was generous in size and looked like a darn good cut of meat, even Steven said so and he's more of a chicken guy.

We dug in and OH MY GOD, it was divine, I can actually remember the taste pretty well. There was sweetness to it. I hate red wine but I love red wine sauces, go figure! The sauce mixed with the mac and cheese went amazingly well. I never order mac and cheese as I find it can be quite sickly, however the portion wasn't overly huge and the cheese that was used was very mild. The macaroni itself was al dente, perfect in my eyes, just a little bit of bite, the cheese was creamy and gooey, and I am sure it would have been quite nice on its own. But with the red wine sauce and the filet, it was, I'll say it again… divine.

The filet cut like butter and I ordered it medium/well, so say what you like about getting a tougher bit of meat this way, but I was over the moon with mine. Can't say I noticed and I never had to chew but did to savour the taste.

Steven was in love as far as I could tell, I think I have changed his mind about filet, although it does pay to have a great chef prepare it! He LOVES mac and cheese and could probably live off it if possible, so I was really happy that this combo went down well.
There was a woody taste to the filet, slightly smoky, I would happily have eaten this on it's own, it was that good, quite honestly I think I did eat most of it without the mac and cheese.

I am one of those people that eats one thing at a time. For example if there is steak, carrots, broccoli and mash. I don't combine the foods, I will have a forkful of carrots, eat them, then eat a forkful of mash etc. I don't really like to mix flavours as I like the flavour of most things separately. Sound weird? Well that's me, strange but cute as Steven tells me, LOL.:lmao:

I tried my best to put everything on the fork at once, but I often failed and would end up with one bit of mac and cheese and a bit of filet. It was becoming time consuming so I ate as I usually do, everything on its own, why mess with tradition?

My mom said it was the best filet she had ever tasted and she quickly cleaned her plate. Despite us all being full we each finished our mains, I don't think we could bring ourselves to leave any of it behind. The thought of dessert was making me bust at the seams, but I was determined to at least try my flourless chocolate cake.

We ordered the Flourless Chocolate Mocha Cake Stack for me, Steven and mom had "The Year of a Million Dreams" dessert which was white chocolate mousse pyramid with roasted banana and pineapple, banana-pineapple salad, and tropical fruit salad.

Our waiter served our desserts and they arrived with candles in them and everyone cheered for us. I thought it was really sweet.

My dessert was amazing, it tasted like Brownies and I love me some Brownies, the lavender ice cream was strange, in a good way, not strong and I really needed something to go alongside the richness of the chocolate cake. There was way too much, even for me, I finished half and really considered taking the rest back to the resort, but I felt bad for asking. Especially as I was so full.
Steven thought his dessert was nice, but wasn't overly fond of the mousse. He also didn't like the banana roasted and he thought it would have been better left cold. Mom loved her dessert and finished it all.

We sat for a little while before asking for the bill and talked about how our day had been. It was by far our best day, other than the wedding of course and I was glad mom had managed to have a great last day with us. MK was definitely the right choice and it had been magical.

We got our bill and paid with mom's room key to make sure all her credits were used. As it was still reasonably early we had a quick look around the resort before heading back to Epcot and hopping on the bus to take us to POFQ. Mom had said she wanted an early night as she would need a good sleep before the flight tomorrow.

Our day had been so good in fact almost too good to be true and suddenly there was a switch…

[MistressOfAllEvil]

OMG! WHAT HAPPEN?? THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!

thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing review of Jiko. It really puts my mind at ease for the reception dinner. It seems as though very few have chose this resturant for any of their wedding dinner (maybe a rehersal dinner here or there) and I've been nervous. Especially since I haven't ate there yet. I am sooooo looking forward to the filet and mac 'n cheese!!!

[meryll83]

du du duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh!

You do keep us in suspense! :lmao:

We actually had the Oak Fired filet at the Cali Grill and it was yummmmmmah!

[Kirsteen]

OMG!!! What happened next!?!?! :scared1:

[zalansky]

Summer - glad to see you back and writing your TR! I have been waiting to hear what PD you encountered on your honeymoon. All I know of you is what i read on your TR and see in your pictures and I have to say, that I think that a makeup artist would be a perfect fit for you. It just suits you to a "T"...if you will. Can't wait to read more!

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

Reeeeeeally glad you enjoyed Jiko!! It's one of our choices for August! :teeth:

Glad you're okay! Haven't spoken to you in a while! I was speaking to a lady on another Disney site a week ago, as she is thinking of moving to Canada - I told her I knew someone who was in the process of moving and she would love to get in contact with you, if that would be okay :teeth:

I think you would be an awesome make-up artist! I think you know what you're talking about... promise you'll come down to WDW when I get married to do my makeup :)

But I really need to know - WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?! Eeeeeeee!

[mla1977]

Happy belated birthday Hayley!

[Goldeelox9]

Now I want to try Jiko for out honeymoon! Welcome Back!

[angel*lady]

WELCOME BACK, SUMMER!!!! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

Sorry you are having to go to court about the other dress! Good grief!! :sad2: I know how you feel juggling so many things right now. I am still living a crazy life with work, school, kids, church ... I keep telling myself that I can do this! It is only for another year and half - I should be done in May 2009. :cool1: In the meantime, I'd better get off the computer and back to the books. I have 2 papers and a presentation to prepare this weekend.

Sorry to hear you are sick :sick: and I hope you are feeling better soon! Looking forward to the next installment! :surfweb:

[MUDisneyCouple]

Glad to see you back!!! Sorry that things have been crazy lately. I can't believe you are having to go to court over your first dress - that is NUTS!! Jiko will be a must do for us next time. We were suppose to stay at AKL too, but got an upgrade to Poly...I think we were really happy with our change too, but DH really wants to stay there next. Poly was dark woods and low lighting too just fyi.

Hope you feel better and can't wait to hear happens next!!!

[disneydreamgirl05]

Yay!! Glad your back!! We all missed you! Jiko's sounds so good! I think I'm going to have to try it next time I go down to Disney

And of course you have to leave us in suspense!! :upsidedow

[Summer-Caitlin]

MistressOfAllEvil - You willl LOVE Jiko, you are right when you say that hardly anyone picks Jiko for their wedding reception, I wonder why? It really is a beautiful restaurant, the ambience is wonderful, very romantic, it is a nice and intimate restaurant and the food is to die for. This will definitely be on my list of restaurants to visit again when we go back. I can't beleive you are so close to going, you must be so excited:banana: And congrats on the weight loss, you go girl:thumbsup2

meryll83 - The filet at California Grill was wonderful too, but I will have to say that I thought the one at Jiko was slightly better, maybe it was the mac and cheese? Anyway California Grill is later! Suspense...me?

Kirsteen - I will have to grab some time to read your TR, I glanced at it yeaterday and saw your pics of The GF, it looks like you had a wonderful time. My trip at GF is coming up next, talk about pixie dust...

zalansky - Thank you. I think make up is right up my street as you say. I adore make up and I have often given friends make overs and I have been involved with make up now for years. I am always experimenting with different looks. If I could make a living out of doing make up, I would be pretty happy. I would love to go freelance if possible. Stay tuned...

Hayley - How are you doing girl? I visited your TR recently but I noticed you haven't managed to update lately, things must be hectic!
Feel free to pass on my email address to the girl that is thinking of moving to Canada, if I can be of any help I will.
Well studying make up I have always wanted to do, but never really considered it as a career. After my own wedding and seeing what those girls can earn and thinking that I could have done my own make up better, well it seems like an obvious choice. I would LOVE to come and do your make up when you get married, hey, I'm getting books already:banana: Apparently I can drive to Orlando in 48 hrs from Toronto...

Goldeelox9 - Definitely try Jiko on your honeymoon, you will not be disappointed, it was one of oour favorites!

angel*lady - Thanks for coming back, I hated leaving you all for so long, I am hoping to get another instalment up within the next couple of days. I am feeling a bit better now so I am back to work tomorrow.
Your life seems pretty hectic too, don't you just hate it when everything needs to be done at once. I can't wait for a break to be honest! I need Disney more now than ever!!!
Good luck on your papers and presentation, hope it goes well:hug:

MUDisneyCouple - I think you will love The Poly, we visited when we went to Kona and I thought it looked beautiful, then again I love the tropics. I would easily stay at The Poly next time, I loved Kona!!! You must go to Jiko, I am telling everyone!

disneydreamgirl05 - Yes, I am back, I love doing my TR and considering I married in August, I think it's about time that I finished this baby! Jiko will always be on my list in the future, I can't say enough good things about it.

[blondie7]

Welcome back Summer.

Jiko sounds like a great restaurant. I am going to have to try it one of these trips. I can't wait to hear more about your trip. Wow I can't believe you are coming to Canada so soon. If I can doing anything to help answer questions etc let me know. Remember you already have a friend in Ontario. Oh and by the way forget driving to Orlando in 48 hours. It only takes 24 straight through but even better you can be there in 2.5 hours from Buffalo for less then it costs in gas to drive. I flew down in Dec for $79 US taxes included. I can give you all those tips once you get here. Congrats on the career change. i think you will be great at it. Plus with all the movie sets moving North I hope you will have an easy time getting a job. Good Luck and again if I can help let me know.
Your Canadian Friend
Debbie

[Summer-Caitlin]

Debbie - Thank you so much for being so kind. To be completely honest I would love any info you can give me at all. The Academy is on St Nicholas Street in Toronto, intersection of Bloor and Yonge Street and I am trying to figure out which sort of areas I should be looking at for renting an apartment. I originally looked at North York are but that was when I intended to go to Seneca College. Which area do you live in? I am getting so excited now about the move. I really need a change and I am hoping that I can settle in Ontario permanently, I just have to hope I get a job after I qualify.

[Summer-Caitlin]

We walked Mom back to her room, by now we were all pretty tired but our day had been great and although I was sad to see mom go, I was also excited to begin the new leg of our honeymoon. It would be wonderful for Steven and I to be alone for the next 2 weeks.

Tomorrow we moved on to The Grand Floridian and I was ecstatic at the prospect of staying somewhere so posh, I knew we would likely never again stay here so I intended to take full advantage of all it had to offer, especially the monorail!

We both went into mom's room and made sure that she had all her stuff packed and organized for the next day. She had to be out at the coach pick up point for 11.00am and I was wanting to make sure that she didn't need to rush in the morning.

All of a sudden the mood changed. Mom had been happy all day, in fact, she had been in the best mood ever and now she seemed snappy and upset. Any question I asked was greeted with sighs or one word answers.

I explained what would be happening in the morning and I told her that although we would have easily came with her to the airport, we couldn't. The coach transfer that she had was for her only and I had no idea that the airport was so far, otherwise we could have caught a cab to see her off at the airport.

She started to cry and shout at me and said that she always thought that we would be coming to the airport to see her off and this annoyed me as I had always told her that we wouldn't be doing this. Her flight wasn't until 4.30pm and we had to check in to The GF, plus it would cost us a fortune in cab fares.

I hated seeing her upset but I became increasingly annoyed that she was snapping like this on her last day here. I had tried throughout our whole vacation to give her what she wanted and believe me we had some trying times throughout the week, but I had managed and I think I had managed well.

I explained to her again why it wasn't possible and she said that she didn't think it was very fair of me to let her go alone. I told her that she always knew that she would have to fly back on her own and there was no way around that.

At this point she said she had wished that she had stayed for the 3 weeks:scared1: Although I love my mom loads and we get on so well at home, spending so much time with her was draining. I loved that she came ot my wedding and I loved that she spent a week with us, but to be honest Steven and I needed the next 2 weeks alone. I thought it was only right that we spend most of our honeymoon, just the two of us. She said that she felt she was only getting into it now, and she wanted to visit all the parks now, and that a week just wasn't long enough.

I pointed out to mom that the plan had always been that she stayed a week and Steven and I spent the remaining two weeks on our own but I hated that I sounded so selfish, yet I felt I was justified for feeling this way. I mean this wan't just any holiday, IT WAS OUR HONEYMOON!!!

I didn't want to leave things on bad terms with my mom, but she seemed determined to act this way and no matter what I said, or Steven said for that matter, made any difference.

I told her that we had all had a wonderful time together, I was so grateful that she had came, and it was unfortunate that she only seemed to be 'getting into it' now. I had tried my best to plan out our week so she could see as much as possible, but often she was the one that had declined to do things, including eating at restaurants and going to parks.

I told her there was always next time, that she shouldn't see this time at WDW as her last time here. In fact I hoped that one Christmas we could come back, all three of us! And now that I have had time to think about this, it's a great idea. I would love to do this as a Christmas gift to her one day.

We said our goodnights, and mom said she was going straight to bed. Steven and I had to pack for the move tomorrow and I just hoped that she would be in better spirits in the morning.

On the way up to our room, Steven said that it was only just ocurring to her that this was her holiday over and she was probably kicking herself for not seeing or doing as much as she had set out to do, so she was taking it out on me. I really wish she had realized that time flies here and I told her time and time again to take full advantage of being here, in hindsight she probably sees that now.

We packed away our belongings and cuddled up together and spoke of happier thoughts, I am sure she would feel better in the morning, I would make sure of it. Tinkerbell had left us briefly but I am sure she would find us again, who knew she would remain with us at The Grand Floridian all week and it would rain pixie dust as we arrived...

[meryll83]

Oooooh pixie dust ahead!

I'm sure your Mom will now look forward to another visit to the world, and it's just a shame it took her a while to get into the swing of things.

[Kirsteen]

Oooh more please. :goodvibes I'm sure your Mom will have learned from her mistake and will make the most of her next trip to the mouse Kxxx

[B2B-2008]

Summer I'm sorry your mum got upset but I think that staying for a week was the best thing for the both of you. We are having the problem that we have all my family with us for the whole two weeks and we don't think we will have any time alone. They even want to join us on all the ADRs we are going to book. I can see us having to accidently loose our families in the parks to get some time alone.

[MUDisneyCouple]

Ah...we've been there with my mom before. The last minute "fight" which is all about her just feeling left out for the rest of the trip. I can understand where my mom is coming from at times like this, but geesh it does make you feel like a heel, eh? Hopefully, you all will be able to go again. Steven is a trooper (much like my DH) for going along with my mom going on vacations with us - God love 'em!

Can't wait to hear about the pixie dust!!!!

[DisneyLaura]

Summer :welcome: back. I was beginning to have Summer wedding/honeymoon withdrawals. Jiko is definately on my list of places to eat when we go next year. I'll have to see what is on the kids menu. Would you say it would be ok to bring kids there? AKL looks beautiful but I can see from the pictures that it would be dark. That was nice that the waiter brought you a card for your honeymoon. I'm not a drinker too so I'm glad soda is on the DDP. Those desserts sounded great. That would be hard to choose for me. So funny about how you eat, one thing at a time. I'm the same way and no food can touch each other also. My DH makes fun of me for eating that way and my kids are the same as me. That's too bad that your mom was snapping at you and Steven but you have every right to be alone with your new hubby on yourt honeymoon. You guys need that time together and like you said you all can go back for Christmas one year.

On the way up to our room, Steven said that it was only just ocurring to her that this was her holiday over and she was probably kicking herself for not seeing or doing as much as she had set out to do, so she was taking it out on me.

I totally agree with him.

We packed away our belongings and cuddled up together and spoke of happier thoughts, I am sure she would feel better in the morning, I would make sure of it. Tinkerbell had left us briefly but I am sure she would find us again, who knew she would remain with us at The Grand Floridian all week and it would rain pixie dust as we arrived...

Don't you love to cuddle at night. I hope Tinkerbell has a lot of pixie dust up her sleeves for you guys. Can't wait for more.

PS Sorry the lady is taking you to court for the wedding dress, she was wrong. Also congrats on the career change. If I wasn't married already I would hire you for my wedding for my make-up. I don't know how to do my make-up. I just wear a base, blush, eyeliner and mascara. I love the way you do your eyes. I couldn't put on eyeshadow to save my life.:lmao:

Laura:flower3:

[AuroraBorealis]

Welcome back! I love your updates.

I'm so glad you enjoyed Jiko! It is my absolute favorite resturant and is always a first night dinner tradition for us. The AKL is so beautiful as well.

I can totally see you as a makeup artist! Good luck with your moving plans and classes.

I'm sorrry you had a rough last night with your mom; it's always hard to leave when there is just so much to do! But you and Steven totally deserved a honeymoon for the two of you.

I can't wait to hear about GF and your pixie dusted days!

[WVTinkGrl]

ok. i just read your whole tr and it took me the whole day and i absolutely love it! you are doing such a great job. i can't wait to read more

[Missy H]

Good to see you back Summer!
Can't wait to read about more pixie dust!

[rebecca06261]

Geez Summer! We want pixie dust!!! I know you're busy & all but you have fans waiting!!!:happytv:

[Summer-Caitlin]

Hi ladies

So sorry I have been away again, but I haven't been feeling the best lately. I do promise that I will have some long pixie dust filled sections coming up before the weekend though!

I have my Court case tommorow, remember that stupid wedding dress fiasco, well it's finally arrived and one of us is going down:scared: It better be her. I know I'm in the right but it still doesn't feel great to have to go to Court to prove it. So wish me luck girls all pixie dust will be appreciated!:thumbsup2

[MUDisneyCouple]

Best of luck tomorrow! Let us know how it goes...we're cheering for you :cheer2:

[DisneyFairy19]

Good Luck Summer... Pixie Dust for you

[angel*lady]

Summer,

I'm so sorry you haven't been feeling well. :sick: Good luck tomorrow :thumbsup2 - I will be thinking of you!

:grouphug:

[ZPT1022]

Hi ladies

So sorry I have been away again, but I haven't been feeling the best lately. I do promise that I will have some long pixie dust filled sections coming up before the weekend though!

I have my Court case tommorow, remember that stupid wedding dress fiasco, well it's finally arrived and one of us is going down:scared: It better be her. I know I'm in the right but it still doesn't feel great to have to go to Court to prove it. So wish me luck girls all pixie dust will be appreciated!:thumbsup2

Good luck tomorrow!

[meryll83]

Good luck hun, take that beast DOWN!

[Kirsteen]

Good luck Summer :goodvibes

[poohface]

Good luck Summer:hug:

[Dream426]

Good luck Summer. Hope everything works out for you.

[keenercam]

Wishing you loads of pixiedust: and tons of luck in Court. I hope it goes well. Be sure to report back as soon as you can. :hug:

[Wazzo]

Good luck today! :goodvibes

[DisneyLaura]

Good luck Summer and feel better.

[Summer-Caitlin]

Well the Court case....

Didn't really end like I had hoped...

We got called about 30 minutes after I arrived, there were several different cases going on before ours.

The judge noted my counterclaim but said that I really need to put a figure on the 'damages' I was claiming. I put that I was looking for the reimbursment of my £200 deposit PLUS damages. I didn't put a figure on those damages as I thought that the Court did that if and when they awarded me any.

Because of my dress fiasco I had to buy a new veil, shoes, shirt and cravat. These were obviously not included in my budget. I also had to take a day off work UNPAID to go and look for another dress 6 days before I was due to fly out. How do I put an amount on the emotional stress I endured? These are my 'damages' and I am finding it difficult to pick a figure that works for me.

So, the judge deferred the case, until the 28th of February, in that time I am to file a new counterclaim within 14 days detailing my 'damages' and if I choose to, seek legal representation.

I am seriously thinking of speaking to our Litigation dept and have someone step in for me. I don't have the time to research any cases that might be relevant to mine. I mean I have a full time job.

I intend to speak to them next week, before I have to put in my counterclaim. I want to make sure I've done it right, I don't want it to be deferred again!

So that's it, absolutely nothing came of it today and I am gutted. I wanted this to be over, but instead I have to suffer for another month. If I put it in the hands of a litigator, I may be able to stop worrying about it so much, well at least that's what I'm hoping.

Thanks for all the pixie dust though, at least he didn't find in her favor, that's a big plus.

Oh well, onwards and upwards I guess.