Half a Ton of Big Guys Take on the World

[DonaldTDuck]

Our cast of characters:
Robert aka Plutopluto: , the youngest at 46 and the only one married in the group
Tony aka Goofy:goofy: , our most athletic and the one guy that can, and will, talk to anyone, a natural born social director
Jeff aka Mickey::MickeyMo , the most likable guy on the planet, the adorable type
and me, Donald aka well, I think you get it:donald: , the one with the attitude.
We're all taller and wider than average, with none of us over 275, but no petites. On the names, amazingly, Mickey was the least thrilled about his. Goofy was fine with his and Pluto was a little excited about his. Go figure. This is how it all started.
Last year I was with a group of friends waiting on line for a show to start when some one asked me about my recent Disney vacation. I told them what all we did and Goofy said he'd never been and didn't think he could afford it. I'd been last year during free dining, and told them I'd managed for under $900. Goofy said we should get a group up.. Well, I'd heard that before, but when it comes time to put money down, people back out. So I just waited and last March, I sent out emails to those who had acted interested. I heard nothing and was going to write it off. Then Pluto calls and says he's in town(we all live in different towns along I-65 in Kentucky) and wanted to eat. I told him more about going and he said he was definitely in. So I called Goofy and he said he'd emailed me back, but somehow it didn't get to me. He said Mickey was in too. So we had our four. The perfect number for a Disney trip, at least that's what I'd always thought. Well, it's 4 times the work of two going, but I think it may be, although maybe it's the more the merrier.
Free dining was offered in April and I made the arrangements. Disney wouldn't let me book 4 unrelated adults in two separate rooms, so I had to reserve a room in my name and one in Pluto's. They linked the reservations, though and we got rooms promised to be near each other. We would leave on September 7, a Friday after I get off work. We checked into renting a car, since none of us had a big enough vehicle for 4 big guys. Then my sister offered her Explorer. Wow:love: . I was blown away. She lives in Nashville, so we'd have to get that far. Then Mickey found out he would be working in Nashville the week we left, so he met us at Sis's house. Everything was falling into place.
Next, the trip south. :drive:

[Minnie_Moo]

MOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!! Let's get this trip report started and moovin' right along!

:donald: :mickeyjum :goofy: pluto:

[the4princesses]

YEE HAAA!!
COUNT ME IN!!
Let's get going!!:dance3:
KD

[lexmelinda]

DTD!

Subscribing to hear about your all-guy adventure!

Bring it on.........popcorn::

[ILMICKEY]

Hey!! Sounds fun, I'm in.:banana:

[TwinkieMama]

Great start DTD!

I love the title and cereal descriptions of your merry band!

[NAB]

I'm in :donald:

Can't wait to hear more.

[babynurse1]

Count me in.

We Midwesterners have to stick together.:thumbsup2

[FauntleroyFAN07]

I am here, a friend on the boards told me about your report, they pick on me on theres because I am the only active guy posting, so I came over to read yours. Great job so far, cant wait to read more.

[luvmyboys]

Bring on the testosterone! I'm in!

[Avivasmom]

LOVE it....4 men going together to the HOUSE of MOUSE....I think that is great.

Come on want to read more.

[Backstage_Gal]

Hey, DTD, checking in too. Great start!

[DonaldTDuck]

MOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!! Let's get this trip report started and moovin' right along!

:donald: :mickeyjum :goofy: pluto:
And MOO HOOOOOO!!!!!! back for being first. Glad you're along.

I am here, a friend on the boards told me about your report, they pick on me on theres because I am the only active guy posting, so I came over to read yours. Great job so far, cant wait to read more.
I understand toadily. On our thread, there are two guys on regularly and 2 or 3 others that pop in. And the women are ALLL pregnant. Well, several are, and they talk about well you know. I promise lots of manly stuff like beer and checkin' out female cm's.

Bring on the testosterone! I'm in!

LOVE it....4 men going together to the HOUSE of MOUSE....I think that is great.

Come on want to read more.
Sure you can handle the heman stuff? Don't worry, I'll be gentle.
ILMICKEY and the4princesses, glad to have ya along.
Lexi, Twink, Nab, babynurse and Backstage Gal, it's always great to have my moops with me.

[FauntleroyFAN07]

I understand toadily. On our thread, there are two guys on regularly and 2 or 3 others that pop in. And the women are ALLL pregnant. Well, several are, and they talk about well you know. I promise lots of manly stuff like beer and checkin' out female cm's.


that is cool, my wife is 3 months pregnant as well.

we did a video message from WDW to tell our familys it is on my report if you wanna check it out. There is a link to the chapters on the 1st page.

[Backstage_Gal]

And MOO HOOOOOO!!!!!! back for being first. Glad you're along.


I understand toadily. On our thread, there are two guys on regularly and 2 or 3 others that pop in. And the women are ALLL pregnant. Well, several are, and they talk about well you know. I promise lots of manly stuff like beer and checkin' out female cm's.




Sure you can handle the heman stuff? Don't worry, I'll be gentle.
ILMICKEY and the4princesses, glad to have ya along.
Lexi, Twink, Nab, babynurse and Backstage Gal, it's always great to have my moops with me.


:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[DonaldTDuck]

Mickey, as mentioned, is already in NashVegas waiting for the rest of us. I am gettimg off work at 4:30(instead of 1:30 as originally planned) so Goofy and Pluto are meeting me in the parking lot where I work. It's easier to find than my trailer. They are driving down together in Goofy's car from Radcliff, the Fort Knox base town. The plan is they'll eat after they get to Bowling Green, where I live, and I'll eat at work(I'm a cook). Then we can wait till late to eat(yeah, right). I have filled a cooler with ice at work and loaded it with Diet COKES. At 4:30, we leave the lot. They follow me home, where we park the car and hit the road. By 5 we are in Tennessee(yee-hah). At 5:30 we call Mickey to give him directions to my sister's house, but he had found it just by the cross streets I had given him. Said we'd be there in 10 minutes. What was I thinking. We were almost to LP Stadium where the Titans play, and that stretch of Interstate has never been kind to me. About ten years ago I totaled a car there when a woman came to a dead stop to exit. The delivery truck behind her got stopped. But I was behind him, and didn't get stopped. Almost, but no. I hit him at <5 mph, but he had no bumper and my lil Honda went under him, doing at least $3500 worth of damage to a car with 229,000 miles. A few years before, a semi threw a wheel and axle across 5 lanes of traffic to hit the center wall and explode less than 100 feet in front of me. It made me late to a basketball game, the worst thing that could happen. Just as I see the exit the lady missed, I notice that traffic ahead is stopped. Dead. And there's no other way across the river without driving 30 miles in interstate traffic. So we sit. For about 20 minutes. Then, it was as if nothing had happened. Within 2 minutes we were doing 50. Wierd. So the ten minutes turned into half an hour, but we got there, made the car exchange, hugged all over Sis and hopped in. Sis said, not so fast. She'd just made a trip to LA (no, not Lower Antioch[inside Nashville joke]) and had visited the Mother Church. She'd brought me back a Grumpy hat with Disneyland on the back. So cool. She also reported that although Mr. Toad still lives there, there is not one piece of merchandise to be had with any reference to him. Or that would have been my present.
We finally get started, and it's not quite 7. The plan is to stop for the night on I-475 that loops Macon, GA. We hit a Wendy's drive thru and keep on keepin on. We hit Macon and decide we could go farther. Then, just as we reenter I-75, I get something in my contact and decide it's time. We exit immediately and find 2 hotels. One looks nice and one looks cheap. We picked cheap. It wasn't unanamous. See, Mickey travels for Kroger a lot and stays at Hiltons and slums at Fairfield. This was something like Interstate Inns and was $35 bucks a night. BTW, it was clean, cool, and had a goog shower and tv, and we were only there 7 hours. Just sayin'. We wanted to be fresh for our first day at a park. So we got up at 7 and were on the road in 30 minutes. It's goog to be all guys. Food, always a priority was discussed. At our exit there was a Waffle House with a thirty minute wait. We hit the interstate. Discussion continued. Like in I need it NOW. Not me, Goofy, I think. We see signs and get off hoping for a buffet. There's something called The Green Derby at the Holiday Inn. We go in. If you're ever just south of Macon and need breakfast, this is the place. Massive amounts of eggs, meats, breads, and cereal plus doughnuts, fruit and MILK on the buffet. All of it goog. But eggspecially the pancakes. And with juice or coffee, less than 10 bucks. On a weekend. Course, if we'd spent $30 more to stay there, it would have been free(help me out math freaks, a goog deal?). Next stop? Every rest area in Georgia. Almost. Dang peanut bladder. Always gets me in Georgia. Real next stop, the Florida Welcome Center, and free oj(not advise for the courts) . Except Goofy, who had to have grapefruit. But Goof, orange juice is a rite of passage. Oh well, that Goofy just has to be different.
Now we drove, but started in my PTCruiser, so we didn't pack much to drink or snack on, so I suggest at Gainesville we get off for (well I wanted 100% approval) BEER. We got off and found a Publix. They went nuts. Like taking 3 7 year old boys with their own money to a store. And one is a Kroger professional. We left with 2 and a half cases of beer, 10 bags of chips, 5 8-packs of nabs, fruit cups, 2 cases of water, and a little Gatorade. I kept saying, we're on the dining plan, and it's a lot of food, but they were possessed. We'll be hungry at night, in the morning, yada yada yada. I brought most of it home with me. Pluto, a mild diabetic, did use his snack food well.
The whole time, the plan was to use the Western Way to come in the back door at WDW, and we did. But we darn near missed it. We saw one sign that said which exit to use off the Toll Road about 10 miles before we got there. When we got there, I had to slam on the brakes to check the number, because no more info was posted. Pluto suddenly says there's a sign ON THE EXIT pointing to WDW. So we swerve over the little area just past the exit and climbed. off. Now Pluto has always been accused of being 'out there' mostly cause he is. But he just sniffed that sign out for us, a sign of things to come. The trip in is easy after that and we arrive at ASMusic at about 1:30. About an hour later than if we'd skipped Publix. But we're home.
Next, our half day at MGM and HDDR.

[NAB]

Who better to judge a good breakfast then a cook , right. And it is a must to stop at the welcome center for free juice. My mom did that last year too we all got orange and she was the only one that wanted grapefruit.

Did you have to leave your luggage at the Publix....:lmao:

[UtahMama]

OOooooOOh, testosterone reporting! I'm soooo IN!

You had me at "cooler filled with ice" and lost me abruptly at COKE, which you capitalized for SOME reason :rolleyes1

And, I think you need to describe the food better, I'm dieting. ;)

[Backstage_Gal]

LOL, DTD, love the shopping spree! Great update.

[UtahMama]

mercy bump :flower3:

[OhMari]

I had to take a look and make sure my cousin wasn't with your group. He is originally from Bowling Green and lives in Nashville. He just went to WDW with his buddies.

My godmother and her 5 married and 1 unmarried son(Nashville) are all in Bowling Green.

Looking forward to reading your TR, we don't get many guys that post.

[TwinkieMama]

Mickey, as mentioned, is already in NashVegas waiting for the rest of us.

Good use of geography. I know exactly where NashVegas is....

I have filled a cooler with ice at work and loaded it with Diet COKES. At 4:30, we leave the lot.

Good use of space. Diet COKE rocks.

They follow me home, where we park the car and hit the road. By 5 we are in Tennessee(yee-hah).
yee hah? shouldn't that be yeehaw?

It's goog to be all guys.
I will trust you on this one. ;)

Real next stop, the Florida Welcome Center, and free oj(not advise for the courts) . Except Goofy, who had to have grapefruit. But Goof, orange juice is a rite of passage.
1. free oj:rotfl:
2. It is a rite of passage.

They went nuts. Like taking 3 7 year old boys with their own money to a store. And one is a Kroger professional. We left with 2 and a half cases of beer, 10 bags of chips, 5 8-packs of nabs, fruit cups, 2 cases of water, and a little Gatorade. I kept saying, we're on the dining plan, and it's a lot of food, but they were possessed. We'll be hungry at night, in the morning, yada yada yada.

Great description!:rotfl2: Also nice shopping list... nabs are key to maximum park enjoyment..... but where are the pop tarts?

[FauntleroyFAN07]

great start, why 2 and a half cases, did the other half get drunk in the store.

I think it is a rule that if you are driving down you have to stop at the welcome center and get some OJ, I love that part of a trip.

Do we get some pictures in the next post?

[dburg30]

subbing..

[DonaldTDuck]

I had to take a look and make sure my cousin wasn't with your group. He is originally from Bowling Green and lives in Nashville. He just went to WDW with his buddies.

My godmother and her 5 married and 1 unmarried son(Nashville) are all in Bowling Green.

Looking forward to reading your TR, we don't get many guys that post.
If any of your godffamily attends WKU basketbaqll games, especially the women, they'll likely know me as The Big Guy or at least as the biggest hairiest fan. It's a great place to live. BTW we had a volleyball player named Crystal Towler from Sussix, WI.

great start, why 2 and a half cases, did the other half get drunk in the store.

I think it is a rule that if you are driving down you have to stop at the welcome center and get some OJ, I love that part of a trip.

Do we get some pictures in the next post?
Waiting on Mickey to send me the disc. He was our official photographer, and has gotten bogged down at work. Also on the beer, I picked up a 12 pack of goog beer(Newcastle). When we got to the car, Goofy and Pluto had gotten 12 packs of cheap beer, but Mickey got a whole case. Of cheap beer.
Hey NAB, Uma(the mercy bump worked), Marita and Twinkie thanks for reading.
Thought before I go further, I'd post our itenerary. So here goes
Saturday, arrival day, MGM and Hoop de doo Revue.
Sunday, late EMH day at MK with dinner at LTT and Wishes.
Monday, late EMH day at MGM with dinner at 50's PTC and Fantasmic.
Tuesday, early EMH with dinner at Biergarten.
Wednesday, Breakfast with Donald and late EMH at AK.
Thursday, sleep in, and go to MK for the grand reopening of HM with Spectromagic and dinner late at WCC.
Friday, mini golf and Epcot with a late lunch at Rose and Crown before heading home.:sad1:
Our plans for the days were pretty loose. I had an entry plan for each park, and unlike Bush,, an exit strategy. But the bulk of the day was pretty much unstructured. But we planned on air conditioning in the worst of the afternoon heat. And heat we had. And rain. But also plenty of pixiedust:

[UtahMama]

Last edited by DonaldTDuck : Today at 01:17 PM. Reason: next chapter soon

Weeeeeeell get on it, there's nothing worse than waiting and waiting for the next chapter...:rolleyes1

You know how hormonal your fans can be. ;)

[winkers]

Sound's like fun! What is a woop???

[DonaldTDuck]

Last edited by DonaldTDuck : Today at 01:17 PM. Reason: next chapter soon

Weeeeeeell get on it, there's nothing worse than waiting and waiting for the next chapter...:rolleyes1

You know how hormonal your fans can be. ;)
I should have said soonish.

[puggymom]

Your title got me sucked into this trippie.

Loving it so far,

So where is that updatepopcorn::

[DonaldTDuck]

dburg30 welcome to our party(always wanted to live there)
Sound's like fun! What is a woop???
Can you use it in a sentence? Did I use it in a sentence? Glad to have ya.

Your title got me sucked into this trippie.

Loving it so far,

So where is that updatepopcorn::
:wave: puggymom, look immediately below. er, next page

[DonaldTDuck]

We're at All Star Music, my first time there, and everybody else's first trip eveh to WDW. We check in and are given rooms on the third floor of building 3, Rock Inn, as far from the elevators as possible. We are in corner rooms next to each other but non-connecting. Had they heard about us and were trying to hide us? Not one person walked by our rooms the whole week. But we were overlooking the piano pool and were right by the stereo stairs. We decided to unload the car before heading to MGM, and with all that food, it took 3 trips! On the second trip, I got on an elevator with two Mousekeepers, and we did the Happy Dance:dance3: on the way down. All week, every time they saw me, we danced, even from across the courtyard. The Magic had started.
At MGM, where would the Big Guys start but at the Tower of Terror? No chickens in this bunch, or so I thought at this point. There was no line, so we rode twice. As we left, it started raining. Or rather, pouring. And we were starving,so we ran to use our first counter credits at Backlot Express on the other side of the park. Now we were on Free Dining!, but these guys hadn't bought in to the whole idea. We all got the double burger with fries. The cashier smiles and says thank you. Goofy stares at her with a wt heck look on his face. It's just hard to grasp. The fries were great, the burgers edible at best. But this just had to hold us til 9:30 when we would pig out at Hoop-de-doo.
While we ate, the sound of the rain never stopped. There was never more than 3 tables in use in there, so we could be loud. Goofy wanted to know what was next. I figured with the rain, all the inside attractions would be busy. We left and saw that everyone was staying put. So we headed to the nearest ride, Star Tours. It was a ghost town. I hate that line because you have to stand on a catwalk that gets progressively higher:scared1: . Did I mention I hate heights. To the point that the steps to our room were a constant source of terror. (Yet ToT is not) Well, today there was no standing, just straight up to the queue at the doors to the Starspeeder. They have cleaned up this ride quite a bit. The sound was better and the bumps and film were in synch, last time I rode it wasn't. Four :thumbsup2 Through the gift shop(put that Ewok down, Pluto) and back out into ----more rain. It's a quick dash to Muppets 3-D, so that's where we head. We walk in just as they let a new group into the preshow. I'm disappointed cause I've never found the key under the mat. But we go in and spot Annette Fullojello and a thousand other wonderful bad jokes. As always the show was awesome. But this is the one attraction that I wish had a decent shop at the exit. The shop just outside has become a generic Disney shop with maybe 5 things Muppet. Other than Donald stuff, Muppet gear would be the best way to separate me from my cold hard cash. Sigh.
At least when we left, there was no rain! So we decided to do Backlot Tour. But we got a 'wet show' with no volunteers from the audience. But they did the special effects about 5 times because the female cm messed up a couple of times.This was also the first real crowd of the day, we were on the third tram from our tour. Of course, I got the water seat and got drenched one more time. The guys really liked the villians displays at the end of the ride. We were in no hurry, so we spend most of an hour there.
At this point it was after 7 and we started toward the front of the park.
I wore my crocs that day and they rubbed my foot badly. Pluto was wearing sandals and had a similar problem, so Mickey went into his signature store and found us some Mickey bootie socks- at 7 bucks for 2 pair. We both ended up with minor blisters, but would have been much worse without them. The crocs were retired that night.
Now as gobs(good ole boys) from Kentucky our instincts told us to drive for the Hoop, but we took the bus instead.(testestorone humor) We'd given ourselves plenty of time, so of course the bus was waiting for us at the stop. I'd read on the Dis that if you took the bus to Fort Wilderness from any park except MGM they would drop you off at the main office and you would have to use internal busses to get to Pioneer Hall, but from MGM they stopped there. I'd checked at concierge at ASMu, but they had no clue:confused: . This would be a pattern that repeated itself. So I asked the driver when we boarded and he said they would stop at Wilderness Lodge first, then Pioneer Hall next. We arrived at 8:15 for the 9:30 show. I always like to go to the Settlement Trading Post since the trip I talked to a cm there who sold me a Daisy Duck Pez dispenser she had tucked away in a drawer. Mickey bought a tshirt that said I'm Grumpy cause you're Dopey. I got a Diet Coke cause I knew what I would drink at HDDR.
I had ordered our tickets about 3 months earlier and was told, since we were on DDP, we would get category 2 seats-in the back or upstairs in the back. I would have preferred to pay oop for cat one, but these guys were sold on going as chea errr thriftily as possible. We line up and are led to our seats pixiedust: We were seated in the second row of tables the second from the middle. And this show was sold out.
It wasn't all goog news. The table immediately in front of us had a woman alone with her 3-4 year old. This is a 9:30 show, and soon there was a meltdown in progress. The banjo player tried to cheer him up-NOO!!! The server tried-NOO!!!. The cook came out, tears dried up. (We have our ways). The show started and not a peep was heard, just some fine washboard bangin.
Now our server was the most unusual I've ever had at WDW and this is my twelfth trip. He was a maniac. His name is Dallas and if you ever have a choice, choose him. He comes by and sings everything, his spiel, the show, jokes, all of it. HAlarious. He asked for our drink order. Mickey, Pluto, and Donald all get beer. That big Goof, er Goofy asked for wine(has to be different) and root beer. Dallas asks Goofy for id, not for the wine, for the root beer.
When the food came out, Dallas hit our table first, and last. By the time he made his rounds, he know the big guys would be ready for more. He made sure we were stuffed to the gills. Kept the glasses full and a pitcher on the table. We all loved the show, but Pluto said when he came back, he wouldn't get to see it again. He's always out there, so we didn't ask.
When the show is over, they group everyone on busses and in the past, we've stopped at 2 other resorts before getting to All Stars, but they had a bus for all the All Star resorts only, cut the trip home in half. We went to our rooms with our bellies full and a very pleasant little buzz. It's nice to not drive to the Hoop.

[FauntleroyFAN07]

nice update, how would you rate the food at the revue, never eaten there and wondering if it is worth the 2 credits for the show and food?

Being a mans view also, I know you can give a good report on it.

[NAB]

Cute about the dancing mousekeepers.

I was always late for meets because buses were not co-operating for me. Glad you didn't have that problem. I had no car for back up either. Should have took a cab to tea that day.

Can't wait to actually see you guys!!! Tell Mickey to get a move on!!

[puggymom]

I keep going back and forth on going to HDDR on an upcoming trip, I haven't done it since the late 90's. I love when you get a server who knows how to be part of the show.:thumbsup2

So you found dancing mousekeepers, too funny:dance3:

Great update, can't wait to read more.

[Backstage_Gal]

Sounds like you had a good time at the Hoop, funny about the singing waiter and dancing with the mousekeepers!

I agree with Nab, we need pics!

[Minnie_Moo]

Wow! Bus pixiedust: and HDDR seating pixiedust:

Consolation for your carpy room location.

I loved the strawberry shortcake we had for dessert there last year. I went with a friend from work and her cast member friend. We parked way out in the CM parking boonies. While trying to find that parking lot, we stumbled onto the old (fenced) River Country water park area. :eek: It was kind of spooky back there at night since we also went to the 9:30 show.

[DonaldTDuck]

nice update, how would you rate the food at the revue, never eaten there and wondering if it is worth the 2 credits for the show and food?

Being a mans view also, I know you can give a good report on it.
The show is fantastic and the food is better. And all the beer, wine or soda you can drink. To break it down, they start you with salad(blecch)(not theirs, all salad) and cornbread. Last year I ate nearly a whole pan by myself. Then they come around with buckets(literally) of beans, corn, bbq ribs and fried chicken. The ribs are very goog and the chicken is the best served on property. As for the beans, we ate 3 bowls. And with all that free beer. Ohoh. hehehehehehe.
Dessert is strawsberry shortcake, which I don't do, but the guys scarfed it down. The beer is Bud Light, not my fave but drinkable. At least 2 kinds of wine. Definitely worth 2 credits. As I said, it's worth the money to get cat one and be assured the best seats.

I keep going back and forth on going to HDDR on an upcoming trip, I haven't done it since the late 90's. I love when you get a server who knows how to be part of the show.:thumbsup2

So you found dancing mousekeepers, too funny:dance3:
Great update, can't wait to read more.
The last two years, we had servers that were both into the show and excellent servers. I cooked for Crackerbarrel for 22 years, so I know goog servers from bad. Never had to ask for anything. In fact, last year the server heard me say I'd rather have cornbread for dessert than Strawberry shortcake, so when they picked up the pans, she pointedly left ours.

Nab, the busses were kind to us all week and one of our most pixiedust: momemts was on a ride home one night.
Marita- haven't you ever danced wth a guest? If not, I'll volunteer to be the first.
Moo- the worst part of our room location is yet to come. I'd love to get a peek at River Country since I never got to go. I have a coworker that mourns the loss greatly.

[babynurse1]

I dont think I heard a word you said after :Dessert is strawsberry shortcake, which I don't do:eek:


Now that is a food I can really get behind.


Great update DTD.:thumbsup2

[Backstage_Gal]

Marita- haven't you ever danced wth a guest? If not, I'll volunteer to be the first.


DTD, I have never seen the show in my 35 years. But if you volunteer, I will dance with you! But only at the 5:30 show!

[TammyBell]

Great trip report. Can't wait for more. And I will second the fact that HDDR is worth 2 TS. We have enjoyed it every time.

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Free beer sign me up, I will have to wear my party pants. You know the ones that has the extra lined compartments in them to smuggle free beer out of venues.

:banana:

[DL55]

Enjoying your trip report. I'm enjoying the all male, no responsibilities view popcorn::

[LLWDW]

Include me among those enjoying this testosterone loaded TR! :rotfl:

[Minnie_Moo]

Free beer sign me up, I will have to wear my party pants. You know the ones that has the extra lined compartments in them to smuggle free beer out of venues.

:banana:
:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

I don't think I'll ever be able to get my hubby to go back to HDDR after he was chosen to be one of the people up on stage.

The angel in the pink tutu. I'm pretty sure he has destroyed all photographic evidence.

The beer wouldn't even help. He only had one adult beverage the whole 10 days of our vacation last month.

I have fond memories of our visit to River Country when our daughter was little.

[DonaldTDuck]

I dont think I heard a word you said after :Dessert is strawsberry shortcake, which I don't do:eek:


Now that is a food I can really get behind.


Great update DTD.:thumbsup2
It's the strawberry part. Can't stand the smell, much less the taste. Just wierd that way.

DTD, I have never seen the show in my 35 years. But if you volunteer, I will dance with you! But only at the 5:30 show!
:dance3: during the daylight, kool


Great trip report. Can't wait for more. And I will second the fact that HDDR is worth 2 TS. We have enjoyed it every time.
I spend so much time recommending HDDR on the restaurant board I feel like the Hoop de doo :cheer2: It's the best.

Free beer sign me up, I will have to wear my party pants. You know the ones that has the extra lined compartments in them to smuggle free beer out of venues.

:banana:
It's on tap, so make sure you got plastic pockets.

Enjoying your trip report. I'm enjoying the all male, no responsibilities view popcorn::
Hey, I was responsible for 3 full grown children all week:scared1: . Thanx for joining in.

Include me among those enjoying this testosterone loaded TR! :rotfl:
We'll kick it up a notch testostoronewise as we get a little rest.

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

I don't think I'll ever be able to get my hubby to go back to HDDR after he was chosen to be one of the people up on stage.

The angel in the pink tutu. I'm pretty sure he has destroyed all photographic evidence.

The beer wouldn't even help. He only had one adult beverage the whole 10 days of our vacation last month.

I have fond memories of our visit to River Country when our daughter was little.
Last year I was the 'Star of the Show' complete with halo and tutu. I learned from one of my college professors what to do in that sitiachun. We were both at a Drifters/Coasters concert and were 'selected' to sing backup on the song Girls. Before we could sit, we had to perform a solo dance. The other 2 guys and I did ok, but Dr. Watson of WKU's music department and leader of the Jazz Ensemble, got up and rooted tooted all over the venue. He jumped and shook and yeehawed all over and got a standing O. So when I went on that stage, I toe danced, I pirouetted, and I blew kisses everywhere. At some point I'll post the picture I got from the staff. Course, I like being the center of attention.

Mickey has promised to send pictures tomorrow, so by Sunday, I should have an update of our Sunday at the Magic Kingdom. But for now, enjoy the video.
Some else's but I love it.

http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c84/lblambert/?action=view&current=MKintheSky.flv

[Backstage_Gal]

DTD, that was a very cute video, thanks! I forwarded the link to some people at work.

I am looking forward to seeing your pictures.

[DonaldTDuck]

Your wish is my command. Mickey came through.
Thiese are the members of our merry little band.
Pluto with Pluto
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/Pluto.jpg
Goofy with Goofy
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/Goofy.jpg
Mickey with a server(where's the real Mickey?)
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/Mickey.jpg

and your host with his namesake
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/Donald.jpg
There will be more in future updates.

[babynurse1]

Nice to put names with faces. You guys look like you know how to cause some mischief!:thumbsup2

[NAB]

Cool that you put each of you with the character names. Well except for Mickey....she is not Mickey like you said.

That's for sharing the pictures. Nice to see who we are talking too.

[Minnie_Moo]

Hey, goog to finally see ya, DTD!

I have a feeling that they like to find a big guy in the audience to play that part. In fact, at first they were going to seat us up in the balcony when we went, but after a whispered consultation, they put us at a pretty nice location on the main floor. All the easier to snag my hubby for their show.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/minniemoo_2006/angel-smiley-5090.gif

[TwinkieMama]

Another hormonal fan checking in! ;) :laughing:

Great updates! I love the pictures with character reminders so we can keep the story straight. I read your revue of the Hoop De Doo to the DH and we are planning to add that to our To Do List for the next trip! Great description.:thumbsup2

[DonaldTDuck]

Great trip report. Can't wait for more. And I will second the fact that HDDR is worth 2 TS. We have enjoyed it every time.
I've done HDDR every trip since discovering it in '92, so I've seen it 7 times. It never gets old.

Nice to put names with faces. You guys look like you know how to cause some mischief!:thumbsup2
Mostly we've gotten to this stage of life by knowing how to avoid mischief, even if we started it.:rolleyes1

Cool that you put each of you with the character names. Well except for Mickey....she is not Mickey like you said.

That's for sharing the pictures. Nice to see who we are talking too.
In the picture of Mickey with Mickey, by the time the image clicked, (their)Mickey was behind Pluto. The characters at Donald's were in a big hurry and we never got another chance.

Hey, goog to finally see ya, DTD!

I have a feeling that they like to find a big guy in the audience to play that part. In fact, at first they were going to seat us up in the balcony when we went, but after a whispered consultation, they put us at a pretty nice location on the main floor. All the easier to snag my hubby for their show.

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/minniemoo_2006/angel-smiley-5090.gif
Last year there was a very small audience(couldn't bring myself to call it a crowd) at the Hoop, and when I saw that, I told Ruby I'd end up on stage. And sure enough.

Another hormonal fan checking in! ;) :laughing:

Great updates! I love the pictures with character reminders so we can keep the story straight. I read your revue of the Hoop De Doo to the DH and we are planning to add that to our To Do List for the next trip! Great description.:thumbsup2
I'm glad you can keep the story straight. I'm totally:confused3 . Enjoy the Hoop; all the kids will have as much fun as you and your Donald.
Next update should be up within the hour.

[DonaldTDuck]

Since we didn't get in till after midnight, we decided we'd sleep in a bit as it was a late EMH night at MK and we'd be there till midnight. I tend to be an early riser, so at about 7:30 I get up and go outside with a Diet Coke. I run into Pluto. He says Mickey's about halfway up and that they want to go swimming. Great! Until last year, I'd never gotten in a pool in Florida. Always took trunks, just never swam .Pluto and I went back in our rooms and changed and hit the piano pool. It is the quiet pool. There were about 6 people there, mostly in lounge chairs. Mickey joined us and said Goofy was sorta up. Pluto and I met Goofy on the way back to the room, and a few minutes later he and Mickey showed up at the rooms. We cleaned up, snacked, and headed to the bus. At the guitar pool, there's a hundred people and cm's are giving line dance lessons. Not what I want at a pool. We were in the park by 10.
Getting ready for MNSSHP
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/trainstation.jpg
My first thought was the Bakery, but there was a line out the door and up the sidewalk. :eek: So we walked up Main Street and took pictures by the statue of Walt and Mickey. It's a right of passage.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/riteofpassage.jpg
I didn't really expect 3 guys around 50 to be that agog at the castle, but they were.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/castle.jpg
Pluto wanted to go in, but we dicided to head for Space Mountain instead. Last year, the (ex)dgf would only ride this once, complaining it was too rough. Well, we rode it twice in about 20 minutes, once on each side. Got fast passes for later as the line was suddenly quite long. We looked at the Speedway and they decided that looked too much like Beech Bend, the Bowling Green amusement park, so we skipped it..
Bonus question that no one will get; What advertising icon had his first job promoting Beech bend.(hint at the end)
We went over to Carousel of Progress, and omgolly there was line long enought o fill 2 theaters. Yea for CoP, but we decided to wait till Thursday, when we'd be back. Now about this time Goofy starts asking where the Hall of Presidents is. Not Tomorrowland, Goof. He wanted to see Mr. Lincoln's speech that his mom had told him about. She'd been to Disneyland,not WDW. I told him it was a little different here, and that that was something we'd do in the afternoon to get in the air conditioning and take a little nap. Goofy was not amused by that.
Next was one of the sad sights I knew I'd have to contend with on this trip: Astro Orbiter was down for Rehab. Now this ride should scarfe the Be Jeebers outa me, what with the elevator and then swinging me out over concrete and up pretty high. But it reminds me of the Rockets at Fontaine Ferry Park in Louisville when I was a kid, and that was the best ride ever. Well, just means I have to come back(again).
Let's ride Stitch. I won't say who said this, but it didn't make my day. There was a line, and I said let's wait, the line will be gone later. And danged if it wasn't, I had to ride. Or sit. And smell. Blecchhh! But first, we went to Infinity! and Beyond!!Twice. Would have been three times, but( a sign of things to come) we were in line and it stopped. There were cm's running everywhere signalling and looking grim. Finally, well, 5 minutes later, they passed out fast passes to everyone in line and said come back in a few hours. BTW, we will NOT talk about scores.
Each time we came out of Buzz, we could see that line for CoP and it was not getting any shorter. The line for Stitch was gone, so, well, we covered that. Then we crossed over to Monsters Inc and there was a 30 minute wait. I'd never been to the Laugh Floor and thought it sounded weak, so we decided to wait. My bad.
Look! There's Cosmic Ray's, the best counter service deal on the dining plan. So, in spite of the chicken and ribs from the night before, Pluto and I got the combo plate and Mickey got the Turkey Bacon Wrap and Goofy got the grilled chicken sandwich. We all got the triple chocolate cake and we ate and ate and ate, this is a lot of food, folks. And all goog. The carrots were wonderful and the mashed taters goog.. The ribs were a little dry, but we declared the chicken excellent. Mickey and Goofy said theirs were great too. But the highlight was we got to sit where we could see Sonny Eclipse. It's usually so crowded I sit on the other side, but this time we got lucky. Oko, I thought we were lucky. Pluto, not so much. Said he was glad there was no cover charge. There is no accounting for taste.
We headed to ToonTown where another sad site awaited, Donald's Boat(The Miss Daisy) was in rehab with the big fence. On the way, we went through the edge of Fantasyland. No one wanted to ride Mad Hatter's Tea Cups with me, so I dragged them on Pooh. Chickens. So on to Goofy's Barnstormer, where we can see the carving of Miss Daisy on the front of the boat.. They hide the line for this pretty well, and we ended up waiting for about 15 minutes. Then the ride took about 20 seconds.
From there, we hopped aboard the train to Frontierland. Just being lazy. We get off and grab a fast pass for Splash and get in line for BTMRR. The line looked short, because no one was in the outside line, but every chain was up and it was a 35 minute wait. And it was getting hot. You know how little boys whine. Big boys, when the ladies aren't around to keep 'em in line, are worse. And they learn of non-fast pass holder irratation. Tons of folks go by. However, all pronounced it worth the wait. Then on to Splash, which Mickey had misgivings about. He's not a fan of wet. So of course, he's the one that got it. But the theming is so goog that he agreed to ride again. Ohoh. This time, we get on, go around to past Petunia Pig's house and on to the small drop that's a little hidden. And stop. We sit there at least 10 minutes and watch the exit lights come on and go off and change colors. We can hear cm's nearby. They make an announcement every 2 minutes to remain in your seat and the ride will begin momentarily. Finally, the moment comes. Then we stop again just before the BIG drop, but this only lasts about 2 minutes with no announcements.WWHHHEEEE!!!! This is the best ride in Magic Kingdom. And in spite of the delay, we agreed to come back.
After stopping for soft drinks we made our way to Country Bear Jamboree, a must for the karioke crowd(Mickey and Goofy). And I can't miss Blood on the Saddle, as sung by Tex Ritter the way it should be sung. I check the time and think, maybe we can walk out of this right into the parade. We're all tall, so we can see over folks. Didn't quite work out, we missed the first five minutes and they all want to know if we'll get the chance to see the whole thing. So much for testosterone.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/zpoohsposse.jpg
We follow the parade right up to The Hall of Presidents. Goofy had asked 3-4 times earlier, but apparently had forgotten all about it, but when we wandered in(Ididn't say what the building was, acted like I wanted some water) Goofy came to life. He was in the army and is a very proud veteran. He ate the whole thing up. The displays, the shows, and especially the Presidents. They were all impressed with the movements and atmosphere of the show. And no one napped. In fact, we left energized and ready to shop. HUH?
Pluto had mentioned that he wanted to get something for his wife for their Christmas tree. So we went to the Christmas shop and spent about 15 minutes, an eternity for guys to shop. Pluto found a Mickey ornament to his liking and we got out. We still had better than an hour to dinner, so we headed back to Tomorrowland.
A detour for Goofy to (not) prove his worthiness
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/StonedGoofy.jpg
But there was no line for Snow White's Scary Adventures, so we hopped on. No one complained, but they were ready for Buzz. But I had one more detour for them. The TTA. I know a lot of folks still want to call it the WEDWAY People Mover, but I like Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Reminds me of the group Chicalo and their original name. And it feels more future retro. The trip through Space Mountain is cool and of course, Mr. Morrow sailed over their heads. Had to repeat it after I stopped laughing.
We used our bonus fastpass to Buzz, and amazingly, we shortcutted to exactly where we'd been in line when it was shut down, at the last bend before the ride. We were the only ones in the fastpass line. I finally scored 40000 and felt proud until all the others reported over 100000 with Mickey over 300000. I WILL get my revenge. It's not time to eat yet, but we head that way.
Walking through Fantasyland again, I keep us tight to the right as we approach Liberty Square. No one is paying much attention as I veer all the way over and pop in line at IASW. By the time they realize they're in a ride line, we're at the boats. Mickey(the water chicken) wants to know if he'll get wet. No, it's not your physical side that's about to be assaulted. Goofy got a big grin on his face, he knew where we were. When we got around the bend to the first room, I think I nearly got wet. Real wet. They said they wanted to experience all of Disney, so they had to ride. But in the end, they all said it was a pretty goog ride to do ONCE. And their reward? It's now time to eat.

[LAS]

It doesn't matter who you are because everyone has to ride IASW once. It is part of Disney like COP.

[puggymom]

I am loving this report, what a bunch of big kids you are!

OK, I totally agree about Stitch, an obnoxious character with an equally obnoxious ride.

I love TTA, rode it 2x duing MNSSHP a couple of weeks ago.


Can't wait to hear aobut dinner!

[NAB]

I had to figure out what IASW was... It's a small world do I win....:lmao:

You didn't mention that one of the men were married. Why did I think you were all single men.:confused3

Great report so far. Love the pictures too!!

[APB513]

DTD -

I just found your trip report and I am loving it!!! It's good to know that REAL men can love Disney too.

[Backstage_Gal]

DTD, how the heck did I miss your update yesterday? It was deal online all day, and I missed it?:confused3 Anyway, great to see your pic finally. It fits you, LOL.

And great report, thanks for sharing ;)

[lexmelinda]

DTD! I'm all caught up! And I love your report!

You're so cute leading your friends along with all your DIS knowledge. It's like me leading my family around with the plan in my brain but not letting on to anyone that there's actually a plan. ;)

Jim Varney was a friend of my SIL's from high school. He attended my BIL's funeral and came over to MIL's house after. He was so kind to us all and told the kids some jokes. What a sweetheart he was and so much more talented than anyone gave him credit for.

Love the pictures! Good job, Mickey!

Ready for more.... popcorn::

[DonaldTDuck]

Melinda,we'll call that close enough. Ernest P. Worrell is technically right because I asked which icon. The reason is Jim Varney did an ad before Ernest, he played the 'old' Sarge in Purity ads even earlier, like when he was 20. I know most of this because of my sister's huge crush on Ernest. Until it wore out, she kept a talking Ernest doll in her bathroom and still has an aotugraphed picture by her bed(her husband iis thrilled). Extra bonus. Do you remember which attraction referred to Ernest at WDW?

[lexmelinda]

Extra bonus. Do you remember which attraction referred to Ernest at WDW?((scratching my head)) I have no idea!

[DL55]

Enjoyable TR. I can just imagine what the guys thought of IASW. :laughing: It takes me about 4 yrs before I can face the music and ride it again.

[melk]

Extra bonus. Do you remember which attraction referred to Ernest at WDW?


Oh, can I guess? Is it Cranium Command?

BTW, am loving this trip report, can't wait to read more :goodvibes .

[DonaldTDuck]

Oh, can I guess? Is it Cranium Command?

BTW, am loving this trip report, can't wait to read more :goodvibes .

BING! BING! BING! BING! WE HAVE A WINNER.
After shoiwing a picture of Albert Einstein as an example of their great successes, they showed Ernest as a miserable failure. I miss that show.
I'm on a 60 hour week at work, so it's gonna be a little slow till the weekend. But thanx for readin.

[Minnie_Moo]

Great episode, DTD!

Loved the skywriting above the RR station in your first pic.

I just realized that my hubby and I never rode the train at MK this trip! :confused3 I did manage to talk him out of Stitch :woohoo:

[UtahMama]

A present for you:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j7/RWJDRNS/PICT0137.jpg

from a girl!!!!! HA! princess:

Seriously, I'm loving getting to know you through this TR! I DIG the Muppets pre show too and dislike the non-Muppets dump-shop! It's "worser" at Disneyland. There's only this lame cart with 3 Muppety things mixed in with the same stuff sold all over the park. The waiting area is full of funny props if one is willing to stop and smell the (prank) roses! I've never seen the key either. :guilty:

I like that you like useless trivia too! I'm chock-full of useless information. :sad2: to impress my peers at snazzy dinner parties...that I don't really ever go to ;)

Thanks for the Hoop dee doo Review-review. I've never done that either. Thanks for not elaborating about any after-effects a bucket of beans MAY have on grown men. pirate:

Sonny Eclipse creeps me out at Cosmic Rays. No likey!

[Jiminy'sGirl]

I just found this TR, and I am lovin' all this manliness!! I can practically hear you all gruting a la Tim the Toolman (uh-uh-uh!).

And then you tell me you're going shopping?
At the Christmas shop??:confused3

Just kidding - I think that is just about the most adorable thing. I think it also great that you all organized this trip, made ADRs and carried off the whole thing without any womanly intervention. I mean, I think you did... Maybe you cheated and someone's wife/mother/sister did all the work for you all... Is that it? :lmao: JK!

Can't wait to hear more from the Backwoods Brothers Take On The Mouse!:love:

[KYCruiseCrazy]

DTD, what a great TR so far. love the MK in the sky video.:thumbsup2 can't wait to hear more.

[Goofster57]

Hey Big Guy,
I'm a little late to the party party: but am all caught up and ready for more.

[jnykly]

Great TR!! :thumbsup2

I keep telling DH that there are men on the DIS!!!! :) I'll be sending him a link for proof!!

Thanks for the MK in the Sky...Loved it :cool1: !

popcorn::

[DonaldTDuck]

It doesn't matter who you are because everyone has to ride IASW once. It is part of Disney like COP.
I like IASW a lot, I :love: CoP. But both are rites of passage.


I am loving this report, what a bunch of big kids you are!

OK, I totally agree about Stitch, an obnoxious character with an equally obnoxious ride.

I love TTA, rode it 2x duing MNSSHP a couple of weeks ago.


Can't wait to hear aobut dinner!
Rally big kids. Dinner is coming up tonight.

I had to figure out what IASW was... It's a small world do I win....:lmao:

You didn't mention that one of the men were married. Why did I think you were all single men.:confused3

Great report so far. Love the pictures too!!
Yep Pluto is married. Could explain why he doesn't talk much.


DTD, how the heck did I miss your update yesterday? It was deal online all day, and I missed it?:confused3 Anyway, great to see your pic finally. It fits you, LOL.

And great report, thanks for sharing ;)
Thaanks for checkin in.
Enjoyable TR. I can just imagine what the guys thought of IASW. :laughing: It takes me about 4 yrs before I can face the music and ride it again.
Try it soonish. They improved the audio, so it replays in your head crystal clear.

Great episode, DTD!

Loved the skywriting above the RR station in your first pic.

I just realized that my hubby and I never rode the train at MK this trip! :confused3 I did manage to talk him out of Stitch :woohoo:
The skywriting said; You + Jesus = :). really cool.

[DonaldTDuck]

A present for you:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j7/RWJDRNS/PICT0137.jpg

from a girl!!!!! HA! princess:

Seriously, I'm loving getting to know you through this TR! I DIG the Muppets pre show too and dislike the non-Muppets dump-shop! It's "worser" at Disneyland. There's only this lame cart with 3 Muppety things mixed in with the same stuff sold all over the park. The waiting area is full of funny props if one is willing to stop and smell the (prank) roses! I've never seen the key either. :guilty:

I like that you like useless trivia too! I'm chock-full of useless information. :sad2: to impress my peers at snazzy dinner parties...that I don't really ever go to ;)

Thanks for the Hoop dee doo Review-review. I've never done that either. Thanks for not elaborating about any after-effects a bucket of beans MAY have on grown men. pirate:

Sonny Eclipse creeps me out at Cosmic Rays. No likey!
WOW. I have made the big time. Utah Mama is reading.:banana: :banana: But I really like Sonny, and he played some great tunes.

I just found this TR, and I am lovin' all this manliness!! I can practically hear you all gruting a la Tim the Toolman (uh-uh-uh!).

And then you tell me you're going shopping?
At the Christmas shop??:confused3

Just kidding - I think that is just about the most adorable thing. I think it also great that you all organized this trip, made ADRs and carried off the whole thing without any womanly intervention. I mean, I think you did... Maybe you cheated and someone's wife/mother/sister did all the work for you all... Is that it? :lmao: JK!

Can't wait to hear more from the Backwoods Brothers Take On The Mouse!:love:
You been to Goofy's farm? Now that's backwoods Kentucky. Most of our grunting, though was after climbing the stairs at the end of the night.

DTD, what a great TR so far. love the MK in the sky video.:thumbsup2 can't wait to hear more.
Always nice to hear from old/new friends. MK in the Sky picks me up when I need some pixiedust:

Hey Big Guy,
I'm a little late to the party party: but am all caught up and ready for more.
Thanks, I'll be getting on it this evening.

Great TR!! :thumbsup2

I keep telling DH that there are men on the DIS!!!! :) I'll be sending him a link for proof!!

Thanks for the MK in the Sky...Loved it :cool1: !

popcorn::
Yes, the odds here are goog (or bad, according to your viewpoint). Sign 'im up.

[DonaldTDuck]

DTD -

I just found your trip report and I am loving it!!! It's good to know that REAL men can love Disney too.
I quoted you in the second post with the toolman quote from Jiminy'sGirl, but the Dis ate with along with my replies. This real man appreciates your reading along.

[Jiminy'sGirl]

I've spent lots of time on plenty of farms here in backwoods South Carolina...Does that count??? ;)

[DonaldTDuck]

It's about a 30 second walk from IASW to Liberty Tree Tavern, and we were HUNGRY. We're about 5 minutes early, and I walk up to check in. Last name? Duck. I don't seem to have you here. I look at the screen upside down and from 3 feet away and say third one down. Ohhh. I was a little worried. She said it would be 15 minutes. About 2 minutes later we hear Duck family from Kentucky and are led to the table at the crossroads of the dining rooms. At first I thought the traffic would be awful, then I realized the characters were the ones that would be crossing about the time that Miss Minnie walked by for the third time. No time to stop, but she'd blink slowly and and give the little side of the head finger wave--- at our Mickey. Could she tell? Then Chip came by. He strutted when I called him by name.
Our server, Josh, showed up; he was waiting nearby for his chance. He asked our drink order and Goofy said root beer. Then around the table, root beer root beer root beer. Hey, it's a tavern, ya gotta have some kind of beer. :drinking1 Josh was back with mugs and salad and a stack of plates. Then back with rolls.
Within minutes we had our first round of meats, mac 'n cheese, dressing, mashed taters and string beans. I love green beans, but when served whole and still bright green, I can do without. But I always try them and hope. These were great. Everything was great. The roast beef was the best I ever tasted. I think I ate a whole bowl of dressing. We asked for more of everything except ham. It was good, but none of us were fans.
I pigged out on the meal knowing I wouldn't eat dessert. It was either cherry cobbler or apple pie, I'm not sure, but I don't eat either. But I knew it came with ice cream, so I told Josh if I could get a scoop, that'd be great. He brought me out a bowl with 3 of the biggest scoops of the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had. I couldn't finish, but got most of it.
Throughout the meal, the characters kept coming by, sometimes stopping, sometimes just waving. That table is like Grand Central Station. Miss Minnie was by at least 10 times, and just waved another 10. (Disney)Goofy planted himself at our table several times and (Disney)Pluto was practically our Pluto's lap dog.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/Pluto.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/MickeyandPluto.jpg
Dale only made it by once, but we saw a lot of Chip. Chip and Dale seemed to be feuding, and Dale would walk by when Chip was with us with his nose in the air and Chip would look down. Later they tag teamed a little one though, so all is well in Chipmunk land.
Our ADR was for 5:40 and we were just a little early and we were out at 6:20 and never felt rushed. Josh refilled our root beers at least 5 times and was pleasant and enthusiastic the whole time. Looking back on the trip, this was both the best food and best character interaction we had and the service was excellent, although we had a lot of that. Some think free dining and the DDP in general makes servers lax, but we never experienced that. If anything, it seemed they knew they were getting tipped and wanted to be worthy. They were.

[Backstage_Gal]

HI, DTD, thanks for that great update. Happy you had such a good experience :thumbsup2

[KYCruiseCrazy]

great update DTD. don't forget to keep checkin' out mine.:lmao:

[Goofster57]

Hey Big Guy,

Nice update,

Our last visit to LTT the food was great, but the service was lacking.

The Characters made it around at least three time each.

Keep up the good work. :thumbsup2

[lexmelinda]

Sounds like LTT was great!

I've never eaten there but I do like those whole, green, green beans! Do you like the short gray-green ones that have been cooked for 4 hours with fatback? OK....fine....I like those too!

NO cherry cobbler?:scared1:

I can justify lots of cherry cobbler because it has fruit in it!

Our service was pretty good too except for one night at Ohana....that guy was just swamped!

I predict in the next episode you will be looking for a bathroom....after 5 root beers! :rolleyes1

[FauntleroyFAN07]

thanks for the update, I thought the food at Liberty tree was the best of anywhere we ate on the whole trip.

[NAB]

We loved Liberty Tree too. It is always a must when we go. Characters come around more then once, what more could you ask for.

My son too had root beer and thought it was cool to have a mug like he was drinking real beer. I think he stopped at 2 1/2 , he is 10 after all.

You don't like apple crisp. I think that is what they have...yummy. DD only had ice cream too.

[DL55]

The LTT sounds great and you hit the jackpot for characters (could it be because YOU are characters?) ;) We haven't eaten there yet (we haven't eaten at lots of places :laughing: ) but I think I will try on our next trip.

[Minnie_Moo]

Another great episode, DTD!

I also enjoyed LTT when I went to MK for a one day visit a few years ago. We were able to get a walk-in seating back then. I remember Pluto having a much longer tongue when we went and everyone wanting to pull on it when he visited their tables. I think that may be why it is shorter these days :rolleyes: :rotfl2:

[DonaldTDuck]

I've spent lots of time on plenty of farms here in backwoods South Carolina...Does that count??? ;)
I hear scary things about back woods SC, so sure it counts.

The LTT sounds great and you hit the jackpot for characters (could it be because YOU are characters?) ;) We haven't eaten there yet (we haven't eaten at lots of places :laughing: ) but I think I will try on our next trip.
I'd shied away because a few folks on the Dis really said bad things about it. But then I found some known foodies that said it was great. They were right. Now my search for new places has forced me to the resorts to eat. That's a goog thing.
Backstage Gal, KYCruiseCrazy Goofster. Lexi, NAB, FauntleroyFAN and Moo, thanks for staying with me on this thang. Tomorrow will be my eighth in a row at work(70 hours), so I should get something up in a few.

[UtahMama]

yay! Love Liberty Tree Tavern! The food really is "goog", I agree! I had loaded up on salad and never made it to dessert, but it looked pretty tasty. I did like how ON the characters were. They do come around a LOT. I asked one of em for a diet coke the next time he made his rounds. :lmao:

Heck, I love all of Liberty Land, especially the funnel cakes and the Hall of Presidents. Pres. "Crypt-Keeper" is spooky! Can you guess which ex-President I'm referring, Mr. Trivia? Of course it's only my opinion, but I want to see if anyone else is creeped out by one certain President. (No, it's not our current one :cool2: )

[DonaldTDuck]

We've knocked out big chunks of the park, but there's one Land we haven't even been to yet, Adventureland. I held off going there on purpose. I'd heard Jungle Cruise after dark was great. It's still light, but we head that way. We'll Cruise later. The best place to start in Adventureland has to be Pirates of the Caribbean. We get there, and there is no one around. We go in and walk all the way to the boats. We never slowed down. This is Sunday at 6:30 and we got to ride with no wait. I love the changes, but I'd ridden it last year, so they weren't new for me. I believe the Davy Jones effect is the best in the World. But what I love about the changes is what they didn't touch. They wove the new with the old seamlessly. We still chant We want the redhead. That leg is still hairy. And Captain Jack fits right in.
We walk up the path and there is almost no line for Aladdin's carpet, so we get in line. We are three groups back, about a ten minute wait. Okey, this ride is no big thrill, but once you've ridden it, you don't need to do Dumbo or Triceratop Spin. Then we headed around back to the Dole Whip place. Not that anyone had any room for one, but they were closing down. They'd have sold us water, but nothing else. No thanx.
We come through the potty area to right in front of that dang tree. I hear "What's that? Oh let's climb." Well, I've mentioned my slight fear of places higher than the second step of a ladder, right? I've tried the Swiss Family Robinson TreeHouse twice before. In the '88 during busy season, I got about a fourth of the way up and cm's had to walk me down. Told me not to try again. Ya'll thought Pinocchio's head was hard? I tried again last year. It was a lot less crowded, and the panic didn't set in till about two thirds of the way up. But I pushed onward and upward since no one was in front of me and I could just focus on the steps above. I got almost to the top and there was a huge crowd in and around the upper bedroom, so I hopped over a little gate about 6 feet from the top. This year, I hung back a while as the others climbed. Then when I started getting nervous, I shot up to the top. There were 5-6 people in that bedroom(I can't stop to read the sign, I'd die), so I get there, put one foot in the room and make the big right turn in one motion. Eleven seconds later, I'm on the ground. Mickey, Goofy and Pluto are still in that bedroom, so I whip out the cell phone and call Ruby, the (now but not then) ex-gf. We'd been to the World together last year. Then I called Al, the guy I went with in '88, but he refuses to believe me. Keeps saying yeah, that's great. Right.
Having accomplished my final goal in life, when the guys get down we head for my other worst nightmare, The Tiki Room, (still)Under New Management. It's not a rite of passage, it's just easier to do it than to explain to the group why not to do it. They figured that one out on their own.
When we come out, it is pitch black. Time to ride the Jungle Cruise. Everyone said it was the best in the dark. Everyone lied. Oh, maybe it your guide isn't made of wood with the sense of humor of Dick Cheney. This guy made the back side of water not funny. And I only know he said it because I was listening for it. He was a low talker. And thought everything was ironic. Such a poor experience. And on a ride I love. :sad:
A quick look at the cell phone reveals we covered all of Adventureland in just over an hour. Still 25 minutes to Wishes. Just then I realize it's an extra magic night and we don't have wristbands. I mention this, and Pluto says he saw a sign across from Pirates saying they had them there. When did he start seeing things? (When he did the same thing the next night at MGM, we decided Pluto was part bloodhound. ) Two minutes later, we're all banded and and looking for a spot to watch Wishes. Confession: I'd never found a spot and watched Wishes, although last year we watched Hallowishes and loved it.Now it's 7:45 for 8 o'clock Wishes, and it's Sunday, and I'm pretty sure
Adventureland was empty because everyone was finding a spot for Wishes, but somehow, without knocking down one person or standing in front of munchkins, we end up across the Liberty Square bridge about 75 feet, right in front of the castle. I'd heard about Tinkerbell flying from the castle, but had never witnessed it. We saw her from the start until she disappeared over the Tomorrowland Terrace. The music, the fireworks, the castle lights,
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/castleatnight.jpg
what an impressive and exciting show. I'll never miss it again.
Back across the bridge and turn right and we're where we've spent the least time, and home of my favorite attraction in all the World(if you can't guess, you're just not paying attention), Fantasyland. Now a half ton of men just don't ride the Carousel, that's just too much. And we've been on Pooh, IASW and Snow White. They're all too chicken for a Tea Party, but Peter is calling. This to me is the ultimate Walt Disney ride. Dark, beautiful, and exciting(ok, dusty). And the feeling of floating over London is fantastic. But this ain't the one.
Finally, after nearly 12 hours in the park, I get to do the one thing I love best, Donald's er er um Mickey''s Philharmagic. This is the best of the 3D shows, the best footage in Disney history, and stars the greatest well, you know. Twenty minutes of heaven. Disney uses smells so well, but nowhere better than here. You can have your oranges on Soarin' or your stink bugs in ITTBAB, but there is nothing like the smell of fresh bread. Each scene plays right to the story and Donald is well, Donald. The only thing that could improve this show would be a guest appearance by Daisy.
We leave Philharmagic and decided what we really want to do is go to Frontierland and ride the Mountains till midnight. BTWRR has to be the best ride in the dark. We get on and it feels like a runaway train going downhill with a full head of steam. Great. Then we hop over to Splash. No line to speak of. We ride and decide it's great in the dark too. We head back over to Big Thunder to find cm's shooing people; it was down for the night. Technical problem. So we just turn around and head back to Splash. Ohoh. Our theme for the day returned with a vengeance. We were on the ling 45 degree climb when we came to a stop. Lights came on and the annoouncement, remain seated, the ride will continue in a few minutes, began. Every two minutes for a half hour. Then it suddenly started up. We decided when we got off, we'd just head back. We'd gotten so much done and had enough fun, we just OHNO!! We were on final approach before the big u-turn to make the big plunge when we stopped again. This time, all the lights came on and the exit lights were backlit. The announcement was now remain seated until cm's come to assist you. This time was at least 40 minutes. Finally, a cast member came, but all she could do is tell us to wait until another cm could come to help. Turns out this was her first week and she'd never walked folks off. Finally a cm with some experience showed up and told us to carefully climb out of the boat. I guess he realized that at 145 pounds, he was a spectator. They took us through an exit where about 40 people were gathered. Than we stepped outside onto a free standing 600 foot high staircase.:scared1: Ok, it was just 60 feet high. Just. PANIC! I got to the middle with Goofy and Pluto on either side and we walked very quickly down. when we got down, the first cm apologized. The second said we can do a little better and gave us a fastpass goog for any ride any day in September in MK. I'd rather have had a beer, which I did an hour later when we got back to the room. Then another. Then, sleep. All in all, a bizarre but full day with 20 times more goog than bad. And I'd pretty much handled my fear of heights, so I was happy about that.
Next, show day at MGM

[DonaldTDuck]

I got some pictures from Goofy, but none af that evening. But a few of earlier, so I'll post them here.
The first look down Main Street is always great.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw1.jpg
From Country Bears
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw25.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw26.jpg

And Goofy with some of his friends.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw21.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw20.jpg

And he has some great pictures of MGM, so more next time.

[KYCruiseCrazy]

funny update. love it "600" ft tall stairs :lmao:

[TheDISneyFamily]

I'm still catching up, but I've gotta stop and say that I'm really enjoying this Man Report! :surfweb:

You've got an excellent TR, sir! :goodvibes Keep up the great work. :thumbsup2

Carry on! popcorn::
-Michelle

[melk]

Great update, I would have liked it if they gave out beers instead of fastpasses too!

I agree, BTMRR is awesome at night, totally different feel to it than during the day. Also, I too love Wishes, but you haven't seen a fireworks show until you've seen the one they put on at the Pirate/Princess party. It is awesome!!!

I'm enjoying your tr, you are funny!

[nyyankeegirl]

I'm joining in late, but I'm all caught up. I spent all morning reading the entire TR! It's just so awesome that 4 grown men would choose to spend their vacation at Disney. I'm looking to do a girls only trip this spring. It's nice to hear how people do it w/o kids.
Congrats on conquering your fear w/ the tree house. :thumbsup2
Can't wait to read more!!

[jnykly]

I agree, BTMRR is awesome at night, totally different feel to it than during the day.

It's even better when it's raining. It actually becomes a little on the scary side...but oh so FUN!!!! :thumbsup2

Looking forward to the next installment!!!

[monymony3471]

This is a fun read. You like so many of the same things my family enjoys.

HDDR is a must for us. My boys sure love the chicken.

Buzz is our first ride when entering MK.

AND as my daughter says, "we love the donald duck movie!" When we stayed in 2003 we got this as a gift when purchasing our vacation. It hangs in our living room.


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y216/monymony3471/dd.jpg

[UtahMama]

Jungle Cruise is cool at night. Except when you get a sucky captain...:sad2:

I'm proud of you for conquering the stairs and glad you didn't make a scene :goodvibes

Can't wait to see how you did on Tower of Terrific!

[NAB]

Your afraid of heights. I think you did great then, with out freaking out. I don't like heights either but the tree house doesn't bother me. Standing on a ladder etc. Yes.

I ride the carousal with my kids and rode on the horse just once. If they stop when they are up high it is a long way down just saying. Good thing you didn't ride.

Here I thought you sat ringside at the games for other reasons.:lmao:

We never manage to get a Dole whip either because we are so full. Maybe next time.

[Hendoendo]

On our honeymoon last year my wife and I rode the Jungle Cruise at night. Since it was my wife's first time on this ride I thought it would be cool at night. Well, I had been on this ride lots of times but this time I experienced something different. Our skipper was a Japanese woman who spoke very bad english. She told all the normal bad jokes but it was almost like listening to a bad japanese monster movie. The girl was very nice and tried hard but couldn't deliver the goods.

[Jiminy'sGirl]

On our honeymoon last year my wife and I rode the Jungle Cruise at night. Since it was my wife's first time on this ride I thought it would be cool at night. Well, I had been on this ride lots of times but this time I experienced something different. Our skipper was a Japanese woman who spoke very bad english. She told all the normal bad jokes but it was almost like listening to a bad japanese monster movie. The girl was very nice and tried hard but couldn't deliver the goods.

Oh, man...this would have been a major photo-score for Jordan... Sorry! Most of you probably have no idea what I am talking about!! Check out his PTR to find out!!

I have never ridden the jungle cruise at night... After these anecdotes, maybe I'll stick to daylight cruises... !

[Backstage_Gal]

Hi, DTD, I am proud of you for conquering your height fears. Way too go :thumbsup2 I am the same way.

Some years ago, my family and I visited the Grand Canyon. I spent my time freaking out over other peoples kids playing at the edge of the canyon where there was no railing. I kept running aroung pulling kids back from the edge :eek:

Great report!

[MrOakie]

Great report. Can't wait for more. Gives me a little more conidence to go alone. I'm 37, married, and love Disney. I talk about going back quite a bit, and my wife thinks I'm crazy. I think I'm going to take up the offer in January that's on the website, and go solo at the beginning of the year.

Can't waitg to hear more about the trip.

[lexmelinda]

DTD....I feel your pain on the heights but not for myself but fear of losing a wild child at those heights. Wild children have no fear of going right up the rail and leaning hard on it to get a good view of something waaayyyyy over there. Always makes me weak in the knees to think of it.

Bummer on Splash! That's a really long wait and although I like the music on Splash, it must've been awful to listen to it for over an hour!

You're right BTMRR is the best in the dark! Never done the jungle cruise in the dark but it's always a disappointment to get a dud for a captain.

Philharmagic is in my top 3 favorite attractions in all the parks. As nebo said, they should have an apple pie stand outside the theater. They'd make a fortune! :laughing:

[Minnie_Moo]

We had an awesome JC Captain back in January! He had fun picking on my single friend.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb285/sunnyhorizon/Disney%20New%20Years%20Trip/f98378-2.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb285/sunnyhorizon/Disney%20New%20Years%20Trip/f100842-2.jpg

In September, our JC Captain wasn't quite as funny but we (Nab, Cel, Tammy and families) saw him again while waiting for the Boo to You parade. I remarked that working on the JC must be his day job and we had a really nice chat. He told us that he and his wife were working in Disney's College Program. It kept us entertained while we waited for the parade.

Wow, after hearing your stories, I'm really glad I didn't get stuck on any rides for an extended period of time :scared1:

For me, seeing the Tiki Birds brings back goog memories of long ago visits to the MK!

[DL55]

Congrats on finishing the tree house :thumbsup2 And surviving the 600 ft stairs :woohoo: It's hard to face your fears but YOU did it! :banana:

[nutz2notz]

I'm really enjoying your report and it is great that the four of you not only went to WDW, but totally enjoyed it including taking pictures with the characters. Patiently waiting for more.

[stitchlover]

Really enjoying your TR. I can't picture my husband going off to Disney with a bunch of his friends! It's so fun to hear how the three newbies felt about everything!

[jonestavern]

Lovin' the TR!

60' ladder :scared1: This is scarier than ToT, but I don't need to tell you that;)

Can't wait for the next installment!

Jean

[DonaldTDuck]

funny update. love it "600" ft tall stairs :lmao:
Have you ever done the Mammouth Cave tour with the freestanding steps? They dang near left me in the cave, had to be led up.:scared1:

I'm still catching up, but I've gotta stop and say that I'm really enjoying this Man Report! :surfweb:

You've got an excellent TR, sir! :goodvibes Keep up the great work. :thumbsup2

Carry on! popcorn::
-Michelle
I'll carry on soonish. Thanx.

Great update, I would have liked it if they gave out beers instead of fastpasses too!

I agree, BTMRR is awesome at night, totally different feel to it than during the day. Also, I too love Wishes, but you haven't seen a fireworks show until you've seen the one they put on at the Pirate/Princess party. It is awesome!!!

I'm enjoying your tr, you are funny!
I've seen Hallowishes and it was even better. I think they crank it up for special events.

I'm joining in late, but I'm all caught up. I spent all morning reading the entire TR! It's just so awesome that 4 grown men would choose to spend their vacation at Disney. I'm looking to do a girls only trip this spring. It's nice to hear how people do it w/o kids.
Congrats on conquering your fear w/ the tree house. :thumbsup2
Can't wait to read more!!
Who said we were grown? Just old.;)

It's even better when it's raining. It actually becomes a little on the scary side...but oh so FUN!!!! :thumbsup2

Looking forward to the next installment!!!
I've ridden in a strong drizzle and it was cool. A goog rain sure wouldn't stop me.

This is a fun read. You like so many of the same things my family enjoys.

HDDR is a must for us. My boys sure love the chicken.

Buzz is our first ride when entering MK.

AND as my daughter says, "we love the donald duck movie!" When we stayed in 2003 we got this as a gift when purchasing our vacation. It hangs in our living room.


http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y216/monymony3471/dd.jpg
I WWWAAAANNNNTTT it.

Jungle Cruise is cool at night. Except when you get a sucky captain...:sad2:

I'm proud of you for conquering the stairs and glad you didn't make a scene :goodvibes

Can't wait to see how you did on Tower of Terrific!
I think they must 'debut' captains at night. But I will try it again at night.

Your afraid of heights. I think you did great then, with out freaking out. I don't like heights either but the tree house doesn't bother me. Standing on a ladder etc. Yes.

I ride the carousal with my kids and rode on the horse just once. If they stop when they are up high it is a long way down just saying. Good thing you didn't ride.

Here I thought you sat ringside at the games for other reasons.:lmao:

We never manage to get a Dole whip either because we are so full. Maybe next time.
I rode the Carousel last year with (now) exgf. I got her on Cinderella's horse and I was on the prince's.
I used to go out with a girl who was nearly blind, could only see below her. We had to sit on the top row for her to see anything. And she was our legendary coach's great-great niece, so we went to games.

On our honeymoon last year my wife and I rode the Jungle Cruise at night. Since it was my wife's first time on this ride I thought it would be cool at night. Well, I had been on this ride lots of times but this time I experienced something different. Our skipper was a Japanese woman who spoke very bad english. She told all the normal bad jokes but it was almost like listening to a bad japanese monster movie. The girl was very nice and tried hard but couldn't deliver the goods.
We may have had her last September. She loved my Donald shirt and did the whole show straight at me. (Now) exgf was not thrilled. And she was hard to understand.

[DonaldTDuck]

Oh, man...this would have been a major photo-score for Jordan... Sorry! Most of you probably have no idea what I am talking about!! Check out his PTR to find out!!

I have never ridden the jungle cruise at night... After these anecdotes, maybe I'll stick to daylight cruises... !
Try everything once! Except Sounds Dangerous.

Hi, DTD, I am proud of you for conquering your height fears. Way too go :thumbsup2 I am the same way.

Some years ago, my family and I visited the Grand Canyon. I spent my time freaking out over other peoples kids playing at the edge of the canyon where there was no railing. I kept running aroung pulling kids back from the edge :eek:

Great report!
DTD....I feel your pain on the heights but not for myself but fear of losing a wild child at those heights. Wild children have no fear of going right up the rail and leaning hard on it to get a good view of something waaayyyyy over there. Always makes me weak in the knees to think of it.

Bummer on Splash! That's a really long wait and although I like the music on Splash, it must've been awful to listen to it for over an hour!

You're right BTMRR is the best in the dark! Never done the jungle cruise in the dark but it's always a disappointment to get a dud for a captain.

Philharmagic is in my top 3 favorite attractions in all the parks. As nebo said, they should have an apple pie stand outside the theater. They'd make a fortune! :laughing:
When I was a kid we went to the Badlands (on the way to Disneyland) and I was in terror and my sis would hang over the edge. :scared1: :scared1:
MP is second only to Fantasmic on my list.

Great report. Can't wait for more. Gives me a little more conidence to go alone. I'm 37, married, and love Disney. I talk about going back quite a bit, and my wife thinks I'm crazy. I think I'm going to take up the offer in January that's on the website, and go solo at the beginning of the year.

Can't waitg to hear more about the trip.
I can't imagine going solo, but many love it. Getting to do exactly what you want does sound appealing. But I'd hate to eat alone.


We had an awesome JC Captain back in January! He had fun picking on my single friend.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb285/sunnyhorizon/Disney%20New%20Years%20Trip/f98378-2.jpg

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb285/sunnyhorizon/Disney%20New%20Years%20Trip/f100842-2.jpg

In September, our JC Captain wasn't quite as funny but we (Nab, Cel, Tammy and families) saw him again while waiting for the Boo to You parade. I remarked that working on the JC must be his day job and we had a really nice chat. He told us that he and his wife were working in Disney's College Program. It kept us entertained while we waited for the parade.

Wow, after hearing your stories, I'm really glad I didn't get stuck on any rides for an extended period of time :scared1:

For me, seeing the Tiki Birds brings back goog memories of long ago visits to the MK!
They turned the music on and off so it didn't get annoying. Being stuck was oko, getting down; not so much. I fear getting stuck on EE on the bridge. (Are you sure your captain wasn't Pat?)

Congrats on finishing the tree house :thumbsup2 And surviving the 600 ft stairs :woohoo: It's hard to face your fears but YOU did it! :banana:
The key for me is not being behind a bunch of people. Stopping is what gets my fear up.

I'm really enjoying your report and it is great that the four of you not only went to WDW, but totally enjoyed it including taking pictures with the characters. Patiently waiting for more.
Hey, me and Donald always gotta get a pic together. But we couldn't find Daisy.:sad1:

Really enjoying your TR. I can't picture my husband going off to Disney with a bunch of his friends! It's so fun to hear how the three newbies felt about everything!
I've been several times with newbies, and it's always fun. I'm about to become a greatuncle, and I've already been asked to 'guide' the first trip.

Lovin' the TR!

60' ladder :scared1: This is scarier than ToT, but I don't need to tell you that;)

Can't wait for the next installment!

Jean
ToT scary? Well, when the elevator jumps out of the shaft, I always ask myself Why am I doing this? Then we plunge and I remember. One of my top ten attractions. We rode it at least 7 times this trip.
Gotta go to work, but will have something up by tomorrow night. Thanks for the encouragement, everbody. :love: :hug: :flower3:

[UtahMama]

Update, YOU!
Nothing worse than waiting forever for a TR update :cool2:

You DID ride EE didn't you? That would be FUN to get stuck on and have to walk off. OY! That resembles exercise. :upsidedow

[Goofster57]

DtD,
Was behind, but am caught up now.

I totally agree with you about Donald's Philharmagic, I know it's not his but should be.

I have heard rumors that it is coming out here to Disneyland Resort :woohoo:

[3kidzmom]

i love that mature men are enjoying the world! I can't wait to hear more of your adventurespopcorn::

[ibouncetoo]

DtD,

I totally agree with you about Donald's Philharmagic, I know it's not his but should be.

I have heard rumors that it is coming out here to Disneyland Resort :woohoo:

Not a rumor....it's now a fact...I just don't remember where in the three year plan it falls! Two billion dollar California Adventer 'upgrades' :woohoo: :woohoo:

DTD, loving your report!

.

[Backstage_Gal]

RE: Philharmagic coming to Cal Adventure.

Not a rumor....it's now a fact...I just don't remember where in the three year plan it falls! Two billion dollar California Adventer 'upgrades' :woohoo: :woohoo:

.

Interesting! Not that it fits the them of CA adventure. Sounds more like a plan to boost attendance....:idea:

[DonaldTDuck]

Update, YOU!
Nothing worse than waiting forever for a TR update :cool2:

You DID ride EE didn't you? That would be FUN to get stuck on and have to walk off. OY! That resembles exercise. :upsidedow
Other than the 20+ attractions that were closed while we were there, I did everything but the Carousel, Tea Cups(they were all chicken) and Sounds Dangerous and only did one Dumbo type ride(Aladdin). The wait is nearly over.

DtD,
Was behind, but am caught up now.

I totally agree with you about Donald's Philharmagic, I know it's not his but should be.

I have heard rumors that it is coming out here to Disneyland Resort :woohoo:
Donald rules. He stars in a show at MK, at Epcot, and has a breakfast at AK. Now we just have to get him a permanent gig at MGM I mean DHS.

i love that mature men are enjoying the world! I can't wait to hear more of your adventurespopcorn::

Where does that rumor of maturity come from? I deny all.:confused3
Not a rumor....it's now a fact...I just don't remember where in the three year plan it falls! Two billion dollar California Adventer 'upgrades' :woohoo: :woohoo:

DTD, loving your report!

.
I'm dyin' to go back to DL. Last there in '92. Also '61 and '64.(Old is NOT mature) Just one more reason to go. Of course, must ride Mr Toad's Wild Ride again.

RE: Philharmagic coming to Cal Adventure.



Interesting! Not that it fits the them of CA adventure. Sounds more like a plan to boost attendance....:idea:
You if anyone knows it's all about the bucks.:rolleyes1

[DonaldTDuck]

We actually slept in this morning. I wasn't up till almost 9!:hyper: Again, Pluto was up too and we hit the pool. Goofy and Mickey showed up soon after. We goofed in the water awhile, then decided to see what food we had in the room. Oh yeah, 10 bags of chips, 6 packages of pb/cheese crackers, fruit cups, water, DIET COKES, and, of course, most of the beer. Okay, we did put a pretty goog dent in everything but the beer. Hey, it's only 10:00. And it's not Derby Day.:offtopic: A college tradition for us at WKU was on Derby Day you had to drink a beer before your feet hit the floor. Which often was 6 am to get to Loo uh vuhl for the races. Hey, I once saw a horse. But I digress.
We hit the bus stop at 10:30 and were in the park at 10:50. Time to shop(again). But this time was for me. I'd seen a Donald hat Saturday with six scenes on it, starting with The Wise Little Hen(1934) through Roger Rabbit(1988) and a shot of him now. Must have. Do have. Plus I needed to replace my DD watch(got water in it last year on Splash), and found one I liked. Oko, enough shopping. Too girly. And on to .... Beauty and the Beast.:laughing:
Our plan(thanks, Steve Soares) was to see the 11:30 B&tB and get there early just in case Four 4 a Dollar might show. But not on Mondays usually, although last year they were there. So we found three cute little girls and their mother and sat right in front of them. NOT! As you can see from Goofy's pix, we got great seats.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw13.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw12.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/Belle.jpg
The guys loved the show.
They capture the heart of the story in 20 minutes. If only Peter Jackson could edit a story so well.
Even with the eats in the room, Starring Rolls called us as we left B&tB. Something chocolaty and messy. Umum goog. Someone, maybe Mickey got a stale cookie. But three out of four were very happy.
On to the 1:00 Lights!Motors!Action!
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/mini-Disney20World202081.jpg
a show made for real men. (channelling my similarly named hero, Tim Taylor) OO-OO-OO-OO-OO. This show promises high levels of testoterone and it delivers!
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/mini-Disney20World202181.jpg
Fast cars, no story and of course, motorcycles. All going too fast and too loud and right at each other. Forward, backward, and sliding sideways. Through a petit vil er a small town. Could the French have really come up with something so manly? I guess since there are no fights, and thank googness, no wars. It could have been a disaster. But just driving, they were great. I give this show 2 thumbs up. AAAAAAYYYY! You know who I'm channeling now, right?
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw10.jpg
How do you follow this up? Just one way. Indy. Not the Colts, the Jones. We trek(that's a manly way of walking) across the park just in time for the 2 o'clock show. No need to hurry. Technical difficulties delayed the start, and the big rock wouldn't roll. The rest of the show went off without a hitch, but that first scene to me is the best part. Of course, ssshh, the rookies have no idea.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw9.jpg
In spite of the rock, or lack thereof, I start to hear rumbling. So do the others. Definitely time for lunch. Mickey and Goofy want pizza. Pluto and I don't. I wanted to try the bar-b-q at Flatbread Grill(Studio Catering Company). So we make sure cell phones are on and we split up. Actually, we have to walk past Pizza Planet to get to Flatbread Grill(Studio Catering Company), so it wasn't traumatic. They loved their pizza, we loved our sandwiches. The best part, they have two desserts. Pluto got one and I got the other. Pluto just wanted one bite of his. Waste is a sin. So is my waist, but what the helk. They were both wonderful.
I call Goofy and get no answer, so Pluto and I head to PP. Just a little off track.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw16.jpg
About the time we see it, my phone rings. Well, he is Goofy. He didn't hear the phone and decided to call me and saw I'd called. They wanted to play a few of the games. So we hung around the arcade for a few. I wanted to play skeeball, but one kid was playing and ten others were sitting on the other skeeball games watching. So we left.
Welll, since we're right here, why not see The Muppets again! No real line, just 5 people standing in front of the door arguing about going in. You're there, go in. We walk in and I start poking around. As you go in, to the right, cut back at an odd angle, is a bank teller-type window. There's a note. It says, OUT TO LUNCH, THE KEY IS UNDER THE MAT. Oh happy day. I lift the mat, and sure enough, there it is. No matter what, this is a goog day.:cloud9:

[NAB]

I love that you got the girly stuff out of the way first. :lmao:

I am surprised that four big men would sit and watch Beauty and the Beast first. I love that show. The costumes are so beautiful.

I will have to look for that key at the Muppets next time. I always forget. Just like the Dole whip thing at MK.

[UtahMama]

You saw the KEY :love:

And I love that you appealed to your mostly female fans with the shopping trip. :thumbsup2 We love your girlie side!

Fonzarelli-You didn't lose us at LMA, which females secretly like only because someday someone's gonna crash! :cool2:

LOVE Muppet Vision 3Dee for some reason! :3dglasses

[Backstage_Gal]

DTD, sounds like a great day :cool1:

I never knew about the key under the mat or the paintbrushes on TSI till I read trip reports :confused3 Glad you found the key

But, do you win a prize for that??

[DonaldTDuck]

I love that you got the girly stuff out of the way first. :lmao:

I am surprised that four big men would sit and watch Beauty and the Beast first. I love that show. The costumes are so beautiful.

I will have to look for that key at the Muppets next time. I always forget. Just like the Dole whip thing at MK.
Hey, I said we watch B&tB, we watch B&tB! Just about true. I did the planning, checked the schedules, and decided the restaurants, and they were fine with that. And we wanted to do almost everything. Besides, I love that show.

You saw the KEY :love:

And I love that you appealed to your mostly female fans with the shopping trip. :thumbsup2 We love your girlie side!

Fonzarelli-You didn't lose us at LMA, which females secretly like only because someday someone's gonna crash! :cool2:

LOVE Muppet Vision 3Dee for some reason! :3dglasses
Yes, we shopped, but ya gotta at Disney. Too much cool stuff. And it's vacation. BTW, I think I own every muppet movie made for theatrical release and a couple that weren't. Guess I'll start collecting the seasons of the series. And aaaaayyyy, you're correctomondo.

DTD, sounds like a great day :cool1:

I never knew about the key under the mat or the paintbrushes on TSI till I read trip reports :confused3 Glad you found the key

But, do you win a prize for that??
Just the satisfaction and one small step toward sanity.
Hey, we found another cool thing at MGM; that's coming up soonish.

[Phibbles]

This is a fab-u-lous TR.
Can't wait for more.

[DonaldTDuck]

This is a fab-u-lous TR.
Can't wait for more.

I swear I haven't abandoned on y'all. I've had work schedule changes, sleep issues(check time of posting) and just became a great-uncle. But I'm starting this morning. By tomorrow night. Thanks for your patience.

[DL55]

Congrats on being a great uncle. :banana:
Hope you get you sleep schedule back on track.

[DonaldTDuck]

Congrats on being a great uncle. :banana:
Hope you get you sleep schedule back on track.
I get to go to Nashville and see the baby today and tomorrow, so I'm stoked. I'm finally getting all days at work(5 am:scared1: -1:30). So all is better. I did the early thing for 20 years with Crackerbarrel. And I FINALLY had time to finish the next chapter.

[DonaldTDuck]

It's show day, I looovvve redheads, and we haven't seen The Little Mermaid yet, so that's where we head. Another test of our testosterone. We wait for the preshow looking at all that cool ocean stuff. It's not the Muppet pre-show, but still pretty neat. They let us in and it's less than half full. This show mixes puppetry, animation, special effects and of course, a live action Ariel. I think the rain in this show is one of Disney''s best effects. Just a sprinkle, but sooo effective. And the music-Under the Sea gets in your head like IASW but is so much more pleasant. I can't believe I skipped this show for years.
Next I suggest we spend a few minutes at One Man's Dream. So much of this exhibit deals with the creation of Disneyland, and that's where I got hooked(first visit, 1961). So 15 minutes shouldn't put a damper on the guy's day. Sixty minutes later, after each has studied every detail and we've watched the movie, we move on. They were all engrossed in all things Walt. I hadn't expected that from our merry little band. They drank deep from the kool-aid! They'll all be back.
On to The Great Movie Ride. I could skip this ride and just stand in the queue and watch the movie clips over and over. When John Wayne clips came on, we had a moment of reverence for an old friend that loved all westerns, but especially The Duke.
The ride itself is all right, but the best part is more clips at the end. They just pass so fast(dang MTV). I'd like to have that on tape to slow down and enjoy each separately.
A quick check of the time and we realize it's time to eat. At least it's almost time for our ADR at 50's Prime Time Cafe. This is a must do for me. Ever since my first trip to MGM, when we had PS for Sci-Fi, and when we arrived, it was locked tighter'n a drum. So we went across the street to PTC, and I've never looked back. The floor show had us in stitches from the start, then one bite of pot roast, and it was :love: . I've gotten the pot roast every time but one, when I tried the meatloaf. Not bad, but lesson learned. Although last year I ate the ex-gf's last piece of chicken and would consider eating here twice on a trip just to eat the chicken.
Back to our visit this year. We check in 5 minutes early after fighting our way through a throng of hungry folk. It's gonna be a while. So we head to the bar. Some people won't wait in a bar for various reasons, but not one of those people were here today. It was elbow to elbow.Blue drinks, clear drinks, red drinks, everybody has something. So we belly up to the bar and assk what's your best beer? Yuengling. Glad he didn't say something stupid like Bud Light. So yeah, we all got one. After about 15 minutes and several names being called, we managed to all snag seats at the bar, so ordering the second was simpler. The third just took a nod. Just after opening, we get the call. We're all feeling rather shall we say at ease? First question, where's the potty? Don't serve middle age+ men three beers before dinner and expect no visits. On to business.Now our ADR was for 6:45 and we sat at 7:30. And Fantasmic! was at 8:30. ohoh. Our server, Sherry, was a no longer young auntie from Long Island. She was a little gruff. Ok, she was bossy. But sweet. And busy. If you've read Lord of the Rings, she'd remind you of Butterbur, owner of the Prancing Pony, one of the many things lost in the movies. Best quote, "I run and run, but there's never any less of me." Sherry never slowed down. She also never forgot to be funny.
Foodwise, we ordered a variety of appetizers. I got the rings and swapped with some one for a couple of shrimp. No luck getting my fingers on any of Goofy's herb cheese, but I didn't expect to. I love getting to order shakes for my drink and getting dessert. And of course, I got the pot roast. The other guys got steak. Service was s-l-o-w because of the crowd and lack of staff. We got our appies near 8 o'clock, the meal came at 8:15. Pluto made a bathroom run and came back reporting torrential rains outside. Fantasmic! was cancelled. So any hurry we felt was gone. Dessert arrived not long after the main meal. Just before dessert, we got a rather stern warning about my elbows being on the table. Sherry let us know it was our only warning. In the middle of dessert, Sherry comes by and Goofy, who's a little hard of hearing, was propped on his elbows. Sherry makes him get up and sing I'm a Little Teapot, doing the hand motions. She did sing with him. It was obvious most of the cousins had been waiting for someone to get punished in this way. Goofy rarely gets a hand that big when he sings karioke IRL. He still thinks I set him up. Nope, Sherry just knows how to pick them.
After a long wait and a very slow start, dinner wrapped up quickly and we were on the street by 9:15. The rain is gone. We decide to spend the balance of the EMH night riding ToT. But we need to get wrist bands. I say to head to the front of the park, but Pluto says they've got them at the ABC theater. Said he saw a sign. I tellsya, that dog is part bloodhound. Makes a 15 minute delay a 3 minute one. We head toward Mr. Serling, when we see the sign, Fantasmic at 10! I didn't know they added one for EMH. Mr. Soares didn't mention this. Maybe it was because the first was cancelled. We decide we have time for one quick drop. We had time for 3. The last one had a screamer. Not the aaayyyyaa most do. More of a NNNOOO!!!! why did I let you drag me on here. Well, it is the Tower of TERROR. And it had to be one that kept going. there were 7 drops, the last one after we had stopped for a few seconds. hehehe.
We got to Fantasmic! by 9:45 and it was only half full. We sat slightly to the left of center about halfway up. Much better seats than last year with the dining package. And the night was crystal clear. And not even a little hot. Maybe 75 degrees. I would never try to describe the show, it's just Fantasmic!!!
It's been a terrific day, but it's time to get on the bus and head back. Thousands descend on the bus stop, and most, seemingly, headed to the all star resorts. It takes 3 busses before we climb on, and are the last on, standing just behind the driver. He doesn't say a word, just has the music on.
It's a quiet ride until we get near the McDonalds, then you hear the intro to one of those songs I just have to sing along with.
Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots. Goofy is right in front of me, and being a music lover and much more talented singer, feels a need to sing loud enough to drown me out. Then Mickey joins in. Then Pluto, the driver, and soon, every one on the bus is singing. Just as we pull in at Music and the second verse ends, some clown in the back lets out a YEEHAWWW and the bus collapses in laughter. And some people would rather drive to the parks.
Tomorrow, Epcot rope drop. Geeze, that's in less than 8 hours.

[UtahMama]

You got friends in low places too? :rolleyes1

What did you have for dessert at FPT? Tell me it was S'mores...ohhhhh the S'mores!

I think they have the very best Pot Roast ever! I ordered the salmon and it was raw inside, and not in a good sushi way either. It was "yucky".

THAT is my ultimate dream job....to be a 50's Prime Time Waitress. :love: :love: :love: I think I have fairly good Tea-Pot-Spotting radar too.

Did she hand you a crayon and tell you to make a list of 20 Disney Movies with only one word for a title? I was deemed a "smarty-pants" when I rattled them off without pausing....useless trivia finally came in handy. :upsidedow


Great reporting Donald!!!! :yay:

[DL55]

One Man's Dream should be a must for everybody. :teacher:
I'll have to remember to order the pot roast. I think I had meatloaf last time. I hope to get a good server next time.
What luck that they had a 10 pm show. :banana:

[Disney owl]

great trip reports

[LLWDW]

Congrats on your great nephew! Your TR is fun reading. I agree with you on the clips at the end of the GMR, I wish I could see them slow mo. And I wish I could get on your bus:dance3:

[NAB]

That's what I had at Prime Time too when we were there with Moo. I think she had pot roast too. Next time I will have to try the chicken. We go here everytime too.

:yay: for Goofy on knowing where to get a wristband. I usually ask strangers where they got theirs....:rotfl:

Can't wait to see more pictures.

[babynurse1]

Great update. I love how you can sing without blinking an eye, not that I ever do that.:rolleyes1

As far as all those movie clips at the end of the GMR I was trying to tell PJ who was who or at least point actors/actresses I thought she should know, but it was fruitless. Too much info coming at her too quickly. she just looked at me like this.:confused:

[Backstage_Gal]

OK, I want to know what you sang on the bus?????????

Great update! I will have to go see Fantasmic one of these years, LOL. Once we went with a dinner package, but a tropical storm got posted, so it was cancelled. And as to ToT, NO THANKS for me, I am terrified of falling!

[Minnie_Moo]

:thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 Four (out of four) thumbs up on the PTC pot roast.

Loved this episode, DTD!!!

[camelotcats]

Just found this TR! Awesome!! I can totally see everything you describe. It's like my uncles all going to WDW again like they did in the 80's! Good tines, I hear!

More more more! :santa:

[KYCruiseCrazy]

[QUOTE=Backstage_Gal;21891090]OK, I want to know what you sang on the bus?????????

:lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2:

Garth Brooks "Friends in low places" Duhhhhhhh:rotfl:

[DonaldTDuck]

OK, I want to know what you sang on the bus?????????

Great update! I will have to go see Fantasmic one of these years, LOL. Once we went with a dinner package, but a tropical storm got posted, so it was cancelled. And as to ToT, NO THANKS for me, I am terrified of falling!

OK, I want to know what you sang on the bus?????????

:lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2: :lmao: :rotfl2:

Garth Brooks "Friends in low places" Duhhhhhhh:rotfl:
Marita, you have to be at least a little bit of a country fan to recognize the best country song of the last half century. Not that I love c&w or anything.

You got friends in low places too? :rolleyes1

What did you have for dessert at FPT? Tell me it was S'mores...ohhhhh the S'mores!

I think they have the very best Pot Roast ever! I ordered the salmon and it was raw inside, and not in a good sushi way either. It was "yucky".

THAT is my ultimate dream job....to be a 50's Prime Time Waitress. :love: :love: :love: I think I have fairly good Tea-Pot-Spotting radar too.

Did she hand you a crayon and tell you to make a list of 20 Disney Movies with only one word for a title? I was deemed a "smarty-pants" when I rattled them off without pausing....useless trivia finally came in handy. :upsidedow


Great reporting Donald!!!! :yay:

One Man's Dream should be a must for everybody. :teacher:
I'll have to remember to order the pot roast. I think I had meatloaf last time. I hope to get a good server next time.
What luck that they had a 10 pm show. :banana:

That's what I had at Prime Time too when we were there with Moo. I think she had pot roast too. Next time I will have to try the chicken. We go here everytime too.

:yay: for Goofy on knowing where to get a wristband. I usually ask strangers where they got theirs....:rotfl:

Can't wait to see more pictures.

:thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 Four (out of four) thumbs up on the PTC pot roast.

Loved this episode, DTD!!!

Can't believe I glossed over dessert. Must have been in a hurry. I tried the S'mores last year, ate one of ex gf's. Not a fan of marshmallows, but they were goog. I laways have the brownie sundae with all the junk on it, m&ms, rice Krispy treats(I know, marshmallows),candy corn etc.

[DonaldTDuck]

great trip reports

Congrats on your great nephew! Your TR is fun reading. I agree with you on the clips at the end of the GMR, I wish I could see them slow mo. And I wish I could get on your bus:dance3:

Great update. I love how you can sing without blinking an eye, not that I ever do that.:rolleyes1

As far as all those movie clips at the end of the GMR I was trying to tell PJ who was who or at least point actors/actresses I thought she should know, but it was fruitless. Too much info coming at her too quickly. she just looked at me like this.:confused:

Just found this TR! Awesome!! I can totally see everything you describe. It's like my uncles all going to WDW again like they did in the 80's! Good tines, I hear!

More more more! :santa:
I'm starting on the next episode(ropedrop at Epcot) Thanx, all for the kind words.
E, I learned to sing unabashedly at ballgames when no one would sing the fight song. I started and just kept singing louder until those around me learned to sing it in self defense.
I found several clips at youtube with the GMR ending montage. This one has the best quality. You can stop it at will. It concentrates on the middle screen.
camelot- We feel like brothers after that trip. We call and see each other more often than before. It's the ultimate bonding trip.

[whgrn]

OMG I am LOVING your TR, Mr. Duck!:rotfl2: The 4 of you must have been the hit of the whole park with your antics!

I love PTC, when we went, Auntie Claire made the 13yo with us eat his veggies, and fed him when he wouldn't!:rotfl:

BTMRR in the dark is the best ride in the MK!

Keep the updates coming. I can use all the laughs I can get these days!

Wendy in NJ
Check out my TR at www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1638072

[DonaldTDuck]

OMG I am LOVING your TR, Mr. Duck!:rotfl2: The 4 of you must have been the hit of the whole park with your antics!

I love PTC, when we went, Auntie Claire made the 13yo with us eat his veggies, and fed him when he wouldn't!:rotfl:

BTMRR in the dark is the best ride in the MK!

Keep the updates coming. I can use all the laughs I can get these days!

Wendy in NJ
Check out my TR at www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1638072
We did our best to be entertaining. It's been an ongoing contest for decades. At PTC, you couldn't have sopped up anything of significance with a fresh biscuit. Except dessert. There may have been a full bite between the 4 desserts. I may have left a rice krispy. Or not.
Technical problems froze out pix on the last update, but Goofy had several goog Epcot ones, so this update will be more illustrated.

[DonaldTDuck]

This is the first morning the we used the wakeup call, and it actually woke us up. Up at 6:45, at the bus stop by 7:15. EMH at Epcot, and we wanted to hit rope drop and ride Soarin first thing. I did grab a pack of nabs. And of course, a DIET COKE.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw31-1.jpg
First site, too bad, no ride. Dang rehabs.
Rope drop at Epcot is a little different. I've always been at Donald's in AK , and that's a little similar, but not as orchestrated. When the ropes dropped, there were 2 cms with a banner between them that marched to The Land. Over half the crowd followed. A few tried to pass, and were reprimanded and told they would be sent to the back of the line if they tried again. The lady in the ECV in the group cursed audibly.
When we got to The Land, the cms turned away and the race was on. The lady on the ECV was determined to hit as many walkers as possible. I hope she had a magical day. We just stayed in stride and were on the second group to ride. which is about the same as the first, since both sides were operating. And we were in the front row. The first time I rode this, I was freaked for a minute by the height, but as soon as we started over the ocean, I calmed down. I do use the between the leg lock, which is a stretch for a Big Guy. Since the rumor is the golfer is Eisner, I always try to kick him in the head. Missed him by that much. Everything is fine til we get downtown between the buildingsm that always will freak me out. But soon we're over The Happiest Placed on Earth and all is well. Although that one boomer is a little close. When people say they need to change the movie, I'm afraid we might lose SB's castle to Cindy's, and we see that already in FL.
Nice how this ride exits right into a restaurant. Especially on EMH days. Especially for Big Guys. We decide a snack credit should be burned. All I really remember is chocolate, seems like some kind of muffin or cupcake. Just enough to hold off eating until World Showcase opens. Then we did Livin' With the Land. I think I like it better without the guide. But still(sorry Twinks) not a top ten ride. When they rehabbed this last year, they changed the wall in the queue. There had been a quote by a Bowling Green third grader up there. Guess since now she's a college grad, it was time to update.
Two rides and a snack and the poor minions(off property folk) have yet to be let in, so we head to Figment. It isn't open yet, they hold off til 9. So we were the first folks on. I rode this several times when Dreamfinder ran the show, so until he returns, this will always be a disappointment. Idle is funny, but nuh-uh, not here. But amazingly, when we finish the ride, the interactive area is completely full. We did manage to make postcards
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/EPCOT014_060626_001_20070911-221316.jpg
and play a few games, but thought we'd have it to ourselves. Their shop is one of the best in Epcot, but no one bought anything.
We head out to HISTA, and hit our first disappointment, an unannounced rehab. Down for 2 weeks, starting the day before. Hista takes a lot of heat on here, but I love it. But I've loved every 3D show I've ever seen. O why couldn't they have rehabbed that film is France if they wanted something to do.
It's time to travel to the other side of the (Future) World. It's testosterone time! Test Track. Humm, same initials. In fact, same as mine IRL. Coincidence, I think not. We check times and less than a ten minute wait, so we hop on. The line was more like 3 minutes. I like this ride a lot, but they really should let me drive. I'd go faster. I still prefer The World of Motion. I'll take cool over fast anytime. The guys liked it, but later chose not to do it again. Just not that big a thrill to backwoods rednecks.
Next, Mission:Orange er Space.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw32-1.jpg

Yep, we manned up. I told them about both sides and no one wanted to be the one to say wimp side. Besides, who wants to look like a sissy in front of Lt. Dan. Once again, very short wait. The first time I rode, in the days before Green, I almost tossed my chocolate muffin thingy or whatever I had that day. Someone on the Dis said to focus on the screen and that wouldn't happen. They were right, guess I should have shared that with the other guys. Works out nice having 4 guys, no strangers in the **** pit. Everyone completed their assignments and we mangaed to arrive fairly safely.
The guys want a soda to settle their tummies, or sumpin like that, so I suggest Club Cool. After several tastes, I 'pour' a Beverly and fake sip. Yummm! Try this one Goofy. He did, but has learned enough in life to be cautious when I suggest something. a short sip, and "OMgosh, you sick puppy." Puppies usually don't know who their father is, right? Same thing. Pluto took some just to see. Mickey sat it out.
It's still not 11, so we watch the end of Jammitors show in the Plaza, then walk toward World Showcase slowly and discuss options. Goofy and I opt for Mexico, Mickey and Pluto head around the bend. They landed in Morocco. I got my usual, plato combinacion with a churro for dessert. Uhmmm, goog. And, since they have cafeine free diet coke, I got a big orange soda. I was too busy eating to notice what Goofy ate. Plus Goof distracted me when he got all excited about what he saw across the street. And he knew I'd be even more excited.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw8.jpg
This was the absolute lighlight of the whole trip. I luvs that guy(bet you knew that). Not sure what the other guys had, just remember they thought you can get better in Loo uh vul.
:offtopic: For any real foodies, Louisville is a destination city for food junkies having several dozen top restaurants. There are regular junkets from Seattle for folks just to eat. Plus, it's the home of the first cheeseburger, a place called Kaelin's. This was also the first KFC franchisee. Louisville is also home office for dozens of national chains including YUM!, Papa John's, and Rally's.
Next, World Showcase and dinner at Biergarten!

[monymony3471]

I had a few to read this time, but so worth it.

My DH just told me not to long ago that the next ressie we make in MGM would be for 50's Prime Time cause he missed the pot roast last trip.

We ate there without a ressie and got seated faster than you did. Hmm?


Soarin had me pretty spooked. It's that ride and the ski lift at Blizzard Beach that made me realize how real my fear of heights is.

Great TR. I am loving it.

You got friends in low places too? :rolleyes1

What did you have for dessert at FPT? Tell me it was S'mores...ohhhhh the S'mores!

I think they have the very best Pot Roast ever! I ordered the salmon and it was raw inside, and not in a good sushi way either. It was "yucky".

THAT is my ultimate dream job....to be a 50's Prime Time Waitress. :love: :love: :love: I think I have fairly good Tea-Pot-Spotting radar too.

Did she hand you a crayon and tell you to make a list of 20 Disney Movies with only one word for a title? I was deemed a "smarty-pants" when I rattled them off without pausing....useless trivia finally came in handy. :upsidedow


Great reporting Donald!!!! :yay:

You'd make an excellent Waitress there. I think the ADR's would have to start 5 years ahead of time.

You and my DH would hit it off toadily.

[DL55]

"Since the rumor is the golfer is Eisner, I always try to kick him in the head. Missed him by that much." :rotfl2:
A diet coke always cuts the calories of the meal in half. :rotfl:
Another fun TR. Enjoyed the pictures.

[Minnie_Moo]

DTD, :love: the pic of the two Donalds!!!

Hmmmm, never heard of the YUM! restaurant chain :lmao:

[UtahMama]

Get Smart Reference: "Missed 'im by that much" What do I win???? :yay:

Plus, don't think I didn't notice the capitalized "DIET COKE" Uh Huh!:snooty: You are a brave, brave man! Your punishment is a time-out in the Cone Of Silence. :rolleyes:

Did any of you toss-your-cookies from riding Orange? I prefer the Green side, being a semi-wussy and all.

[monymony3471]

Get Smart Reference: "Missed 'im by that much" What do I win???? :yay:

Plus, don't think I didn't notice the capitalized "DIET COKE" Uh Huh!:snooty: You are a brave, brave man! Your punishment is a time-out in the Cone Of Silence. :rolleyes:

Did any of you toss-your-cookies from riding Orange? I prefer the Green side, being a semi-wussy and all.

I'm afraid I'd toss my cookies on the Green side.:sad2:

[NAB]

Love the tiger picture. The kid love playing around with the computer shots too.

And a picture of Donald and Donald , great shot. And you wore the right shirt that day too.

[DonaldTDuck]

I had a few to read this time, but so worth it.

My DH just told me not to long ago that the next ressie we make in MGM would be for 50's Prime Time cause he missed the pot roast last trip.

We ate there without a ressie and got seated faster than you did. Hmm?



You and my DH would hit it off toadily.
We didn't mind the wait, the bar is a blast. And finding a new beer like Yuengling was a treat. Does hubby qualify as a Big Guy? We'll take him along next time.

DTD, :love: the pic of the two Donalds!!!

Hmmmm, never heard of the YUM! restaurant chain :lmao:
Yum is the umbrella for Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silvers and A&W.

Get Smart Reference: "Missed 'im by that much" What do I win???? :yay:

Plus, don't think I didn't notice the capitalized "DIET COKE" Uh Huh!:snooty: You are a brave, brave man! Your punishment is a time-out in the Cone Of Silence. :rolleyes:

Did any of you toss-your-cookies from riding Orange? I prefer the Green side, being a semi-wussy and all.
Would you believe you've won an all expense paid 10 day Disney vacation? Would you believe a 5 day Park Hopper? How 'bout an expired fast pass?
No cookies tossed, but general quesiness.

Love the tiger picture. The kid love playing around with the computer shots too.

And a picture of Donald and Donald , great shot. And you wore the right shirt that day too.
I wore a Donald shirt 5 of our 7 days. First day I wore a lime green Mickey head tshirt(tradition), and not one comment. The last day I wore, well, you'll have to wait on that. I picked the tiger pick for abuddy that's a Bengals fan.

[DonaldTDuck]

We left (the real)Donald behind and called Pluto and Mickey, but they were still eating. We said to meet us at the American Pavilion. I love this place. If I ever lose my mind completely and plan a Disney vacation in July, it would have to center around the Fourth and the American Pavilion at Epcot. I've celebrated Independence Day lots of ways, but none of it has held a candle to the patriotic feeling I get at Epcot. Only two other events have done this; the show at Opryland called For Me and My Gal, the story of George M. Cohan had a patritic finale(of course) that was wonderful, and the first time I visited Pearl Harbor I became one giant goose bump.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw7.jpg
Goofy(our veteran in the group) and I arrive just moments before the Fife and Drum Corps arrives. The picture doesn't do them justice. They are a precision drill team that provide their own musical accompaniment. I swear the leader, with his long ponytailed wig, always gives me a look like he thinks I need a haircut. Bless his heart.
The F&D Corps finishes their all too brief show and Pluto and Mickey are still no shows, so Goofy, who was enthralled, and I go in to see the Voices of Liberty. I could listen all day. The shows are timed so that there's about 10 minutes between the end of Fife and Drum and the start of VoL, then about 10 more until The American Adventure begins, so it takes about 1 and a half hours to see it all. More than a rite of pasage, it's like a perk for being an American. Anyway, just after VoL begin singing, Mickey and Pluto show up. Both are disappointed in missing part of this trilogy, but make the best of it. VoL do their usual fantastic job, then we walk upstairs, past all those cool statues representing American values. Then Ben and Mark come out and review our history with us. I love that our nation has such historical 'characters' that can tell the story without a political overtone. And the multimedia show changes quickly and is not nearly as condusive to sleep as HoP. Although I have napped in the past.
We decide to start back toward the entrance and see the acrobats at China.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw4-1.png
These tiny athletes amaze me. Of course, balance has never been my strong suit. Walking and chewing gum is always an adventure. This is just out of the question.
We've worked up a sweat, so I suggest a boat ride. One starring these guys.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/ThreeCaballerosposter.jpg
This ride is just what it is. Others have complained about the changes, but most of what left was ancient film of stereotypes and nothing special. Now there's a story of sorts and of course, Donald and his buddies Jose and Panchito. I suppose most have not seen the movie, but I found a copy and watched before we went, and it is terrific and the ride is true to the film. Daisy would not have been amused by Donald's behavior in either. What a skirt chaser! Did I mention he's my hero? They still end the ride with the fireworks show, and it's still cheesy and fun.
Back outside, it's getting hotter. I decide it's time to start the drinking around the world, and opt for the margarita. The 2 lovely senoritas poured one that was like an icee in that it was over the top of the cup. And was this thing strong! And goog. I sipped on it as we walked and as we went by Norway, Spelmanns Gledje began to set up.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw6.jpg
We grabbed some wall and sat and watched. This is supposedly traditional Scandinavian music, but it looks and sounds a lot like goog old country music to me. A very nice show. About 15 minutes in, the margarita is about gone, and the brain freeze is on with a vengeance. So we head out of the sun to the surprisingly long line for Maelstrom. I like this ride, but a twenty minute wait on a slow September day? Well, at least it's air conditioned. And the ride is cool, if not a thrill ride. Upon exiting, I say to Mickey, I think you need to go to church. Huh? I take them to the replica Stave Church. Funny how in the middle of WDW, you can get reverent in about a nanosecond. We only stayed a few minutes, but I like that calm moment.
On to Canada. They had just reopened O Canada with a new movie featuring Martin Short. I always liked the old movie, but it was time for a change. And Short is hilarious. Parts of the film are unchanged, and his commentary over it is priceless. The scenes of Pee Wee hockey he claims is of him, and how lucky Disney was that someone had a Circlevision 360 camera handy to record the moment.
Time for another drink, and back to beer. We're in Canada, so it's LaBatt's time. And how better to enjoy that brewski but to grab some bench and watch Off Kilter. Now, all this catching shows 'just in time' was not left up to chance. I had a notebook with showtimes from Steve Soares, so we were always a few minutes ahead of the crowd. We got great seats. This show only gets better every year. We knew we'd return for a few minutes on Friday. It's now the heat of the day, so we head to the pub. Guinness, please. The others had Stella, except Goofy, who asked me what he should order since he is a lager drinker that doesn't like a lot of other beers. I point him to Harp, and it was love. The prospects of drinking around the world always dies here because of the wonderful beers, ales and stouts here and the atmosphere in the bar. We finish one and get one to go; it's time for The British Invasion. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Do You Want to Know a Secret? I love the Beatles. And HELP was on the way.(I could make these bad jokes all night, but I'll Let It Be)
After the show, we head around to the front where the World Shwcase Players are entertaining. This version was mostly to the half dozen kids in the audience, about the first time I really noticed kids all day. It is September, and Tuesday, but still. You'd think you'd see preschoolers anyway. We decide to split, but the street and sidewalks are full, so we head back to the stage to go around and run into Alice, but no one was ready with a camera. She had two kids with her. Maybe the locals had shwon up after school. But we saw lots of kids the rest of the night.
It's now almost 6 and we have a 6:25 ADR for Biergarten, so we hustle over to Germany.
We get there and have a short wait, so Goofy strikes up a conversation, as he always does, with strangers who it turns out, are from Louisville. We have a few minutes of old home week, then get called and go in. We're seated with 2 young couples. One pair is 'in love', the other is married. The first may have been, but they were in their own world. The other were Disney vets and offfered suggestions on what to get. Two words for future reference; pork schnitzels. German for chicken fried pork. Pretzel bread, cold sausages, roast chicken, all goog. I knew someone would say it, Goofy did. "The wurst salad is the best." Everything was great,... except the beer. It was Spaten Optimator, a dark beer. I love dark beer, but this stuff stunk. It was bitter with no bite. I had had Beck Dark here before, but alas, it was off the menu. Oh well, I'd had enough already, so no great loss. But next time, I'll likely play it safe. Not what I like to do with beer. Oh yeah, the dance floor was littered with kids.
When we left, it was time to find a goog viewing spot for Illuminations. Where did all these people come from? And all with kids. did we miss something? We ended up near the dock by Mexico. We were behind the wall that's too high for many. It started to drizzle. But the show went on. And the view we had turned out to be excellent. I usually am in front of Germany or over by France, so I saw things a little differently this time. Still my least favorite of the evening extravaganzas, but quite worthy. With the finale, we head to the front ahead of the crowd and get the second bus back and have a little impromptu party in the room. I just had Diet Coke and Gatorade(not mixed). I'd had enough alcohol for one day.
Next, breakfast with Donald and Animal Kingdom

[monymony3471]

My hubby is half a big guy at times, but put some meat in front of him and he can put it away. Likes him some beer too.

We ate at Biergarten last time too. My son fell in love with the pork schnitzels. He piled his plate with them. He just cracked me up. It was the one rest. he could eat something totally off his usual kid fare crap that he wasn't allergic to. Amazing. He's a half pint working his way to a big guy.

Actually the skinniest runt you'll ever see.

Those singers are amazing. I spoke highly of them in my report too. You took me back.

Did you get to see them play those long horn thingies?

[DL55]

I'm hoping to see more of the street performers on our next trip. I have seen the British Invasion and a mime in France. My DH wants to just ride the rides. I enjoyed the pictures. It makes it easier to pretend I'm there too. :)

[UtahMama]

I really love World Showcase! I never make the shows on time so I need to have a schedule next time!

Being full-on German, I do love Biergarten and it's pretzel bread. Everything is good there or at least fun to try. Germany is our IllumiNations spot too...at the dock-like places with tables.

I had to excuse myself from the American show with a screamer-3 year old, so I have yet to see this!

My boys liked it though.

Great chapter Donald! You skirt-chasing-Beatles-lover, you!

[Minnie_Moo]

Mmmmmm, gotta love those margaritas at Mexico!!! I still can't believe I waited until this past trip in September to try them :upsidedow

Here is my big guy enjoying one . . .

http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n240/minniemoo_2006/WDW%202007/WDWr301.jpg

Nice installment, DTD!

[UtahMama]

DUCK!~ Break is Over! Get a move on, mister! :donald: :donald: :donald:

((please?)) :flower3:

[monymony3471]

Ya, don't be like other TR writers we know.:rolleyes1

[DonaldTDuck]

I've tried all day to write and it all sounds so blah. I've started over twice. I promise my next post will be a report. Notice the number, it should be something worthy.
Mony- maybe your dh could go with us and because he's so tiny, we can convince Disney he's a child. Probbly not. NO long horn thingies at the Biergarten this time, although my first trip there back in '86 they used them. It was one long continuous show then and my buddy danced for an hour with one of the showgirls.
DL55, you've got to see Off Kilter. It's a great sound and they play some terrific music. Plus, they're total loons.
Moo- Our marguerita maid was named Ale, I should have taken the hint.
Uma-Steve Soares made me look like a genius the whole trip. We 'wondered' right into the start of shows several times. I just jotted likely times down on my ADR sheet for each day.

[monymony3471]

Oh DTD you are so close to 1000!

Oh where will your next post be?

HMMMMMMMMMMMM......:scratchin

You are always funny. Just start typing, be the fingers, it will come.

[whgrn]

subbing back again. The server change ate all my subscriptions!

[DonaldTDuck]

Sorry for the long delay. Christmas, new great nephew, etc. Oko. I got lazy.
Wednesday morning we were up early to head to Animal Kingdom. We're up by 6:45 and at the bus stop by 7:15. The bus arrives at 7:30 and we're at the park in 10 minutes. No snags at the front, and we're at Donald's Breakfastsaurus with 10 minutes to spare. This is one of the places that insists on a premeal picture, so we lined up, took it and mooved on. No way big hairy guys are paying 20 bucks for one of those.
The food was excellent. http://deephousepage.com/smilies/eat.gif

The characters were ---meh. They came around at full speed, one after another. Last year we had so much fun, but this year it was hug, snap a pic, move on.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/Donald.jpg
So I'll tell ya about last year. I was sith the ex-dgf and I was ready with my Donald tshirt, Donald hat and vintage Donald watch. When Donald came in, he saw my shirt and gave me a thumbs up. Then he came over and took my hat. Well, at this point I told him to check out my watch, and he went nuts. Ran and got Goofy and Pluto to show them. they acted impressed. That mouse guy wasn't there yet, wanted to be fashionably late and get the star treatment. When he came in, Donald ran up to him, pointed at me, then madee motions about my shirt. Then he pointed at himself. Mickey shook his head. Then he pointed at my hat and at himself. Mickey nodded. Then Donald pointed at his wrist, then at mine, then at himself. Mickey put his hand over his mouth and acted horrified. Then he walked by us with his nose in the air and his head turned. He never visited our table, but made sure to walk by several times, always with his nose up. And Donald strutted all over the restaurant as only Donald can.
We finished our delicious but unmemorable meal and headed to Expedition Everest. We rode and got right back in line. Our Mickey said we had to ride this many times. Everyone was on board with that. When we got on the second time, I got in the back of train line. This is the best seat in the house. During the backward part, you are in front and get the full helix effect. And on the way out, you feel like you might bounce right up to the Yeti. The line is starting to grow, so we get fast passes and head to the Safari.
When we got in line for the Safari, there was no one in sight in the line, so we jumped in. The sign said 15 minutes. This is the only sign that said the wait was shorter than actual all week. We went around the first bend and wall to wall humanity.http://deephousepage.com/smilies/biggrininvasion.gif



Everyone wanted to ride the Safari early. And no wonder, with the Dis telling everyone to. But there are tvs with all the usual man is bad, animals are great carp, but with great footage. We had a goog guide and the ride great. The story line has been toned down quite a bit, but as Western Kentucky grads we would have been bitterly disappointed has we not seen Big Red. Although we usually think of his as looking more like this.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/bigred.jpg
As you exit the ride, the start of the Pangini trail greets you, and since I'd never done the trails, we hit it. Many of the animals were no shows, but those dang birds were there. We did get to watch Meerkat Manor Live and the biggie, the gorillas were up and about.
As noted above, I don't care much for birds. Blame Alfred Hitchcock. But everyone wanted to see the Wonders of Flight, so I sucked it in. I'm glad I did. I knew Disney would do it well, but didn't think it would be that funny. Our very confused tour guide tried to lead us to safety, but the guys wouldn't follow him. The surprise of the show was that it wasn't all man's fault. The bird handler cm talked about what man had done to the bird's habitat and what he'd done to restore it. And we and our guide learned oh uh, well, I'm sure we learned something.
Dang, it's hot. Hot enough to convince Mickey to ride Kali? Gotta try. Hey Mick, there's no line! Mickey hems and haws, but we get in line. I was sweating and ready to get soaked. Goofy and Pluto were up for it. Mickey was not thrilled with the idea. Need I tell you who got soaked.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/mini-DisneyWorld010.jpg
Mickey after the first ride
I was dry as a bone. Of course, during the ride we learned it was all man's fault.
As we exit, Mickey says we may as well do it again. So we hop the rope and are back on it 2 minutes.
We get in and my seatbelt won't fasten. We yell at the cm, but he doesn't understand what we're saying. So I ride unbelted. No safety system check here. I kept waiting for them to stop the ride and chew us out or toss us http://deephousepage.com/smilies/icon_banned.gif



but no one noticed. Or they're shy about stopping the ride now. We get to the spot where the water gets rough and I spin right to the back, the high spot that misses the water. I did get a little on my pants, right where folks would wonder if I had a problem. This time Goofy and Pluto got as wet as Mickey. Twice in a row was enough, for now.
We decide that we won't be going to Rafiki's Planet Watch'we already knew it was man's fault- so we decided to do the Maharajah Jungle Trek. We had seen that they were doing some construction on the monkey areas, but we still saw plenty. Those really loud monkeys were feuding with the construction workers. The Komodo Dragon was actually awake, but still moved very little. The bats were interesting, but disgusting. I know, they're not birds, but does that really help? But the highlight was the big cats. Especially the panthera tigris. A friend uses that in his email address, so that caught our attention. He's a Bengal's fan and these cats are definitely kin. There were deveral kinds of deer, but they won't let you eat them, so what's the point? There were no guide sheets available for the birds at the end so we don't know what we saw. But I'm sure it was man's fault they were missing.
Why, look where the Trek ends.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw2-1.jpg
Within sight of Everest. We go to use our fast passes, but there is no line. I mean NO line. We walk on and I walk right to the front and get the front seats. You could literally pick your seat, although some think you shouldn't in public. The front, the Holy Grail of roller coaster seats. There for the taking.
The front seat offers a unique and scary view of the bridge crossing,
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw19.jpg
but that was nothing. We get to the broken track, and come to a stop. For about 10 seconds. And in front, you can see almost straight down. Not a highlight for moi. then you go backward, but now you're in back and it seems so much slower. Then you go forward and you are that close to the Yeti. That made it worth it to ride up front. But I far preferred the back. We rode again, then spent some time in the gift shop. No we weren't shopping; Mickey needed a new camera stick thingie. After 20 minutes it was determined that they didn't carry the one he needed.
So we headed on. It was time for Nemo. But when we arrived, the line was all the way to Dinoland. We got in line, but after a few minutes, a cast member told us we were about 100 people from the cutoff point. So on to Primeval Whirl. Mickey chose to sit this out, I made fun. We rode, and it was 10 times rougher than I remembered. I'll do it again, but I hope it's in a less weighted down car. And some of the less weight is mine.
We find Mickey, and he had found his camera stick at the kiosk between PW and Triceratop Spin. We decided TS was enough like Magic Carpets, so we skipped it. On to Dinosaur. This is a ride whose thrill alludes me. It's all right, but other than a lot of volume, it's like riding in a '67 Corvair. Bumpy and seemingly on the verge of breaking at any minute. The dinosaurs seem like audioanimatronics. The ones at Ellen's are scarier. I shouldn't be so negative, I really like the preride show. And the ride is fine, just not exciting for me. The guys liked it though.
We went to Hester and Chester's, probably the best shop at WDW. Candies of every type! I believe the fact that we all had to get some was a clue it was time to head out of Dinoland the other way, and head for lunch. And there's only one place for lunch at AK for me.
Next time, we get flamed and bugged.

[UtahMama]

I kinda prefer the front for thrill, but it's the least flattering spot for the picture...I have priorities.

Did you go to Flame Tree? Pulled Pork, BBQ beef, or ribs?

Great Pictures but my favorite part was the description of last years Breakfastasaurus! I love when the characters are "ON"!

[monymony3471]

My kids and I were at Camp Mini Mickey getting Donalds autograph and the only pen we had had Mickey Mouse on it. He wouldn't sign the books with it. I had to go down the line and ask for a pen with no character on it.

He just stood there with his arms crossed waiting for us.

Pretty funny when they are "on" like UM said.

[DL55]

Still laughing. Enjoying your descriptions of the rides. I wonder if the rides are rougher or we are older? :laughing: I enjoy Kali but I'm the one who always gets soaked.

[camelotcats]

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: abut Donald and Mickey. I lpove when the characters are "on" too. We went to PSBD at akershus, and dd who was 3 at the time was waring a snow white dress. Snow White dragged her over to CInderella and Jasmine (who each had a little girl dressed like them) and they started asking for pictures with the "princesses" from the wait-staff. It was really cute. :lovestruc

Thanks for the installment!!

[Backstage_Gal]

Great update Donald!

Funny about the characters last year, sorry this year was not so good.

And Happy New Year!

[Minnie_Moo]

Thanks for the great update, DTD!

I have yet to ride Kali because I'm sure I would get as wet as your buddy.

[3kidzmom]

Whew!:worried: I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt that way about the Primeval whirl! I thought I might need a chiropractor after my adventure. I thought it might be like a 'tilt-a-whirl' type ride :scared1: ...WRONG! My daugher and neice loved it though and rode several more times....go figure!:sad2:

[ttester9612]

Just found your TR. I'm glad to see grown men enjoying themselves in WDW. I love men that can eat and enjoy seeing B&TB. I'm afraid of highest, but I finally rode Soarin'. Did you know that there's a hidden mickey on the golf ball that's coming at you?

[NAB]

We had fastpasses for Kali in Sept. Actually Nicholas and Celery had them but didn't to use them time ran out.

When it is hot, which I find AK to always be... it is nice to get wet. That is if you are not heading to a ADR next....:rotfl:

We need another update!!

[UtahMama]

UP-DATE!
UP-DATE!!
UP-DATE!!!

We needs us a little DUCK fix!

[DonaldTDuck]

I kinda prefer the front for thrill, but it's the least flattering spot for the picture...I have priorities.

Did you go to Flame Tree? Pulled Pork, BBQ beef, or ribs? You'll see soonish

Great Pictures but my favorite part was the description of last years Breakfastasaurus! I love when the characters are "ON"!

My kids and I were at Camp Mini Mickey getting Donalds autograph and the only pen we had had Mickey Mouse on it. He wouldn't sign the books with it. I had to go down the line and ask for a pen with no character on it.

He just stood there with his arms crossed waiting for us.

Pretty funny when they are "on" like UM said.
Donald is the only character to be on Gooly Santa's Naughty list and nice list. That;s why he's the best.

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: abut Donald and Mickey. I lpove when the characters are "on" too. We went to PSBD at akershus, and dd who was 3 at the time was waring a snow white dress. Snow White dragged her over to CInderella and Jasmine (who each had a little girl dressed like them) and they started asking for pictures with the "princesses" from the wait-staff. It was really cute. :lovestruc

Thanks for the installment!!
Love the characters that get that side of it. Too much fun.

Great update Donald!

Funny about the characters last year, sorry this year was not so good.

And Happy New Year!
They can't bring their A game every time I suppose.
I ignored the characters for years, figured they were there for the kids. Big mistake. Since I've started seeking them out, I get to be an even bigger kid than before.

[DonaldTDuck]

Still laughing. Enjoying your descriptions of the rides. I wonder if the rides are rougher or we are older? :laughing: I enjoy Kali but I'm the one who always gets soaked.
We're not getting older, we're getting better (who did that song?)

Thanks for the great update, DTD!

I have yet to ride Kali because I'm sure I would get as wet as your buddy.
Kali may be the best reason to go in hot weather. Getting soaked is fun in September.

Whew!:worried: I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt that way about the Primeval whirl! I thought I might need a chiropractor after my adventure. I thought it might be like a 'tilt-a-whirl' type ride :scared1: ...WRONG! My daugher and neice loved it though and rode several more times....go figure!:sad2:
I'd always loved it before, but this time it hurt!

Just found your TR. I'm glad to see grown men enjoying themselves in WDW. I love men that can eat and enjoy seeing B&TB. I'm afraid of highest, but I finally rode Soarin'. Did you know that there's a hidden mickey on the golf ball that's coming at you?
Ya wanna know a secret. I love all the old musicals. if anyone saw my Netflix lists, they'd take away my testosterone.

We had fastpasses for Kali in Sept. Actually Nicholas and Celery had them but didn't to use them time ran out.

When it is hot, which I find AK to always be... it is nice to get wet. That is if you are not heading to a ADR next....:rotfl:

We need another update!!
I address that time shortage thing in the next chapter. I appreciate everyone's patience. Just gotta add pix.

[DonaldTDuck]

UP-DATE!
UP-DATE!!
UP-DATE!!!

We needs us a little DUCK fix!
It will be up within the hour. Just for you.

[DonaldTDuck]

Ok, it's been a while. I've tried to write a couple of times and end up not liking anything I've written. Hopefully, third time's a charm. Just caught up in Uma's for inspiration.
I've eaten at Flame Tree on each trip to AK and this visit did nothing to curb my enthusiasm. I had been disappointed to learn the corn was being replaced by a corn muffin, but that sucker was huge! And de-e-e lish. I also noticed they had a specialty beer; Safari Amber. This trip has turned into a bit of a pub crawl with a new beer nearly every day. I could drink Safari on a daily basis. Still had the Diet Coke that comes with the DDP. So I got a little rehydrated, a necessity in AK. We had a small snag, though, when Goofy and I got our tray, we headed to the patio on the river. Mickey and Pluto got theirs a minute later and went up the steps to the hottest place on Earth. We waited for them to show up, and they waited for us. "When we finished, Goofy and I were refreshed, the others were hotter than ever. However, we all loved the ribs.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw145.jpg
Looking for directions. I swear it.
Mickey and Pluto wanted to get out of the heat, and since we were nearly, we went to It's Tough To Be a Bug. What the show lacks in class, it makes up for in humor. Between the acid and the stink bug, this was right up our alley. And for all the 'it's too scary for kids, the 30 or so preschool kids in the theater were totally entertained. Not one tear or scream except when everyone else was.
We exit and while walking up the path around the Tree of Life when Mickey says what is that?
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw135.jpg
My first sight of DeVine. I explain that she's a walking vine named DeVine, and is really quite beautiful. She must have overheard, because she comes right over to me and rubs my leg with hers(actually, the stilt part). So I reach over and 'play' with her leg. Yeah, the stilt part. I swear she giggled. And put her face about 2 feet over mine, and I was right. She's gorgeous.
I check my show schedule and we have a choice to make. We can try Nemo again, watch the parade, or see Festival of the Lion King. Next time, I have to spend 2 days in AK. Half day park, helk. What do those people do, run past the Tree, hop on EE, ride Dinosaur, grab some bad fries at Petrifries and head out? This is a park to savor, and one day doesn't cut it. http://deephousepage.com/smilies/twocents.gif
Off to Camp MinnieMickey. Love the new toppi er toopi er statues.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw132.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw131.jpg

What I didn't realize was that there would be another FotLK during EMH, so we could have gone to Nemo. But we opted for Lion King. The show didn't start till 3:30 so we thought about watching the parade too, but that would have been cutting it close. We did watch the first part,
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw137.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw136.jpg
then got in line. But before that, I experienced something I'd never experienced at WDW before. An extremely rude cm. If you know the schedule at AK for Pocahontas, there's usually a show that lets out several minutes before Lion King starts. This show was in progress when we got over there and the eentrances were roped off. I walked past the entrances to the far end of the theater to see if you could see the stage from there. An older woman cm, working the gate on the opposite end,starts screaming that the next show won't start for 45 minutes and come down there to get in line. Now I'm just standing there, on the right side of the rope, and she screams again, you can't go in there now. I yell, I'm not. She screams that I must leave where I am, and I ask why. She says you can't enter the show after it starts. I walk away, toward Lion King, and she starts yelling again, the entrance is down here. Guests everywhere are staring at her. Several come over and asked what she was 'freaking out' about. As I continued toward the Lion King Theater, she continued to yell. Pluto kept saying just keep walking. I wanted to go back and give her a piece of my mind. Sadly, that's all I have left, so Pluto was right.
We got in lion, er line, and the doors opened within 5 minutes. We got seats in the Lion section. About 4 rows up. Not that there's a bad seat in the house. This is usually described as a Broadway class performance, an apt description. The acrobats, the dancers, and best of all, the singers knock your socks off. And erase any memories of rude cms.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw139.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw138.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw130.jpg
And the ac is cold. The only bad part is walking back out into equatorial temperatures when the show is over.
I head purposefully toward Asia hoping hot and sweaty would get me what I wanted, and it did. Another shot at Kali. Or three. We rode 3 times without ever waiting in a line, and I finally, on the third ride, got wet! However, it was largely because just before boarding, we got one of those famous Central Florida late afternoon cloudbursts. Then, as the temperature starts to drop quickly, my raft turns to put me in the line of fire. It took 5 rides, but I finally got it and goog. As quick as the rain started, it was over and the heat kicked back up. We are now into Extra Magic Hours.
We've pretty much done it all, except Nemo, so we decide to dedicate the rest of the day to the Yeti. We try our fast passes from that morning and are told they can't be used in EMH. What? They took them at MK on Splash Mountain. So we get in line, a ten minute wait. As we approach the train, 4 attractive girls about 16 appear in the fast pas line and get right on. ***udgesickle? When confronted out front(there goes the last piece) the cm swears they used babyswap. There was no baby, just 4 babes. (Rude cm number 2) Anywho, Goofy and I rode in the back seat, and this is the place to be. The drag up the hill is more obstructed, so I see less of the scary height. The backward part you are in front and the twist into the cave is much more intense. I never really got a sense of stopping in the cave, we were just suddenly going forward.
We get off, hit the line and this time, Pluto and Mickey head to the back, but there are others getting on that train. so Goof and I ride and walk back to the entrance. Just as we get there, the one thing you don't want to see at WDW happens. Lightning! Within 10 seconds, they close the line. Then starts the reading of the announcement-This attraction is closed due to lightning. It will remain closed until 10 minutes after the last strike is seen. Just then Mick and Plu show up and we say sorry you didn't get to and they say but we did. They were stopped at the top when the first flash occurred. So they got to finish the ride. Little pinhead cm starts reading his announcement again, but this time adds at the end if you wish to wait on queue you may. So we start in. He stops us and says the ride is closed. I said you just announced we could wait in line. He gets another cm and they block the entrance and call security. Just then a suit shows up and chews little pinhead out and repeats what I'd just said. Little pinhead slinks away nearly tripping over his lip.
We get in line and spend several minutes ringing the bells and looking at the 'artifacts' and standing on the platform. The lightning flashes are getting more frequent even though it hasn't rained a drop since Kali. We decide it's time to moove on. We stop and shop on the way out and are on the bus before 7. Although it doesn't end up that early an evening, we head to AS Music.

[NAB]

And did you get your directions....:rotfl2:

Great picture of Divine !!

AK is always hot. Glad you got to cool off.

[monymony3471]

UP-DATE!
UP-DATE!!
UP-DATE!!!

We needs us a little DUCK fix!

I had a little problem scrolling and reading this fastly. :rolleyes1

Nice shot of devine. I have that on our to do list every trip and we somehow miss her?

I never heard of a Rude CM. They really do exist? Wow!

[UtahMama]

It will be up within the hour. Just for you.
NO WAY!!!!! for me? YOU are my favorite duck!
Ok, it's been a while. I've tried to write a couple of times and end up not liking anything I've written. Hopefully, third time's a charm. Just caught up in Uma's for inspiration.

OMGosh! I got a cameo!!!! :lovestruc
We had a small snag, though, when Goofy and I got our tray, we headed to the patio on the river. Mickey and Pluto got theirs a minute later and went up the steps to the hottest place on Earth. We waited for them to show up, and they waited for us. "When we finished, Goofy and I were refreshed, the others were hotter than ever. However, we all loved the ribs.
That place IS easy to get separated! Mmmmm, the ribs there are fab!
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw145.jpg
Looking for directions. I swear it.

Uh huh! :rolleyes1

But before that, I experienced something I'd never experienced at WDW before. An extremely rude cm. If you know the schedule at AK for Pocahontas, there's usually a show that lets out several minutes before Lion King starts. This show was in progress when we got over there and the eentrances were roped off. I walked past the entrances to the far end of the theater to see if you could see the stage from there. An older woman cm, working the gate on the opposite end,starts screaming that the next show won't start for 45 minutes and come down there to get in line. Now I'm just standing there, on the right side of the rope, and she screams again, you can't go in there now. I yell, I'm not. She screams that I must leave where I am, and I ask why. She says you can't enter the show after it starts. I walk away, toward Lion King, and she starts yelling again, the entrance is down here. Guests everywhere are staring at her. Several come over and asked what she was 'freaking out' about. As I continued toward the Lion King Theater, she continued to yell. Pluto kept saying just keep walking. I wanted to go back and give her a piece of my mind. Sadly, that's all I have left, so Pluto was right.

WHATever! I hate needless rudeness! Confronting her wouldn't have helped, she was on a roll. :mad:


***udgesickle? When confronted out front(there goes the last piece) the cm swears they used babyswap. There was no baby, just 4 babes.

They have "skillz" you don't.
Ha-Ha YOU got censored!!!! :laughing:



I get the waterfall and MAJOR over-splash every single time on Kali. Seriously!

[Minnie_Moo]

I agree, DTD - the Flame Tree seating area is seriously HOT!!! :firefight

When we had our little meet there in September, my hubby was very happy to sit by himself in the shade. I think our native Floridian even had sunstroke at AK that day.

[babynurse1]

The pirateballerina and I enjoyed your latest installment! Great job.

[DL55]

Enjoyed the pictures. I haven't seen DeVine. I hope I can see her this year. :)
Two rude CMs in one day. :sad1: Had to laugh at pinhead being chewed out. :laughing: Maybe they aren't being trained as well. I'm glad you were happy to get wet on Kali, I get too wet. :upsidedow

[Backstage_Gal]

Great update, DTD! Loved it!


I agree, DTD - the Flame Tree seating area is seriously HOT!!! :firefight

When we had our little meet there in September, my hubby was very happy to sit by himself in the shade. I think our native Floridian even had sunstroke at AK that day.

I did, I was seriously feeling ill!
I go from A/C House to A/C car to A/C office

[DonaldTDuck]

And did you get your directions....:rotfl2:

Great picture of Divine !!

AK is always hot. Glad you got to cool off.

I had a little problem scrolling and reading this fastly. :rolleyes1

Nice shot of devine. I have that on our to do list every trip and we somehow miss her?

I never heard of a Rude CM. They really do exist? Wow!

Enjoyed the pictures. I haven't seen DeVine. I hope I can see her this year. :)
Two rude CMs in one day. :sad1: Had to laugh at pinhead being chewed out. :laughing: Maybe they aren't being trained as well. I'm glad you were happy to get wet on Kali, I get too wet. :upsidedow
DeVine is simply, Devine. She is so graceful and hides quite well. Don't look for her, just walk slowly in Asia or around the Tree of Life. She's worth just hanging out to see.
We hadn't seen the last of rude people at Disney this day. Although the last one was not a cast member.

I agree, DTD - the Flame Tree seating area is seriously HOT!!! :firefight

When we had our little meet there in September, my hubby was very happy to sit by himself in the shade. I think our native Floridian even had sunstroke at AK that day.

The pirateballerina and I enjoyed your latest installment! Great job.

Great update, DTD! Loved it!




I did, I was seriously feeling ill!
I go from A/C House to A/C car to A/C office

It was HOT HOT HOTall right. Not this hothttp://deephousepage.com/smilies/devil10.gif but hot. The lower dining area was certainly cooler than the upper one.

[DonaldTDuck]

NO WAY!!!!! for me? YOU are my favorite duck!


OMGosh! I got a cameo!!!! :lovestruc
Hey, you're my mentor. I'd have never started if it weren't for you. You're my http://deephousepage.com/smilies/angelharp.gif.



That place IS easy to get separated! Mmmmm, the ribs there are fab!





WHATever! I hate needless rudeness! Confronting her wouldn't have helped, she was on a roll. :mad:
I had real bad thoughts. I got over it.


They have "skillz" you don't.
Ha-Ha YOU got censored!!!! :laughing:
Shoulda done it like this
http://deephousepage.com/smilies/***.gif



I get the waterfall and MAJOR over-splash every single time on Kali. Seriously!
Utahmama wet, I better not think about that too long.

[DonaldTDuck]

We decided I would go to Concierge at the resort and upgrade our tickets by a day. After the cm's at AK, it was so nice to have some one completely friendly and full of magic. What he wasn't full of was speed. Apparently, he had never upgraded a ticket before, nor had his boss, who came over to help 3 times. But while it took almost an hour to accomplish this, complete with a bill for almost $300, before he started taking off charges that didn't apply, we had a great chat. The mural at ASMusic has many of our favorite characters playing instruments, dancing, and singing. Looking at it made me realize, Donald is the only talking character that doesn't wear shoes. I asked the cm why, and he went into a ten minute rambling dialogue on Donald and Daisy, who somehow squeezes her duck feet into high heels(Don't ever complain about tight shoes again, ladies). I think his boss thought he was having way too much fun with me, cause she came over and did the document work and never stopped listening.
I finally got our passes, which worked perfectly, and went to find the guys. They were, gasp, shopping again. Guys, there are children present(gee, that's a cool tshirt). The plan was to go to DTD(how 'bout that) and eat at Planet Hollywood with the free vouchers in our packet. Mickey decided not to go, so there were just 3 of us. We got there about 9:30 and the place was rockin'. We found the hostess, and asked that we not be seated near the edge because of my fear of heights. She just stared at us. In a few minutes, she came and led us up to the third floor, to a table right on the edge. She said take it or leave it. Just like that. I said I couldn't sit there and would go back. Pluto and Goofy said they'd go with me, but I said, helk no, use those vouchers, but don't spend a cent more. And I left. Caught a bus back to ASMusic, and used a snack credit on a Mickeyhead Rice Krispy treat. Then went to Mickey's room, where we watched baseball and drank beer and ate all the snacks we could. I missed out, though, the guys went to Ragland Road. Sounds like a fun place. Next trip, for sure.
We've done 3 late EMH's and one early one, and of the 3, 2 were pretty useless. At MK we spent most of it sitting in the bowels of Splash Mountain and lightning cut short AK. But at MGM, it let us see Fantasmic and ride ToT over and over. And the morning one at Epcot was terrific. I guess we batted 500. But I'll use em every time when I'm on property.
Next time, MK, the first day of rehabbed Haunted Mansion, and the afternoon parade

[UtahMama]

What is this little morsel you snuck in last week, and no one saw :guilty:

To make up for it, here's some Donald BLING just for you :flower3:

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h229/XoCONV3RSEoX_69/th258.gifhttp://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q315/Carlos2926/thfoot_tap_donald.gif

[DL55]

Doesn't anyone care about customer service anymore? :confused3

[Backstage_Gal]

DTD, how did I miss this update? :confused3

Too funny about Daisy Duck and her shoes, it hurts me just thinking about it! :eek:

[DonaldTDuck]

What is this little morsel you snuck in last week, and no one saw :guilty:

To make up for it, here's some Donald BLING just for you :flower3:

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h229/XoCONV3RSEoX_69/th258.gifhttp://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q315/Carlos2926/thfoot_tap_donald.gif

DTD, how did I miss this update? :confused3

Too funny about Daisy Duck and her shoes, it hurts me just thinking about it! :eek:
I swear I mentioned this on Moovin' but that was before the wise moderators destroyed it without warning. Thanx for the DDbling, UMA. Marita, how could Daisy be that devine without high heels?

Doesn't anyone care about customer service anymore? :confused3
Hi, DL, most do, most try hard, some are just jerks. I've been to 2 Planet Hollywoods and every one at both of them were jerks. Won't be in a third.

[DonaldTDuck]

Got up not quite early, and just got dressed and took off. We'd decided to hit the Main Street Bakery for breakfast, so a quick Diet Coke and on to MK. We pass by the pool every day, but I just got this picture loaded, and, well, you know how I feel about these guys.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw15.jpg
As we pass the pool, the staff is dancing to YMCA with a bunch of kids. Walking faster!
When we get in MK, I suggest we head to the Fire Department, but it was closed. However, across the street, we saw this guy just hanging out.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw102.jpg
There was also a sign telling guests that there were no table service restaurants available without ADRs that day in the MK or any of the MK resorts. :scared1: We were glad we had our ADR for Whispering Canyon Cafe that night. And that reminded us to hurry to the Bakery. The other guys got a breakfast, and all were thrilled, but I just had to have a breakfast ice cream sandwich. And another Diet Coke. Hi, my name is Donald, and I am a DietCokeaholic.(Hi, Donald)
Oko, we're too late to be the first on Haunted Mansion, but this is the first day opened after the rehab, so we headed to Liberty Square. The line was out past the end of the line, but lots of ghoulish cms are there to keep things mooving. The sign said 45 minutes, but was closer to 30. We barely had time to read all the gravemarkers.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw101.jpg
We wrote our own before the stretching room.
Here lies Donald
Ran out of luck.
He stood straight up
When Goof yelled duck.
I couldn't believe the difference the rehab made. I knew the sound system would be improved, but that was just the tip of the iceburg. The new paintings in the library, the bride, and most impressively, Madame Leota were amazing. And we got the hitchhiker that looks like our buddy MA(MA is ok) so that was cool. I finally remembered to look for Mr. Toad in the pet cemetary. Got a little misty. THAT was the best ride ever. BTW, on the Simpsons a few weeks ago, Marge went to an amusement park that had Mr. Toad's Mild Ride. I likee.
We head to Tomorrowland via Peter Pan. I can't be in MK without riding this. We get off and head straight to Buzz. You'd think it would be the oother way around. I'm gonna quit riding Buzz. Zurg is safe from me. My score gets worse and worse.
We exit and see that Carousel of Progress has a short line, so we go over. As we start up the ramp, the door opens. There were maybe 40 people in our theater. But half knew the music! It was almost a singalong, There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.... Sadly, not the guys' favorite. Or we'd have done it again.
Ok, I lied. We get back on Buzz for our sixth tour of duty. We've ridden in every combination and everyone's steered in each combo. I'm with Mickey, he's driving. And I have a personal best! I topped 30,000! I came in third in our group!?
I'm hopeless. Uma, I need lessons.
I always thought the Laugh Floor sounded lame and really didn't want to do it, but Pluto especially and Mickey and Goofy wanted to, so we did. And was I wrong. We laughed ourselves silly. Ok, one ha would probably have gotten us there, but we laughed a lot. I love Florence Stanley's voice and always thought she was Roz, but turns out Roz was voiced by Bob Peterson. Anywho, Roz is a hoot. At our show, and I assume all of them, they pick out some strange looking person to pick on. Well guess what. There was someone weirder looking than me there. And they gave it to him with both barrels. And I think he hurt himself laughing. Do not skip this show. I told the guys if we'd skipped Stench, we could have seen this twice. I never saw it coming, but my arm still hurts.
Of all the things to do in MK, we decided we had to ride HM again. This time the line was only 10 minutes. And the cms were less involved in crowd control and more into playfulness. One said she was 'dying' to ride. Oops, too late. I'm already dead. It hits us in line we haven't had lunch. And we're right at Columbia House, a place I've never eaten, but have wanted to. So 2 seconds after we get out of our doomsbuggy we're in line. The place is packed, and the guys worry about seating. But I Dis, so I know about upstairs. And sure enough, there was only one table occupied up there. Ah, the power of the Dis.
I think we all got the combo, fish and chicken strips. And we all loved the fish, liked the chicken. When I go back, I'll just get the fish.The chocolate cake was pretty goog. But eating here meant skipping Pecos Bill. And PB has the best burger in the World.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw27.jpg
We finish up about 2:30 and walk out into the early parade crowd. We pick a spot near where the path splits toward HM and Fantasyland where the parade makes the turn. We took a few pictures.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw129.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw126.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw123.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw124.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw23.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw122.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw106.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw105.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw104.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw22.jpg
I can't get enough of that guy
Next, water rides and my first Spectromagic
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/Spectro.jpg

[ptk55369]

Awesome report. Just read the whole thing in one sitting!

[Tatania]

Awesome report. Just read the whole thing in one sitting!

Me too. You're descriptions are great and it's almost like being there.

[DL55]

Great installment. Loved the pictures. DH doesn't care for parades, I can't remember when I saw the 3 o'clock parade.:confused: I can't wait to see HM and the Laugh Floor! :banana:

[NAB]

We loved the Laugh floor too. Glad you didn't miss it.

My dd got picked to be Bo but she was dressed as a princess so they called her Queen of .....(our town). It was so funny and they asked her what she kept in her hand bag.

Ice cream and pop for breakfast....:worship: People ask me all the time how I can drink Diet Coke in the morning. It is my water....:rotfl:

[UtahMama]

The Spectro Magic bobble-headed specters are freaky-dee and the subject of many of my nightmares. As is Cosmic Ray and the Burger King King. :scared:


Here lies Donald
Ran out of luck.
He stood straight up
When Goof yelled duck.

Poor poor Donald
If only he'd ducked
Goof tried to warn him
and now he's plucked.




Yet again with the diet Coke! Seriously, try the Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi.
Come to the dark side! :rolleyes1

[monymony3471]

Thanks for the update.

We just bought our airfare and the bugs itching a bit more.

[UtahMama]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c83/Cryptangel_Ayumi/Bump.jpg

http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii194/Neppy171/BUMP.jpg

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd202/neelb24/bump.gif

[Backstage_Gal]

Uma, thanks for the bump, I totally missed the update last week.

Sounds like you had a good and fun day, DTD, thanks for the update. I'll have to check out the new HM someday........

[UtahMama]

:wizard:

[DonaldTDuck]

Awesome report. Just read the whole thing in one sitting!Sorry it's taken so long to get another one done. Thanx for reading.

Me too. You're descriptions are great and it's almost like being there. Thanks for your kind words

Great installment. Loved the pictures. DH doesn't care for parades, I can't remember when I saw the 3 o'clock parade.:confused: I can't wait to see HM and the Laugh Floor! :banana:The Laugh Floor was the surprise of the trip for me. I've gone with folks that didn't like the parade, so haqving a group that wanted to see it was great.

We loved the Laugh floor too. Glad you didn't miss it.

My dd got picked to be Bo but she was dressed as a princess so they called her Queen of .....(our town). It was so funny and they asked her what she kept in her hand bag.

Ice cream and pop for breakfast....:worship: People ask me all the time how I can drink Diet Coke in the morning. It is my water....:rotfl:
Diet Coke is the breakfast drink of choice at our hospital. All those nurses couldn't be wrong.

Thanks for the update.

We just bought our airfare and the bugs itching a bit more.I'm getting that itch too Monica. Hope to do the left coast this year.

The Spectro Magic bobble-headed specters are freaky-dee and the subject of many of my nightmares. As is Cosmic Ray and the Burger King King. :scared:


Here lies Donald
Ran out of luck.
He stood straight up
When Goof yelled duck.

Poor poor Donald
If only he'd ducked
Goof tried to warn him
and now he's plucked.




Yet again with the diet Coke! Seriously, try the Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi.
Come to the dark side! :rolleyes1I'd sooner switch to RC lite. But I do indulge in the occassional DMD.

Uma, thanks for the bump, I totally missed the update last week.

Sounds like you had a good and fun day, DTD, thanks for the update. I'll have to check out the new HM someday........HM is awesome. Gotta get in the parks once in a while. You could pick out just a few things on a visit and be back on the couch in no time.

Watch this space for update.

[whgrn]

Sorry it's taken so long to get another one done. Thanx for reading.

Watch this space for update.

:surfweb: popcorn:: I'm watching!!!

[DonaldTDuck]

Have you been to WDW in September? And have you stood in one spot for an hour to watch the parade? Well, it was HOT!! No shade anywhere. So when the parade had passed us by, we wanted to do something cooler. And there we were, right at the River of the Americas. So we decided to take a cruise. The Liberty was docked, so we just had a few minutes to grab a Diet Coke and climb on board. After the crowd of the parade, it was nice to have a quiet ride, just rollin' on the river.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw118.jpg
The guys enjoyed it.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw117.jpg
We decided to stick to a theme and headed for Jungle Cruise.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw113.jpg
Surely we couldn't get 2 bad pilots in a row. And we didn't. This time we had a polite young man with understated wit. He enjoyed the cruise, spoke clearly, and worked the crowd, the three things necessary in my opinion, to be a great pilot. We noticed his name tag said Kentucky, so we had a new friend.But we missed getting a pic. He was on the college program, so we asked which college. He said Alice LLoyd, and we all said, oh Pippa Passes. He freaked. No one has heard of either. But we were all familiar. I had a childhood friend that went there and Goofy has spent years as an academic advisor at Vol State and Jefferson CC. So we had an advantage. I have no idea how Mickey or Pluto knew. Always nice to run into home folk. And he nailed the, well, you know.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw114.jpg
We head to BTMRR.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw120.jpg
Two rides in a row. The cm working the line had Kentucky on her tag, and turned out she goes to Eastern Kentucky University, our(Western Kentucky University) most bitter rival. Plus we were playing in football that Saturday. We managed to be friendly. We're sooo mature. The line this time was fairly short, about 15 minutes.
You may remember that on Sunday we got fast passes goog anytime that month after being stuck on Splash. Well, Goofy had managed to lose his. Pluto and I decided to use ours on Splash, but Mickey and Goofy decided to head to Pirates since Mickey didn't want to get wet. The guys are getting confident. Or scared of Splash breaking. Anyway, we ride and I finally see something I have looked for on other trips but always missed, the varmint that drops down and says Go FSU. It is really something you have to be looking for. He's straight overhead before the last climb to the drop. And he makes Chip and Dale sound like they should sing bass. One more thing to love on Splash.
We meet up with the guys and head to Main Street. We need to hit the Emporium and find a spot for Spectromagic. And I want to be on Main Street for Spectro so we can make a quick, or at least not too slow, escape to the boat docks to head to WCC for a late dinner. I've never seen Spectro, and wanted a goog spot for it. We shop a bit and head out to the street. There's a group of college aged kids sitting on the ground against the shops eating. We stand on the sidewalk behind the early birds sitting on curb. college kids get upset, say that's their spot. We offer to let them in front, but they insist they'll wait till the parade starts. Not likely. We didn't move. Great spot.
I was standing next to a guy that said he hoped Daisy would be in the parade, that he and his friend had been looking for her all week, but had only seen her in the parade that afternoon. Hey, some one who understands. Then his friend shows up. Anyway, the second guy is about 5'4" and stands sort of between us in back. I turn to him and say get in front where you can see. He says he didn't want to be pushy. I said if you'd been pushy, you'd stay in back, now get up here. I could see over him with no obstruction. What a show! A few pics.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw112.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw111.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw110.jpg
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw109.jpg

As soon as Spectro was over, we began making our way to the exit to head to the docks. We had late ADRs at WCC and had to catch the boat. And with a little luck, get to see Wishes from the lake. Well, we had more than a little luck. As our boat backed out to come around, the fireworks started. We were in the back and had a spectacular view. Too far away for pictures with our cameras, though. The big finale was just finishing as we passed the Contemporary. The guys said I had mad tour guide skilz. If you've never seen Wishes from the FW/WL boat, it's worth taking a chance on, expecially with goog food at the end of the ride.
We got to WL 30 minutes before our our ADR and the place was packed. Fortunately there is a thirst quenching station(bar) there so Mickey and I made use of it. Twice. Got it to go so we could roam around the Lodge. It is beautiful, but will be some place I never stay. The rooms all open out to the atrium and Donald don't do that. Scary for those of us askeered of heights.
They called us for dinner and Runnin' Rhonda was our server. She dutifully threw straws at us and took our drink order, but by the time she got back the place was emptying out fast. So none of the hijinks(the only work in the English language with 3 dotted letters in a row[Gosh I love trivia]) were happening. But Rhonda was friendly, sweet and purty. And made sure our bottomless shakes really were. Now I was all set to order off the menu, get the ribs with chicken wings for an appetizer. But I saw the skillet at the next table, and it looked mighty goog. So we all got the skillet, and it was amazing. We reloaded all the meats and beans. By the time we got to dessert, we were done in. So Rhonda packed up 4 s'more cheesecakes to go for us.
All along Goofy and Pluto had been talking about going back to DTD(love them initials) to Raglan Road, and I'd been telling them we'll see. I took 20 bucks from the general fund just in case. Well, Pluto finishes off the last of the pork, looks over and says where can we get a cab? I knew it. We settle the bill via dining plan and Goofy heads to concierge desk to have them call a cab. But there's already one there. We walk out, climb in our chariot, and are homed in less than 15 minutes. Beats the bus to DTD then catching one to ASMusic. And the price was $15.25. We gave him the twenty and were on our way. In bed by midnite. Cinderella could take lessons.

[DonaldTDuck]

:surfweb: popcorn:: I'm watching!!!
Ten minutes. Was that quick enough?(after waiting 3 weeks:scared1: )

[UtahMama]

Me and My Magical Bumps are Back! :laughing:

The Backside of Water! I heart that part! Really I do!

You look like a big ol' teddy bear on the river boat. Really, we need to find you a lady friend. It's my mission now. So be nice.

I can't believe your home-boys didn't want to get wet On Splash. Wet underclothing and wet socks are rashes and chaffing in waiting. I haven't seen the FSU part. I actually thought it was an urban myth. Now I have to go back and see me a critter. :confused3

Ah. The Skillet.
It rocks my socks big time. I always get the same guy(Dusty Trails). All 3 times. He actually remembered me this last time. :rolleyes1 Made me ride the pony in public.

Wait, RC lite? :snooty:

I'm going to go scratch my eyes out now.

[Minnie_Moo]

DTD, great update!

My little sis and I unexpectedly caught the MK fireworks one night while on the boat from MK to Fort Wilderness (where we were staying in one of the cabins). It was so magical! My DH and DD had gone off on their own and left my sis and I to explore AK back around the time it first opened. We had a lovely dinner at Rainforest Cafe, bussed it to MK, then "home" via boat.

Such a memorable evening :goodvibes

We loved riding on those boats. The FW internal buses, not so much. Except the night the bus driver led Christmas carols and everyone joined in. Another goog WDW memory . . .

[Backstage_Gal]

Great update, DTD! :thumbsup2

[ttester9612]

Hey DTD,

It's been awhile since I've been here. This is a great TR. I can't believe your still writing, will you be finished by your next trip? I am so looking forward to my next trip in May. Can't wait to see to the rehab HM. :scared1:

Keep on writing...:surfweb: popcorn::

[babynurse1]

Thanks for the update. I like how you kept bumping into CM's from Kentucky. I guess it really is a small world after all.:rolleyes:

[DL55]

I remember the critter in the ceiling! :)
Love the jokes on the JC. :laughing:

[whgrn]

Ten minutes. Was that quick enough?(after waiting 3 weeks:scared1: )

YEAH, Baby!!!!! Now that's what I call service!!:lmao:

Great post. Looking forward to more...

[Bloodhound]

Hi everyone thats been following this Thread. Im Pluto of the 4 Big Guys and I'm amazed at how everyone likes to know all about our trip. I've finally read the trip report and all the comments and its brought back several great memories. I cant wait till I return. Next trip I want to bring my wife she has never been and really wants to go. :cool1:

[DL55]

:welcome: to the DIS Bloodhound aka Pluto!
We're interested in your point of view too!

[UtahMama]

Hi everyone thats been following this Thread. Im Pluto of the 4 Big Guys and I'm amazed at how everyone likes to know all about our trip. I've finally read the trip report and all the comments and its brought back several great memories. I cant wait till I return. Next trip I want to bring my wife she has never been and really wants to go. :cool1:

Heyyyy!

You should add your 2 cents to the report as Donald reports.

Is it accurate thus far? We DO want to know every little detail. It's how we survive between trips. popcorn::

Your wife will love it!

[whgrn]

Heyyyy!

You should add your 2 cents to the report as Donald reports.

Is it accurate thus far? We DO want to know every little detail. It's how we survive between trips. popcorn::

Your wife will love it!

Welcome Pluto!

I was just wondering the same things as UtahMama Is DTD giving us the WHOLE story?

[Bloodhound]

DTD is doing a excellant job with this trip report. He asked for our input on planning the trip and we mostly left it all up to him. He is a first class planner and tour guide. We never could have seen half of what we did without him. Each of the other 2 big guys could add a minor detail Im sure but DTD remembers things Ive already forgotten.
I was the observant one of the group not wanting to miss a thing and was constantly scanning the area from side to side. I made several good suggestions all week. I talked DTD into trying a couple things he hadnt done Like Downtown Disney which was a bust for him but Goofy and I found Ragland Road which is a great Irish Pub with a clog dancer and live music with No Cover Charge during the weekdays. I also talked him into seeing the live bird show even though birds freak him out especially when a huge bird flapped him on the head as it flew overhead. Im sure I could think of other things if I had started reading the trip report soon after the trip.

The 4 of us have been buddy's almost 30 years now And we meet at WKU. Goofy and Mickey have know each other since childhood growing up in Bardstown , KY. Mickey and I were pledge brothers in Alpha Phi Omega while Donald was already a alumni. Goofy and I were in ROTC in a millitary Frat called Pershing Rifles. We've all stayed friends ever since.

Im a rides person the faster and higher the better, growing up my family went to Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green untill we outgrew it and then went to Opryland every summer in Nashville. After my daughter moved to Louisville we bought season passes each year to Kentucky Kingdom Six Flags. This was my first trip to WDW and it just blew my away. Its better than I could ever imagine.

The comercials on TV with the adults turning into kids having a blast couldnt be more true. I love the fast rides and really bumbed about the Rockin Roller Coaster was shut down to be redone. ToT and Everest were my top 2 Favs. I remember trying to high five the Yeti and grabbing the tail of the critter but I never could quite get either. All the shows we went to were better than anything Ive ever seen. The Hoopdy Doo Review Show and Feast is the most memorable even though I had a hard time walking to the bus with the free beer and Its a must see when I return. My favorite show was the Lion King with it being interactive with the audiance and it must compare to Broadway Shows with so many performers. Lights Motor Action was Fav outside show.:yay:

Thanks for all the interest.

[DL55]

So glad you enjoyed the trip. :banana:

[Backstage_Gal]

Thanks for your input on this thread. Great to know that DTD did such a great job planning, and thrilled to know you enjoyed it (I can keep my job another year maybe, LOL). And good for you to find some new things for DTD too.

[Bloodhound]

Thanks for your input on this thread. Great to know that DTD did such a great job planning, and thrilled to know you enjoyed it (I can keep my job another year maybe, LOL). And good for you to find some new things for DTD too.

Hi, I hope you have a great cruise. Let us know all about it. I saw a episode on the travel channel about Disney Cruise lines and it looked awesome. I want to go with my wife someday.:thumbsup2

[mom2mek]

Subbing and going back to read this thing! :goodvibes

Looks like you guys had a great time! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Bloodhound, aka Pluto! :yay:

I'll be back after I have read all about your excellent adventures so far! :surfweb:


Sara

[DonaldTDuck]

Pluto, my main mutt, goog to see you on the Dis. I think this trip was so great because all 4 guys just wanted to have a goog time. BTW, Pluto aka bloodhound and I shared a room at our sci-fi convention this year. So did Gooly and Mickey.

For all you JC fans, the backside of Donald and Pluto.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/mini-DisneyWorld160.jpg

[DonaldTDuck]

Hi everylody(channelling Dr. Nick),
Sorry it's been so long, I just got back from a fantastic basketball trip to Mobile, AL where I ate like I was at WDW. Seafood 3 times and bbq twice. And great pizza. The Big Guy's alma mater, Western KY University, won men's and women's Sun Belt tourneys to make the dances. Yeah baby!
Me and My Magical Bumps are Back! :laughing:

The Backside of Water! I heart that part! Really I do!

You look like a big ol' teddy bear on the river boat. Really, we need to find you a lady friend. It's my mission now. So be nice.

I can't believe your home-boys didn't want to get wet On Splash. Wet underclothing and wet socks are rashes and chaffing in waiting. I haven't seen the FSU part. I actually thought it was an urban myth. Now I have to go back and see me a critter. :confused3

Ah. The Skillet.
It rocks my socks big time. I always get the same guy(Dusty Trails). All 3 times. He actually remembered me this last time. :rolleyes1 Made me ride the pony in public.

Wait, RC lite? :snooty:

I'm going to go scratch my eyes out now.
Thanx, UMA, you legitimize my report. Jungle Cruise is the perfect Disney ride. And if they ever close it, they can just moove half the jokes to the Laugh Floor.

DTD, great update!

My little sis and I unexpectedly caught the MK fireworks one night while on the boat from MK to Fort Wilderness (where we were staying in one of the cabins). It was so magical! My DH and DD had gone off on their own and left my sis and I to explore AK back around the time it first opened. We had a lovely dinner at Rainforest Cafe, bussed it to MK, then "home" via boat.

Such a memorable evening :goodvibes

We loved riding on those boats. The FW internal buses, not so much. Except the night the bus driver led Christmas carols and everyone joined in. Another goog WDW memory . . .
I always am up for getting on a boat, or a ship or keelboat or canoe. Fireworks is a great bonus.

Great update, DTD! :thumbsup2
Thanks, Marita

Hey DTD,

It's been awhile since I've been here. This is a great TR. I can't believe your still writing, will you be finished by your next trip? I am so looking forward to my next trip in May. Can't wait to see to the rehab HM. :scared1:

Keep on writing...:surfweb: popcorn::
The next chapter will be the last day, a half day at EPCOT. Then home again home again, jiggityjig.

Thanks for the update. I like how you kept bumping into CM's from Kentucky. I guess it really is a small world after all.:rolleyes:
Yes it is a small small world.;)

I remember the critter in the ceiling! :)
Love the jokes on the JC. :laughing:
I luv that critter, even if he says go FSU.

YEAH, Baby!!!!! Now that's what I call service!!:lmao:

Great post. Looking forward to more...
I'll start work on the next chapter tomorrow. Have it up soonish.

Welcome Pluto!

I was just wondering the same things as UtahMama Is DTD giving us the WHOLE story?
the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me Mickey.

Subbing and going back to read this thing! :goodvibes

Looks like you guys had a great time! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Bloodhound, aka Pluto! :yay:

I'll be back after I have read all about your excellent adventures so far! :surfweb:


Sara
Thanks for reading. It's hard work writing this, but it's also the next best thing to going.
Next trip will hopefully be DLR next fall. I should finish this by then.

[Bloodhound]

Hi DTD, What does JC fans mean? GO BIG RED!!! We did have a great Big Guys reunion at the Sci FI Convention although not much Sci or Fi was going on! LOL

[DonaldTDuck]

Hi DTD, What does JC fans mean? GO BIG RED!!! We did have a great Big Guys reunion at the Sci FI Convention although not much Sci or Fi was going on! LOL
JC= Jungle Cruise. Half the fun of the Dis is figuring out all the acronyms. Texters got nothin' on us.

[Bloodhound]

Hey Big Guys, We need to get Disney to do a commercial of us 4 on one of the Big Roller Coasters or Tower of Terror as adults and then comming down the ride turning into our perspective CM Charectors or ten year olds ...lol ..... and they could pay us with disney vacations...wouldnt that be great? Hey ..or we could do a really awesome reality tv show of our antics at WDW.

I need some sleep.... been here to long ...just venting. G Nite

[ttester9612]

Hey Big Guys, We need to get Disney to do a commercial of us 4 on one of the Big Roller Coasters or Tower of Terror as adults and then comming down the ride turning into our perspective CM Charectors or ten year olds ...lol ..... and they could pay us with disney vacations...wouldnt that be great? Hey ..or we could do a really awesome reality tv show of our antics at WDW.

I need some sleep.... been here to long ...just venting. G Nite


Now that's a commercial I would love to see. :rotfl: :rotfl:

[Bloodhound]

Happy Easter everyone

[ibouncetoo]

Happy Easter back at cha! And to all the fearsome foursome and their families!

[DonaldTDuck]

Sorry it's been too long. Basketball season has been in the way. But I think some of you may forgive me. As I said, I spent a week at the Sun Belt tournament. Well, if you've been paying any attention, my school, WKU, is in the Sweet Sixteen with UCLA up next tomorrow night. And did you see THE SHOT?
I've also worked the last 9 days in a row and slept 13 hours since I got off yesterday. So now I'm rested and am starting work on the last day. It should be up by tomorrow afternoon.

[FauntleroyFAN07]

For all you JC fans, the backside of Donald and Pluto.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/mini-DisneyWorld160.jpg

hey BH, i told you i would find you guys again, i noticed in this last picture that all your heads seem to be tilted a little to the right and looking at something.
:rolleyes1

just an observation.
:rotfl:

[camelotcats]

hey BH, i told you i would find you guys again, i noticed in this last picture that all your heads seem to be tilted a little to the right and looking at something.
:rolleyes1

just an observation.
:rotfl:

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Dude, I have looked at that picture 5 or 6 times, and I never caught that.

I am dumb. :sad2:

[Bloodhound]

hey BH, i told you i would find you guys again, i noticed in this last picture that all your heads seem to be tilted a little to the right and looking at something.
:rolleyes1

just an observation.
:rotfl:

Oh yes we were... a lovely sigh to behold...dont you agree? We had many such sightings in the World. Mickey was really into these snapshots for his collection...:rotfl: you know ...the one that cant comit.:sad2:

[disneygirlinnj]

I'm in for the rest of the trippie! How did I miss this earlier? :)

[Bloodhound]

Hey, DTD, you should go to FauntleroyFan07's TR page 91 post 1360 and see whats on DW's tshirt I think you will like the pics with the princesses.

[candee0512]

OMG I neeeeed that shirt!!!! I'm married to my Cranky Sweetheart and we have a Cranky Son who loves DD.

Is it from WDW?

:-)
Candee

[FauntleroyFAN07]

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

Dude, I have looked at that picture 5 or 6 times, and I never caught that.

I am dumb. :sad2:

I am observant and notice things in peoples pics.
:surfweb:
Oh yes we were... a lovely sigh to behold...dont you agree? We had many such sightings in the World. Mickey was really into these snapshots for his collection...:rotfl: you know ...the one that cant comit.:sad2:
:headache:
OMG I neeeeed that shirt!!!! I'm married to my Cranky Sweetheart and we have a Cranky Son who loves DD.

Is it from WDW?

:-)
Candee
it is from the disney store online, we got it last year on there clearance sale.

[DonaldTDuck]

It's Friday, our last day at WDW and the first MNSSHP, which we are not attending. We're going back to Epcot, where we spent a loong day Tuesday. So we sleep in just a little, get up and pack the car, and head to ... Fantasia Gardens. I've always wanted to play, but this was the first folks I'd been with to agree. We decided to play the more challenging course, The Fairways. And boy, was it tuff. The maximum on a hole is 6, and each of us got a 6 on at least 4 holes. It was a tight match, but I managed to eek out a victory. I scored a 15 over par 76, and Golfy er Goofy had the worst score at 80. Next time I'll try The Gardens or head to Wintersummerland.
We're in the car for a quick getaway, and our plan is to eat at Rose and Crown and be gone by 5. We need to get a goog jump on the trip home since I have to work at 5 am Sunday morning. We park under the monorail right on the end, so finding the car won't be a problem. As we near the front of the park, Mickey mentions we haven't been on the monorail yet, and they all want to ride. So up the ramp and onto the monorail. We take a quick ride to the TTC and back. Oh the sacrifices the tour guide has to make.
We enter Epcot and head to Innovations. We hung out at the fire truck for a while, but didn't want to spend too much time here. We head to Ellen's another sacrifice. If I made a list of my ten least favorite celebrities, Ellen Jamie Lee Curtis and Alex Trebek would all make it. But hey, I love Bil Nye the Science Guy. He has that nerd wit that cuts right through. Plus, I love sitting on the end that goes right under the munching dinosaur. Koo-ool.
We head to Soarin' to get a fast pass, and the time to return is 4:25. So we decide to try to eat earlier at R&C, then get to Soarin', ride, and leave. R&C is usually easy to get into in the afternoon, even with free dining. No one wants to redo anything in Future World besides Soarin', so we head to World Showcase. We head left and go to China. After watching the 360 movie, we head to the exhibit of terra cotte soldiers, an incredible display.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw144.jpg
My phone starts ringing. This is the first time all week my phone has rung, and I've given the guys a hard time about their phones ringing all week. So they start on me. I look at the number, and it's work. My boss asks, where are you? So I reply, China. Uhhh, oh. Then she tells me one of my coworkers is now my ex-coworker and she has to cover the weekend. And wants to work the early shift Sunday and have me come in at 10. A reprieve! We can stay a little later. Last day goog news, how magical can ya get?
It's nearly 2 and we haven't eaten a real meal all day, just snacked at Fantasia Gardens, so we head to R&C. They are nearly empty, so we ask if we can get seated. They give us a pager and say they'll call. WTH? We head to the bar and get almost to a seat when the thing lights up. Crazy.
We get seated in the main room with 2 other tables. Our server had been here a while and said she wanted to stay here, but moove all her back home friends to Orlando.
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee316/DonaldTDuck/dw143.jpg

Can we suggest Kentucky? No? Oh well
Since we're traveling soonish, no one has a beer. It felt so odd. We all got different things and Mickey and I decided to split our entries. We were paying oop, so no appetizers. Or desserts. I got the open faced roast beef sandwich and he got the Shepherd's pie. Mine came with leek soup. It was all delicious. It would have been better with a Guinness, but I was the driver. And I would have wanted more than one.
After lunch we head to France. We wondered around the shops but they were crowded, so we didn't get a pastry. And we skipped the movie. I won't make that sacrifice unless under extreme duress. Or a woman asks. We then walk through Morocco and on to Japan. Japan had a terrific toy display, with robots from the fifties being my favorite part. We then headed to Italy and caught the end of the street performers. As soon as they finish, we head to Soarin'.
Did I mention it was hot? It was hot. The hottest day we've had. And of course, humid. We began to notice as we walked briskly to try to get to Soarin' by 5:25. We left Italy at 5:10. but it seemed like a 5 mile hike. We made it, but not by much. The fast pass line was empty, so we were on by 5:30. Love those dirty looks as you walk right by folks that have been waiting over an hour and have finally gotten to the front of the line. hehehe.
After once again trying to kick Eisner in the skull, we head to The Living Seas. There's no line, so we enter via Nemo again. We head to Crush, but the last show of the day just ended. So we tour the aquarium.There were several divers but the fish are all so used to them they don't react at all. We gather at the manatee pool and decide it was time to leave. Of course, outside the gates, we had to hit one last shop. Worse than a bunch of women, I swear.
We climb in the car and head to The Western Way. As we get to the arch where Mickey and the gang wave goodbye it starts to rain. Within 3 minutes it's a downpour. I look at the clock and it's straight up 7. I mention how glad I was we weren't staying for MNSSHP. When we get home, I see where most everyone was miserable at the party and people were demanding rainchecks. Yay us.
The plan is to get to the Georgia border and find the first motel and that's about what happened. We checked our gas and motel fund and figured there was enough left to hit Hardees. Doublecheeseburgers and beer, back to the real world. Up in the morning and head north. Pluto wants to find an IHOP, so we don't eat for hours. When we finally find one, it's lunchtime and we end up at the Ryans next door. Then it's straight through to my sister's house to split the luggage and go our separate ways. But the guys want to meet in Bowling Green to eat wings, and I'm always up for that. So after a whole week of constant togetherness, our friendship was stronger than ever. Who'd o' thunk it?
__________________

[candee0512]

Oh my, I'm unconsolable. I don't see it at TDS online!!!! Off to Ebay . . .

Candee

[candee0512]

DTD, what a great trip report! I love your writing style. Thanks for sharing your memories with us!

Candee

[camelotcats]

Its so great to hear about people who are BETTER friends after traveling together, as opposed to never wanting to travel again.

It souns like you had a good time in EPcot, even with having to sacrifice the guinness. Ouch.

Who's in the picture with the server?

[DL55]

After once again trying to kick Eisner in the skull:rotfl2:
What a great ending. Not having to be to work early and it raining on the MNSSHP that you couldn't attend anyway.:rotfl:
I'm glad you all had fun and are still talking to each other. :thumbsup2

[UtahMama]

Wait! You're DONE?
I'm going to miss constantly begging for you to go on! :rolleyes1
Posting BUMPING hints! :flower3:


I loved every minute of your guy-bonding.
I love that you SHOP!!!!!!!:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

You did an Awesome Job, Donald Thomas! :hug:

[Bloodhound]

Oh yes we were... a lovely sigh to behold...dont you agree? We had many such sightings in the World. Mickey was really into these snapshots for his collection...:rotfl: you know ...the one that cant comit.:sad2:
Hi Dan, Did I say something wrong?:confused3 send me a PM

[Backstage_Gal]

Great report, DTD! YAY for finishing it, good job :thumbsup2

[NAB]

Great Job DTD !!!!!!!

Loved all the pictures. You have great friends.

Hope you get to do it all again soon. :goodvibes

[Minnie_Moo]

A great ending to a wonderful trip report, DTD! :thumbsup2

Thanks so much for sharing the fun with your imaginary friends pirate:

[mom2mek]

Loved your report! So glad I found it! :cool1:

Thanks for coming back and finishing it! :goodvibes

Are you guys planning any future trips together?


Sara

[Bloodhound]

Wait! You're DONE?
I'm going to miss constantly begging for you to go on! :rolleyes1
Posting BUMPING hints! :flower3:


I loved every minute of your guy-bonding.
I love that you SHOP!!!!!!!:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

You did an Awesome Job, Donald Thomas! :hug:

Hi I did alot of shopping cause the kind hearted person that I am bought presents for my wife and kids and also bought these guys some soda can holder coolers too. I Probably made them forced to shop more while waiting on me...Hey with all the stuff we bought it weighed down the Explorer another 25lbs or so.

[foxyroxy40]

i just found your trip report last night and loved it.it brought back alot of memories and i cant wait to go again this december my husband is a big guy to and he loves it their even thou he complained about going the last two times so i suggested that we go some where else this year for vacation and he had a cow he says the kids would be disappointed but i know it's him that would be diappointed because the kids were up for something different but are willing to go to disney again for their dad and their's a bunch of things we haven't tried yet well thanks for sharing you guys all look familar to me but i'm from the north, michigan i've been to kentucky alot when i was younger well thanks again

[Bloodhound]

Hey DTD, MAGICFOR2 is doing a PTR for Disneyland that looks fun.

[Bloodhound]

Happy April Fools Day Everyone

[MAGICFOR2]

Hey DTD, MAGICFOR2 is doing a PTR for Disneyland that looks fun.


Hey! Finally made it over here and you're done! I'm gonna read and enjoy! Thanks for the plug!

[Bloodhound]

Hey! Finally made it over here and you're done! I'm gonna read and enjoy! Thanks for the plug!

Your welcome have fun reading...feel free to ask questions or make comments.:thumbsup2

[Mickey'sMainMami]

I loved reading your TR, thanks for writing!!!

[Baloo]

Oh my gosh have I enjoyed your report! :cool1:



Your title is what lured me in.My DH is a big guy so a trip with 4 big guys....waaay cool! :thumbsup2


Y'all might be a half a ton but this report was a TON of fun!!!:yay: :yay: :yay: :yay:


I'm sad I'm done reading...thanks for sharing your trip....so wonderful to see guys around my age love the World so much! My DH is a big,Disney sap too! ;)


Y'all ROCK!!! :donald: :goofy: :mickeyjum pluto: Oh my gosh there's no bouncing Pluto?!?!?

Sorry Pluto! :earseek:



Thanks for the trip!

[Bloodhound]

Ok so we did the planning meet for DLR / DCA this past Monday and its off to DIsneyLand we go Oct 24th. - Oct. 31st. So are we making a Big Guys Pilgramage to someplace Disney an annual event or what? :)