December 2007--Oh what fun it is to party with a group of DISers at Mousefest!

[TLinden16]

Day One--Thursday, December 6, 2007--Part I

I was up at 4:00 a.m. to get ready for my 6:50 a.m. flight to Orlando. I had been very restless the night before the flight and didn’t get very much sleep. Mousefest is always an exciting time, and I was really looking forward to seeing some old friends, and meeting some new friends. You never know what magical, exciting and enchanting moments will happen when you are at Disney World with a crazy group of DISers and Mousefesters.

My first official meet of my trip occurred before I even left Boston. Three of my DIS friends (plus a spouse) were flying on my flight. We decided to meet for breakfast at the food court once we made it through security. By the time I arrived, my DIS friend Mackey Mouse and her husband were already sitting at a table drinking their coffee. It was great to see them again, as well as see some pictures of their beautiful grandson. Shortly thereafter, my good friends Magiroux and Goofy4Tink walked over to us. We had a nice breakfast at Johnny Rockets highlighted by some great conversation before making our way to the gates.

Goofy4Tink and I had made plans to sit in the aisle across from each other when we booked the flight months ago, Magiroux, who booked later than us, chose the middle seat next to Goofy4Tink. The flight was pretty empty, and I wound up with an empty seat in my row, and Goofy4Tink and Magiroux had an empty seat next to them. It was nice to have a bit of room to stretch out on the flight--that just doesn’t happen on planes very often anymore.

The fun began before we even left the ground. One of the best things about taking an early morning flight on Jetblue, is the ability to watch Hip Hop Harry on TLC when you put on the TV’s on the plane. We had discovered this show on our flight to Orlando last year, and it is now a Mousefest tradition--starting the fun with a little Hip Hop Harry. Now if you’ve never seen Hip Hop Harry you are truly missing a rather interesting show. A big yellow bear and a group of precocious kids rap and dance, all while teaching the kids in the house to behave. We were dancing along in our seats as Hip Hop Harry and a gymnast rapped about how Practice Makes Perfect. We also learned that you don’t feed your pets people food. That Hip Hop Harry is so educational. Go Harry. Go Harry. Yeah boi! Word to you, Harry.

Our flight arrived Orlando just about right on time, and Goofy4Tink and I made our way over to the main terminal to check on my friend JenM’s flight, which was scheduled to arrive 25 minutes after our flight. We found out that Jen’s flight was going to be about an hour later than scheduled, so I called and left Jen a message that Goofy4Tink and I would be taking Magical Express over to the Boardwalk, and we would meet her there.

Goofy4Tink and I walked over to the Magical Express counter, which was a lengthy walk--I think we walked halfway back to Boston. Check in was quick and easy, and we boarded a bus and were on our way in less than five minutes.

When we arrived at the Boardwalk Villas, we checked in. Goofy4Tink’s room was ready, but mine was not. We took our carry on bags up to Goofy4Tink’s room. She was in room 5050, a preferred Garden View Room overlooking the clown pool. It was a really bizarre room. It was kind of triangular shaped,, and larger than the typical studio. It felt big and roomy.

Goofy4Tink and I then walked over to the Hess Station to get some water and snacks. They have a decent selection of drinks and snacks at prices a bit more affordable than the prices at Disney. I got a couple of gallons of water, and we brought it all back to Goofy4Tink’s room.

We heard from Jen, who had finally landed and would be making her way over to Magical Express to get to the Boardwalk. We told her to call us back when the bus went to the big purple Welcome to Disney World gate that we all love seeing so much so we could go meet her at the bus.

Goofy4Tink and I then went to the Boardwalk Bakery to grab some lunch. We were using the dining plan for the last time before they changed it, and we wanted to make sure we maximized our plan usage. I got the ham and swiss panini with cucumber salad, and a key lime tart for dessert. Goofy4Tink got the turkey and cheese panini and a banana sundae pastry for dessert. We both agreed that the sandwiches were very tasty, and the desserts were awesome. The cucumber salad was nicely chilled, but a bit on the boring side. The key lime pie was very tart and flavorful.

After lunch, Goofy4Tink and I went up to the bus stop to greet Jen’s bus. Jen was attending her first Mousefest, and I don’t think she realized what she was getting herself into when she decided to meet me at Disney World for this trip. But I was glad she did. We went to Disney World together back in 2001, and I was looking forward to spending time with her there again, as she is a thrill seeker, just like me.

We stored Jen’s carry on luggage in Goofy4Tink’s room, and took showed Jen around the Boardwalk. We also stopped at the Boardwalk Bakery so she could get a bite to eat. She got a chicken Caesar salad and a donut for dessert. She really seemed to enjoy the salad, which had a big pieces of sliced chicken. Goofy4Tink and I teased Jen a bit for choosing a donut for dessert when there were so many delicious choices at the Boardwalk Bakery.

After Jen finished eating, we walked over to the Swan to see the Christmas decorations, which were pretty much non-existent. We ran into WebmasterKathy in the lobby, and we all started to walk over to the Dolphin to see the decorations there. While we were walking, KristaTX called Kathy, and told her that she was at the Fountain in the Dolphin. I whispered to Kathy not to tell Krista that we were with her so we could surprise Krista when we got there.

Kathy continued to talk to Krista the entire walk to the Fountain, and when we got there, Krista was happily surprised to see us. She said she knew that Kathy was too giggly to be by herself when they were talking on the phone. We chatted with Kathy and Krista for a few and made plans to meet up at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

We then went to the lobby of the Dolphin to see the breathtaking Christmas tree made out of poinsettias in the lobby. I couldn’t help but laugh at the disco ball hanging from the ceiling above the tree, But it was still a beautiful tree. Pictures just don’t do it justice.

We then walked over to the Yacht Club to see the holiday decorations. While we were taking pictures, Jen noticed a Grinch in the display. My first reaction was, “Cool, the Grinch is in the display,” which was quickly followed by, “Wait a minute. The Grinch is Universal.” I looked at the Grinch closer and realized that it was actually a Christmas ornament, as you could see the little gold loop to put an ornament hook through. It definitely didn’t belong there.
Being the Disney nut that I am, I couldn’t let the Grinch be in a Disney display. I was going to go over to the greeter at the Yacht Club to tell them. Well, as I was walking over to him, I ran into two cast members wearing shirts that said, “Holiday Services Decorating Team” on them. The cast member immediately took the Grinch out of the display. So the Grinch didn’t steal Christmas at the Yacht Club this year, but I stole the Grinch from the display.

We then walked over to the Beach Club to see the chocolate carousel. I am always amazed by the detail that they put into these horses. It’s really a beautiful display. It’s the display I look most forward to seeing each year.

We then walked over to the DVC Merry Mixer. There was already a long line by the time we arrived at 3:00, but we hopped in the line and went inside. We got some cookies and cider and walked around greeting all of our DVC friends. We were on a tight schedule, so we couldn’t stay at the mixer long. We got our ornaments and went back to the Boardwalk.

We also found out that my room was ready. We were in 5029, which is a Boardwalk view room right above the Big River Grill. The room wasn’t too far down the hall, but the view of the Boardwalk is a bit obstructed because the room is set back from the next room on the left. The room was clean and in decent shape, although the armoire doors were a bit loose. The towels and bed sheets were new. The bed sheets were a bit on the scratchy side, but the towels were big and thick--much better than the ones I had on my previous trip in August.

We then took a bus to the Magic Kingdom to go to go to our dinner reservation at the Liberty Tree Tavern. We had an extra spot at our table, so wdwr wound up joining us for dinner. The food was just OK. The meat was bland and rubbery. The stuffing, potatoes, and macaroni and cheese were excellent. The apple crisp with ice cream was good, but I was too full to really enjoy it.

The character interaction was excellent. My main reason for wanting to eat at the Liberty Tree Tavern was so I could get pictures of the characters in the costumes they wear at this restaurant. Each character came to our table twice, and near the end of our meal, the characters were very playful. At one point, Goofy was in the room, and Chip came in with a Buzz Lightyear gun and shot Goofy. Goofy fell to the ground, writhing in pain, and we all yelled at Chip for hurting him. But Goofy quickly got up, and we were all grateful that he was OK.

Later, Dale came in and tried to climb up the fireplace. He also found a plastic apple that had fallen off the garland on the mantle, and started to play with it. He tried to put it back on the garland, but it fell to the ground. One of the crazy chipmunks came over and I asked if they cooked the meal. He made motions like he was stuffing a turkey. One of them also took a sip of wdwr’s soda.

After dinner, we headed over to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. Jen hadn’t ridden it since they added Captain Jack Sparrow to it, so she was really looking forward to it. We saw Dave and Jennifer from the Passporter boarding a boat ahead, so we screamed, “Hi Dave and Jennifer.”

We then headed over to the Haunted Mansion. This was my first time riding it since they changed it. I really loved the changes they made to it. I’m not a big fan of Disney messing with the classic rides, but they did an excellent job on this. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to ruin it for people who have not ridden it yet, but it’s very cool.

Right before we got on the Haunted Mansion, KristaTX and WebmasterKathy called and told us that they were in line for the Mansion, so we waited for them when we got off the ride. We chatted for a few minutes and parted ways.

I really wanted Jen to see Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas, so we headed over to Tomorrowland to try to catch the first show, but it was already full. We wound up riding Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin while we waited for the next show.

We also got in touch with my DIS friend and VMK bff Disvaclub92. I was really looking forward to meeting Disvaclub. We have been playing VMK together for two years, and we talk nightly on MSN, so it was nice to finally be able to meet her and her family in person.

Goofy4Tink, JenM, Disvaclub, and I wound up going to catch the next showing of Mickey’s Twas the Night Before Christmas. We ran into Ray Sharpton while we were there, so we wound up watching it with him. This show is one of my favorite things to see at the Christmas party. It’s just so cute and fun. I love it when Minnie sings “Santa Baby” to Santa Goofy. They seemed to change the show a bit, and it was even better than I remember it being. I also was glad to see that they were using the articulated faces for this show. The first time I saw them back in January, I thought they were pretty creepy, but now I really like them. It was also neat to see Chip and Dale with the articulated faces as well.

After the show, we met up with Disvaclub’s husband and kids. It was great to meet her daughters. I play games with them on VMK, so it was like I already knew them.

At some point, we met up with KristaTX and WebmasterKathy and went for a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We all squished into one car together. It was close quarters, but it was fun to chat and catch up with them.

Eventually, we made our way over to the Rose Garden for the fireworks meet. I ran into my friend Moley another site there. She is a big Tarzan fan, so I serenaded her with a chorus of “I Saw Moley Kissing Tarzan Boy.” I also got to meet Moley’s little buddy Booger, a stuffed penguin. It was fun to mix and mingle with everyone, and see so many familiar faces. We skipped away before the fireworks started to grab some cookies, cocoa, and apple slices, before going back to get a spot to view the fireworks from. We wound up near the top of the pathway that heads down to the rose garden. I thought the fireworks were excellent this year. They had a different soundtrack, and the fireworks display was very spectacular.

After the fireworks, we originally planned on going to a meet at it’s a small world, but we opted to go get a spot for the late parade instead. We watched it from in front of the Diamond Horseshoe, where we could stand on an elevated area and find cookies and cocoa nearby. The parade was a lot of fun. It also featured a new soundtrack, and some great floats. My favorite was definitely the Goofy candy man float.

After the parade, we took a ride on Big Thunder Mountain. We then headed over to Main Street to get some pictures in front of the castle. The castle looked really cool with the lights on it. Normally, I’m not a big fan of Disney messing with the castle. I don’t think anyone liked Pepto Bismal Palace, and while the gold touches were nice a couple years ago, they went overboard with it. But the lights looked awesome. I was surprised that you couldn’t really see the lights on the castle during the day. It was a very cool effect on the castle that didn’t distract from the regular beauty of the castle.


We made our way out of the park shortly before the party ended and headed back to the resort. We were all pretty tired after our early morning travel day, and we couldn’t wait to climb into bed and rest up for another fun Mousefest day.

[TLinden16]

Day 2--Friday, December 7, 2007

We woke up early on Friday morning to head over to the Animal Kingdom for a couple of Mousefest meets. We had a quick breakfast in the room and headed to the bus stop. While we were waiting for the bus, there was an adorable little boy waiting for the bus with his family. His name was Rylan, and he was about two years old. He was quite the singer. At one point, he started singing, and I thought he was just mumbling, and then I realized that he was singing “Oh My Darling Clementine.” He was just the cutest little thing.

We made it into the park a few minutes after opening, and hotfooted it over to Expedition Everest to grab some fast passes. We then went over to the Safari for Deb Will’s big meet. We were too late to get in the group photo, but we were in time to get in the line for the ride for the group.

There were about 250 people in the group. They stopped the standby line and let us all go through the fast pass line as a group. I felt bad for the people who had to stop right before they would get on the ride to let us pass, but it was fun to get on the ride with 250 other Mousefesters. There were a lot of animals out on the safari this morning. I guess they wanted to be a part of Mousefest, too!

We headed towards Expedition Everest, where once again, where we all used our fast passes. Once again, they stopped the ride to let us all go through together. I was in a car with JenM, Goofy4Tink, Magirioux, KristaTX, and WebmasterKathy. Our entire train was loud and rowdy, screaming loudly and waving at the people who were waiting to board the next train.

JenM, Goofy4Tink, Magiroux, WebmasterKathy, and I then went over to Anandupar Local Food Cafes for an early lunch. Most of us ordered the Crispy Honey Chicken, and Goofy4Tink got the Kung Pao Beef. We all agreed that the food was very good for a quick service meal. The portions were large, and the food was very tasty. We all agreed that we would definitely eat there again.

After lunch, we headed over to the Finding Nemo show. We got there shortly before the show started, and we sat in the bleacher seats in the back. This show is so well done and entertaining. The special effects and staging are very cool. It’s not something I need to see on every trip but definitely one I will see many times over the next few years.

After the Nemo show, JenM, Magirioux, and I went over to ride Dinosaur. We then headed out of the park. Magiroux drove JenM and I over to Disney MGM Studios, where we were planning on attending the Stop, Drop, and Roll meet at the Rock ‘N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. We weren’t sure if we would be able to stay for the Roll part of the meet, so we were going to Roll on our own, but we ran into Geffric, so we went on the Great Movie Ride with her instead.

We then headed over to the Stop, Drop, and Roll meet. The fast pass time for the Roll portion wasn’t going to work for JenM and I, as we had dinner reservations at LeCellier, so we didn’t grab fast passes. We posed for the group photo, and then headed over to the Tower of Terror. We filled up several elevators, and scared a few non-Mousefesters along the way.

We then met up with the group over at the Rock ‘N Roller Coaster. A couple of people in our group arranged for everyone to get on the Rock ‘N Roller Coaster at the start time for the earliest fast pass time. A cast member was nice enough to give JenM and I a child swap pass so we could ride with the group since we didn’t get fast passes earlier. Once again, they stopped the line and let all 75 or so of us in together. We all squished into the preshow together, and filled several limos on the ride.

JenM and I then headed out to walk back to the Boardwalk to get ready for dinner and meet Goofy4Tink. We then headed over to Epcot to meet Magiroux for dinner and the Candlelight Processional. Magiroux was already at LeCellier when we arrived. I checked us in for dinner, and we waited for them to call our name. We were seated within 10 or 15 minutes (the quickest I’ve ever been seated at LeCellier), and we had Barry for our server. We had been told that Barry was a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, and I happen to be a Canucks fan right down to my Canucks Crocs, which I proudly took off my feet to show off my Canucks pride at the dinner table that night. It’s a good thing that I wasn’t wearing my Canucks underwear.

Shortly after our meal began, we realized that Barry was a very special server. He wasn’t just plain old Barry the server, he was Sliding Barry. You see, anytime Barry brought something to our table, he would slide it on the table, and anytime he took something from that table, he would slide it out of our way. “Are you done with your filet mignon? Let me slide that out of your way.” “Here’s your chocolate moose. Let me slide that right here for you.” It reached a point that Goofy4Tink was so sick of hearing Barry say the word slide that she was ready to pop her eardrums with a spoon so she wouldn’t have to hear it again. I began to take a sip of my drink every time he said the word “Slide.” It’s a good thing that I was drinking diet Coke or I would have been completely plastered by the end of the meal.

Despite the sliding, Barry was an excellent server. He was very attentive throughout the meal. We never had an empty glass at our tables. He would always slide more soda into our glasses whenever they were empty. JenM, Goofy4Tink, and I all got the filet mignon with the barbeque maple glaze. Magiroux got the N.Y. Strip Steak. We all agreed that our steaks were excellent, and the cream cheese mashed potatoes were out of this world. For dessert, Goofy4Tink got the Crème Brulee, Magiroux and JenM got the Sorbet, and I got the chocolate moose. I ate the chocolate moose entirely with my fingers, and I had a great time eating it.

After dinner, we headed over to see “Oh Canada.” While we were waiting for the show to begin, a cast member came out to ask us some Canadian trivia and introduce the movie. She said, “I’m Aaron and I’m from British Columbia.” I once again had to show off my Canucks pride by letting out a big woohoo! When Aaron was done with her little spiel, she asked if we were from British Columbia, and I told her no but I’m a Canucks fan, and told her how Vancouver Canucks forward Trevor Linden is my favorite person in the world. Goofy4Tink had mentioned that we had just dinner at LeCellier and how Barry would slide our food to us. Aaron started laughing, and said, “Barry was your server? I date him.” She told us how she had just gone up to Ontario to see Barry’s family, and how he gave her a Canucks jersey even though he’s a Maple Leafs fan. It was just so random to run into Barry’s girlfriend after having him for our server.

We then headed into the movie. I really liked the new version of “Oh Canada.” Martin Short adds a lot of humor to it, and it is a lot more entertaining than the previous version, although I wish they spent a bit of time on the Eastern provinces.

After “Oh Canada” we stopped at the merchandise cart in Canada so I could get a Canucks shirt. It was actually two shirts, a long sleeve white shirt with a blue t-shirt on top of it. Two shirts, three looks! I was so excited about my new Canucks shirt that I jumped up and down. It’s not easy for a Canucks fan to find Canucks merchandise in the US.

We then started to make our way to get in line for the Candlelight Processional. Monique Coleman from the “High School Musical” movies was our narrator. She wasn’t the best narrator that I’ve ever seen, but she did a passable job.

Goofy4Tink and I have seen the Candlelight Processional together the past few years. We decided that going to the Candlelight Processional counts as going to church since it tells us the story of not only the birth of Jesus, but also his death and resurrection. Every year without fail, Goofy4Tink comments that the Alleluia is out of place in the Candlelight Processional because it’s not part of the Christmas story.

After the Candlelight Processional, we started walking towards the International Gateway, half watching Illuminations. I wish that they would do some updating to Illuminations. The part with the globe just lasts too long, and it’s a bit on the boring side. The main point of staying for Illuminations was to catch the holiday ending, which is very moving and gives me goosebumps every time I see it. It’s truly magical.

We then headed back to the Boardwalk. Goofy4Tink and JenM went back to their rooms, and I made a beeline for Jellyrolls, where I spent a couple of hours watching Scotty and Jason, and Tommy and Michael singing. I was pretty tired, so I only stayed until the end of Scotty and Jason’s set, but promised the guys I would be back later in the week. I walked up to the room and went to bed.

[OhMari]

Hey Karen,
I always enjoy reading your latest and great TR's.
Are you going to post any pictures?

[sharonW]

KAREN!!!!! How did I miss your TR..and why aren't you back??
I want to hear the rest!!! Miss ya in the chat room, we can
finally get in as a guest, so please come by!!:goodvibes

[Einetius]

I always enjoyed reading your TR's, especially since I am a fellow BWV and Jellyrolls devotee. I hope you finish this one.

[TLinden16]

Sorry for not posting the rest of this. Work has been chaotic. So here is some more of my trip report.

Day 3--Saturday, December 8, 2007--Part I

We had a quick breakfast in the room. I stepped out on my balcony to see what the weather was like. I saw a little girl who looked to be about two standing on the balcony next door. When she saw me, she smiled, waved, and said, “Hi, mom.” I said, “I’m not your mom.” She said, “I want to go across the street. I want to go in the water.” I said, “You’re silly.” She smiled and said, “I’m silly.” She was the cutest little thing. I wanted to fix her up with Rylan, the little boy we saw singing at the bus stop the day before.

So, although it wasn’t planned that way, I did have a kid on this trip. One thing I know for certain is if you are going to be a mom, and have your kid at Disney World the best way to do it is to have someone else’s kid be your kid. You don’t have to deal with the tantrums. You don’t have to buy them souvenirs. You don’t have to bring them home and put them through college. That’s my kind of kid, and my daughter sure was cute.

We walked over to Epcot and immediately went over to Soarin’ and grabbed a fast pass. We then headed over to Test Track and got in the standby line. We saw wdwr go through the single riders line, and found out later that she got a dream fast pass! Some people are so lucky. She has gotten at least three dreams since the promotion began, and this was my fifth trip since the promotion began, I was dreamless.

We had another sluggish ride on Test Track. When we got to the uphill climb, we were just inching forward, and stopped for several minutes. I tried to get everyone in the area to sing “it’s a small world” but it didn’t work. I have more sluggish and broken down rides on Test Track than any other attraction on Disney property.

After Test Track, we headed over to Mission: Space. We rode the more intense version, where we ran into the most bored looking cast members who had zero personality. I don’t know what it is, but none of them cracked a smile the entire time we were in line. It was worse than the Scotland Yard guards. They just stood there. Maybe all the vomit warnings depress them or something. But I’ve never ran into such depressing cast members as the three working at Mission: Space this morning.

After Mission: Space, I made a brief appearance at the Brunch at the Ball meet, where we ran into some of the Capture the Magic teams who we would be competing against in a photo scavenger hunt the next day. We trash talked each other. The competition was sure getting intense, and there was some definite attempts to sabotage. The competition was just over 24 hours away, and the glares, trash talk, and attempts to intimidate were increasing by the minute.

I then met up with Goofy4Tink and JenM to ride Soarin’. We met a great family while we were in line. It was a mom who was traveling alone with her three kids, including one special needs kids. This mom sure seemed like an amazing woman, displaying patience and grace with her kids, and the three kids sure seemed like nice, happy kids. Meeting a family like that just reminds you how much a great family can make a difference in a kid’s life.

After Soarin’, we headed over to Journey Into Imagination. While I’m glad that Figment is back in the ride, I have to say that overall, I am disappointed by the latest version of this ride. It’s boring, and I hate the part where they spray the skunk odor. It’s just not a pleasant smell at all.

We then headed out of the park to go to the Dolphin for the MegaMouse meet. While we were walking, we passed a group of older women on a surrey bike. They sure seemed to be having a blast. They were laughing, and peddling their hearts out. They got stuck on the hill near Sea Breeze Point, but some kind souls gave them a little push. I hope that I have that much energy when I’m their ages.

We made a quick stop at our rooms, and headed over to the MegaMouse meet for the early hour for pre-registered attendees. It was nice to be in a bigger room this year--the past couple of years we seemed a little cramped. My only complaint about the MegaMouse meet is that it can be difficult to get at some of the tables where people have to fill out cards to get information or enter a drawing. Next year, I’m going to use the idea that Goofy4Tink came up with and create address labels with my name, address, phone number, and e-mail address on it.

One of the tables I was most excited to visit was the Owner’s Locker table. I had talked to one of the company owners, John Van Meter, many times on the phone about ideas for Mousefest, and I was very excited to meet him and Brian. Goofy4Tink and I were both wearing our Owner’s Locker/Mousefest t-shirts, and Brian gave us $10 in Disney dollars for wearing them! They also took our picture. It was great to meet the men behind this great service. I hope that they got some folks to sign up at Mousefest, because it’s an awesome service.

After going around Mousefest for a while, we headed back to Epcot to meet Magiroux for lunch at Nine Dragons. KristaTX joined us as well. Nine Dragons is one of those restaurants that always seems to get a bad rap, but I have never had a bad meal there, and I’ve gone there almost every trip since 2002. I find the food to be served piping hot and fresh, and always very flavorful. This trip, I ordered the sweet and spicy cucumber salad, pot stickers, and General Tso’s chicken. The cucumber salad is always perfectly chilled and has a slight tangy kick to it. The pot stickers are amongst the best I’ve ever had, not too doughy and served with a tasty ginger sauce. The General Tso’s chicken is very tasty and made with all white meat. KristaTX and JenM got the Honey Sesame chicken, and I tried some of theirs, and it was excellent as well. This was one of our best meals on the trip (and we had a lot of great meals). For dessert, those of us on the dining plan got the chocolate cake, which was like a chocolate sponge cake with a thick fudgy frosting. It was very light and tasty. I’m disappointed that they are redoing this restaurant. I hope it doesn’t wind up over priced like the new restaurant in Italy.

I popped into the gift shop in China to look for the wife of one of the Jellyrolls pianomen. They had gotten married in China a couple of years ago, and it was a long process for him to get her over here, and I felt like I knew her after talking to him about her so much. He found out that she had finally been approved to come to the U.S. last January when I was down there, so I shared his excitement over the good news, and was really looking forward to meeting her. Sure enough, I found her exactly where he said I would find her, and chatted with her for a few minutes.

KristaTX left to head back to the Mega Mouse Meet, but the rest of us decided not to go back since it would be almost over by the time we got there. Instead, we decided to hit the boat rides in Norway. Our first stop was Norway, which we wound up skipping because there was a 40 minute wait. We then went to ride the boat in Mexico, which had the longest line any of us could recall ever seeing, but we were on a boat in less than 10 minutes. I like the new version of this ride, mostly because I’m glad that they took out that annoying woman who tried to sell you stuff on the ride. I’m glad they kept the fireworks at the end, as I love that effect.

While we were on the ride, I had finished some candy, and handed the empty wrapper to Goofy4Tink. I figure, since she is old enough to be my mom, I can treat her like a mom so she doesn’t miss her kids so much. So, kids are supposed to give their mom’s their trash. Much to my surprise, Goofy4Tink threw the candy wrapper on the floor of the boat. I told her that I didn’t want her to be one of those people that I would say, “Now why do people have to do that?” We ran into quite a few places where people had randomly left their trash, like the frozen lemonade lid on the rocks in Canada, or gum on a wall. And each time I saw something like that, I said, “Why do people have to do that?” I told Goofy4Tink that I would have to pick up that candy wrapper, and learned that I could never give her my trash again.

[TLinden16]

Day 3--Saturday, December 8, 2007--Part II

After the boat ride, we did a bit of shopping, stopping at the Holiday Shop near the Christmas tree, and then the shop in Canada where they sell the Roots clothing. I was disappointed to see that they don’t sell as much Roots clothing (although it’s replaced with lots of hockey clothing--go ‘Nucks go!). We did notice that they were selling Beaver Butt Soap, though. Not that any of us had the urge to buy it, even though there was no beaver in it. While we were there, Papa Noel walked in and said, “Make way. Wide load coming through.” It was pretty funny. I wound up buying a couple of Canucks keychains that were on clearance, so I was pretty psyched about that (although I didn’t jump up and down like I did when I bought my shirt).

We then made our way back to the Boardwalk. Along the way, we saw a family with four kids who appeared to be under the age of five (and none of them looked like twins). Goofy4Tink commented that the family really needed a TV, which set me off into a fit of laughter.

After a short break at the Boardwalk, JenM and I headed over to Disney/MGM Studios to see Fantasmic. As we waited for the show to begin, they were playing Christmas songs. JenM and I started singing along to Jingle Bells, and much to my surprise, I realized that a large portion of the people in our area were singing along as well. It was pretty funny.

It had been a while since I saw Fantasmic at Disney World (although I did see the Disneyland version in October), and I almost forgot how much I enjoy this show. It’s worth the price of admission into the park. I really love the way they project the scenes from the movies onto the water, and mix it with live screen action.

After Fantasmic, JenM and I walked out of the show with half the universe down Sunset Blvd. It just took forever to get out, and we had plans to meet Goofy4Tink, Magiroux, and Geffric to go see the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. We finally made it to them a few minutes later than planned, but we did make it eventually.

Before we headed over to the lights, Diane and I surprised Magiroux and Geffric with their very own Team Jellyrolls shirts for the Capture the Magic meet. I had already given Jen her shirt earlier that day. Not only were we going to have the most fun at the meet, we were also going to be the best dressed team in the meet, and have the most team spirit. Go Team Jellyrolls!

We then walked into the Spectacle of Dancing Lights. It was wall to wall people. We were just packed in close together. We did find out the best way to create an eight foot in diameter ring around your group though. Just start singing and dancing when they make the lights dance to “Feliz Navidad” and everyone will move away. We even got a mother and daughter standing nearby to join us. And believe it or not, I wasn’t the one who started the singing and dancing--Geffric did that.

We wound up having a Photo Pass picture taking with the lights in the background by a very grumpy photo pass guy named Al. Al couldn’t understand why we needed to have our Photo Pass pictures on separate cards, even though we were going to five different homes. He said he couldn’t hold five cards at once. Finally, we got him to agree to take the pictures, and then he would scan the Photo Pass cards.

We then headed out of Disney MGM Studios to drive over to Downtown Disney. We boarded the tram to go to Magiroux’s rental car. I think we had one of the drivers who used to drive the safari trucks over at the Animal Kingdom because this guy had such a thick accent that we had no clue what the heck he was saying. We wound up driving right by Mary Ann’s car on the tram because we couldn’t understand him.

When we were all in the car with our seat belts securely fastened, Mary Ann pulled out of the parking space. As we drove, I decided to wave to people in the cars riding near us. I waved to one guy in a pick up truck, and I could tell he was saying something to the person in the passenger seat (like “why is she waving at me?” Then he waved back, and motioned to see if we wanted to go in front of him. I shook my head no, and continued to wave. Goofy4Tink was in the back seat just shaking her head at the guy. After that, Magiroux was careful to position to the car so that my window wouldn’t be near anyone else’s window, ruining my fun of waving to people in the other cars.

As we pulled into the parking lot at Downtown Disney, there was a person walking in the middle of the street even though there was a perfectly good sidewalk just a couple of feet to the left. I got some giggles from the other folks in the car when I threatened to open the window and say, “Have a Disney Day. Now get out of the way, Moron.”

We drove around a bit looking for a space, and finally saw some women loading an ECV onto the back of a van. I rolled down the window, and asked if they were leaving. They replied that they were, but it may take a few minutes. I told them that was fine, that we loved them because they were leaving and we could take their space. As we waited for them to leave, we saw two more spaces up ahead open up, so I shouted out to them, “We changed our mind about your space. We found a better space, but we still love you.” They laughed as we drove up about 10 spaces and pulled in.

We then headed over to Wolfgang Puck’s Express. I can’t remember what everyone else got, but I got the barbecue chicken salad and crème brulee for dessert. I told the guy who brought our food to our table that we love anyone who brings us crème brulee. My salad was awesome--lots of chicken, and cucumbers. The barbecue sauce was very tangy, but not too spicy. The crème brulee made me as happy as crème brulee ever makes me. Our friend Camcolt came to meet us while we were dining, as we had plans to head over to Pleasure Island to get buckets of booze after dinner.

After dinner, Magiroux and Geffric decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom so they could see the castle lights instead of Pleasure Island. Goofy4Tink was going to join them, but I told her that wasn’t an option. When we were planning this trip, I was trying to figure out how we were going to fit it in so that JenM could see Fantasmic and Magiroux could see the castle lights, and I said, “Well we could give up the buckets of booze. I don’t really care about them.” Goofy4Tink said, “But everyone else cares about them.” Well, I wasn’t going to let Goofy4Tink weasel her way out of the Buckets of Booze now that we were just minutes away from getting them after not letting me cancel it earlier in the week. I think Goofy4Tink only stayed because she was afraid of me.

So we walked over to Pleasure Island to get our buckets of booze. I got something called a Funmeister, which was fruity and tasty, and served in a bright blue sand bucket (thus the bucket of booze). Camcolt and JenM also got a bucket of booze, but Goofy4Tink opted for her Grey Goose Gimlet instead. We had a picture taken with our buckets, and found a spot to people watch. We were very amused by the short skirts and high heels so many of the girls were wearing. I’ve never had the body to dress like that, and even if I did, I don’t know why anyone would want to.

We then headed over to the bus stop to head back to our resorts, Camcolt at the Dolphin, the rest of us at the Boardwalk. Since the bus ride to the Boardwalk takes forever with all of the stops, we got out at the Swan and started to walk back to our resorts. There was music playing, so I started singing along to “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” changing the words to “Have Yourself A Merry Little Bucket.”

Either Camcolt or Goofy4Tink made a comment about how our blue buckets were Chanukah colors, so I started singing “Bucket, bucket, bucket” but I just burst into hysterics so I couldn’t continue the song.

We said goodbye to Camcolt as we made our way out of the Swan, and the rest of us continued on to the Boardwalk. As we walked by the pool area in the Boardwalk, Goofy4Tink walked too close to the elephant shower head, setting it off. Which set the three of us off into another round of hysterics. Goofy4Tink was surprised that they hadn’t turned it off since it was after midnight.

We were up in our rooms and in bed within a few minutes. I couldn’t help but smile at all of the fun I had this day. It was truly one of the best days I’ve ever had on a Disney vacation. I had a lot of fun with some great friends, and had some great food as well. What more does a girl need?

[TLinden16]

Day 4--Sunday, December 9, 2007--Part I

I woke up on Sunday morning to hear my kid fighting with her brother in the room next door. They were really going at it, screeching loudly. I said to JenM, “She is so staying with her father today.” Goofy4Tink got a glimpse of my kid in the hallway that morning as well, and she was fighting with her brother again.

We met up with a couple of SafetyMom and ChershireFigment for breakfast at Spoodles on Sunday morning. I usually don’t eat big breakfasts, sticking with bagels, muffins, or cereal for breakfast, but I do enjoy a good breakfast at Spoodles every now and again. I got the ham and cheese frittata. It was very big, but a bit on the bland side. It was served with breakfast potatoes, which were very tasty, and a banana nut muffin, which was a bit on the dry side. I enjoyed my breakfast at Spoodles, but I’ve had better meals there in the past.

After breakfast, we took the bus over to the Magic Kingdom. We headed over to Tomorrowland, where we grabbed Fast Passes for Space Mountain and got in the standby line. We also went over to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. I really love this attraction. It’s so much fun. This time, they did a summary of the Monsters Inc. movie, picking out people in the crowd to be the different characters every time they were mentioned. The funniest was the guy they chose to be Randall. When they said that Randall was invisible, he ducked down out of view from the camera.

After the Laugh Floor, it was time for our Space Mountain Fast Passes. I wound up skipping Space Mountain so that I could chat with my friend Christina, who works for Disney Vacation Club. She was working in the booth at Tomorrowland with another cast member who turned out to be the roommate of a couple of other Disney cast members that I know.

We then walked around a bit before heading over to the information booth in the Magic Kingdom to meet up with a bunch of my DIS friends to have a group picture taken in front of the castle. I decided that for the next four years, I’m going to try to get some of my friends to meet at different park landmarks for a group photo. It’s just a nice keepsake of all of the fun times we have at Mousefest.

After the castle photo, we went over to Cosmic Rays. Since I was on the dining plan, I decided to get the chicken and ribs combo. It was way too much food, but it was very good. The ribs were very meaty with a light barbecue sauce glaze. The chicken was very juicy and had a nice flavor to it. It was served with mashed potatoes, which were very good, and green beans, which I didn’t eat, but looked very garlicy. For dessert, I got the triple chocolate cake. The cake was a bit dry, but there was a yummy bite of a chocolate mousse on top.

After lunch, we headed over to the Rose Garden to meet up for the Capture the Magic Meet, a photo scavenger hunt round the Magic Kingdom. Team Jellyrolls consisted of Magiroux, Goofy4Tink, JenM, and myself. Geffric was supposed to be on our team as well, but she was invited on a free Keys to the Kingdom Tour, which didn’t end until after the Capture the Magic Meet was over.

Trash talk aside, our main goal in this meet was to have fun and get some Great Pictures. After all, Team Jellyrolls was the team with the motto: We will win even if we lose because we’ll have the most fun. And we definitely succeeded at that.

We had a lot of fun on the Capture the Magic meet, although JenM was a bit weirded out when we had to ask strangers to join us in pictures. Usually it was Goofy4Tink or I who went up and asked the strangers to be in the pictures with us. Sometimes when we had strangers in the pictures with us, I suggested that they take a picture as well so that they would remember the crazy strangers who asked them to take a picture with them--it may have slowed us down a bit, but it was all in good fun.

We had to do the task of spelling out Mickey with our bodies twice. The first time, we found a really nice group of people to help us, but JenM’s camera was acting up so the picture wouldn’t save. We found a second group of people to help us who were one of the podcast teams down there for Mousefest. I wonder if we made it into their podcast.

Overall, I was pleased with Team Jellyrolls performance. We sure did have a lot of fun. We all agreed it was one of the most fun things we’ve ever done at Disney World, and we did get some great pictures from it.

After the Capture the Magic Meet, the only thing that I really wanted to do was go back to the room and take a shower. It was very warm that day, and I was hot and sweaty by the time the meet ended. I headed back to the Boardwalk with Goofy4Tink. I took a quick shower, and put on a load of laundry. I wandered around the Boardwalk for a bit, browsing around in the shops.

We headed over to the Yacht Club to have dinner at the Yacht Club Galley. This was one of the best meals of our trip. Goofy4Tink, JenM, and I all ordered the prime rib. Magiroux got the N.Y. Strip Steak. The prime rib was very flavorful, tender, and juicy. The mashed potatoes were outstanding. We also got Caesar salads and mixed green salads for our appetizers, which were large portions, and very tasty. We were all pretty full by the time dessert rolled around and wound up getting plain old gelato, which was excellent, but barely touched by our full bellies.

[TLinden16]

Day 4--Sunday, December 9, 2007--Part II

We then headed over to Jellyrolls for my annual meet. We planned on getting there early so that we had time to chat before the pianos started. So many of my friends were there, and it was great to spend some time catching up with them.

Michael and Tommy were the first pair to go onstage that night, and Scotty and Jason were the second pair. Early in the evening, there were a few girls there who really wanted to hear “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” but made a point of commenting that they couldn’t afford to request songs (but they could afford $10 a head to walk in the door, and more money for drinks). At one point, Jason said he felt bad that they couldn’t afford to request a song, and said he would give them a dollar so they could make a request. Scotty commented that you can’t give people money and expect them to give it back, so Jason wound up saying that he would play a song for them for free, and the girls got up and walked out in the middle of his song.

A group of us from Boston were there that night, and we had planned on all of us wearing Red Sox shirts in honor of the 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red. I put up a $20 tip to hear Jason sing “Dirty Water.” All of us Red Sox fans got up and danced and sang along while Jason sang. At the end of the song, Jason sang, “Love that $20” instead of “Love that dirty water.”

Since Sunday nights are usually their quietest nights of the week, I wound up putting up a lot of requests since no one else was. Jason commented that I was a Jellyrolls stockholder, and since everyone with me was wearing glow bracelets, he said that he’d like to take care of requests that didn’t come form the Neon people.

At one point, Scotty started singing “Sweet Caroline.” Usually when this song is being played, after the piano player sings the line “Sweet Caroline” some people sing “buh buh buh” and others sing “This song sucks.” I had a little fan that you could put sayings on so I put in “This song sucks” and was waving it in the air. When Scotty saw it, he stopped the song, and commented on how I had a fan that said “This song sucks” and explained how people scream “This song sucks.” I then switched it so the fan said, “Good song” followed by “We Love Jellyrolls,” which Scotty read to everyone. Scotty said it was like they had a judging section, and he told everyone else that they could give their opinions of the songs if they had fans as well. When Scotty continued the song, most of the room was screaming “This song sucks” after Scotty sang “Sweet Caroline.” Even Scotty joined in singing “This song sucks.” It was pretty funny to see how the whole room turned around.

We also made Scotty sing “Feliz Navidad.” Goofy4Tink, Magiroux, Camcolt, and I got up and did our Elf Dance and Spectacle of Dancing Lights Dance while he sang.

Late in the evening, only Camcolt and I were left out of the group. Tommy dedicated “Red Red Wine” to “Karen and her gang over there.” So appearently, Camcolt is my gang. We were quite amused by that.

Camcolt and I closed down the bar watching Jason and Scotty finish up their set with an intimate crowd at 1:45 in the morning. I snuck back up to the room and got into bed without even waking up JenM that early morning, even going outside to hang some glow sticks on my balcony.

[TLinden16]

Day 5--Monday, December 10, 2007--Part I

I was up after less than five hours of sleep and ready for day 5 of my Mousefest trip. While the craziness of Mousefest Weekend is always a blast, we were looking forward to a few days when we wouldn’t be running from meet to meet.

JenM, Goofy4Tink, and I started the day over at Downtown Disney. We were waiting outside to get into the World of Disney store a few minutes before opening (I snuck away and got a free sample at Ghiardelli since they opened a few minutes before the World of Disney). I really love shopping in this store, but they really need to provide everyone with locater tags. It’s very easy to lose your party in this store as you weave in and out of the rooms. It’s always a good idea to set a meeting time and place when you are shopping with others here, as it is easy to miss someone when you are searching for each other.

If you are looking for any baby boy items at the World of Disney store, you may want to give them some time to restock. JenM’s sister is expecting a baby boy in the new year (note, he was born in January, and I've seen pictures--he's adorable), and since it’s the first baby in the family, JenM purchased every baby boy item Disney sells for her nephew-to-be. I’m surprised she didn’t have to charter a plane to get it all home.

We made a stop at the toy store. I spent a lot of time watching two women packing Mr. Potatohead pieces into one of those large Mr. Potatohead containers (the ones that cost $46.95). They had picked out all of the items they wanted and were trying to pack it in so there wasn’t a bit of space left. They had been in the store over an hour picking out items and packing them in, and they were only about one third of the way in their packing. It was quite fascinating to see them put stuff in, and then rearrange it.

We then headed over to the Christmas store, browsing briefly in a couple of other shops along the way. The Christmas store was more crowded than I had ever seen it before. There were long lines at every register, and a maze of people to get through the store. I guess you can tell that Christmas is coming.

We then started to head over to Wolfgang Puck’s Express to grab some lunch when I noticed a little girl running by, crying, and calling for her mom. So I asked her if she lost her mom, and I told her that I would try to help her find her mom. She took my hand, and I asked her name and her mom’s name, and asked her where she remembered last seeing her mom. We went over to the nearest cashier in the store, and I said, “This little girl has lost her mom.” The cashier said she would be right back. She had to go notify security (I was surprised that she left the child with me--I would think Disney would have trained employees to stay with the lost child). Within a minute, the little girl spotted her mother, and ran over to her. The mother yelled at the little girl for running off, but was obviously relieved that the child was located, and thanked us for helping her daughter. I went and told the cast member that the mother found us, and we were all relieved. I’m glad that we spotted the little girl--she was running from the store where she last saw her mom, so it could have taken a lot longer to locate her if no one noticed the little girl was lost.

We ran into WebmasterKathy at Downtown Disney. Goofy4Tink and WebmasterKathy made plans to fix up their 14 year old kids, even though they life in different parts of the country. I guess they should start saving for a Disney wedding in about 8 or 10 years.

We said goodbye to WebmasterKathy and headed over to Wolfgang Puck’s Express. Goofy4Tink and I both ordered the barbeque chicken salad and crème brulee. JenM got a pizza and brownie. My salad was even better than the one I had on Saturday night. The chicken was warm this time, which really enhanced the flavor. The crème brulee was awesome again.

After lunch, we went over to the Art of Disney store, where I purchased a poster sized print of the current theme park ticket design that features the Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy flying in front of castle. I had it printed on canvased, and stretched, and will hang it on my bedroom wall when it arrives in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait to get it! I just love these prints. My original plan was to try to get my hands on the Kinkade print on canvas, but it was already sold out. So I settled for a small print of that and the other print on canvas.

We then headed back to the Boardwalk to drop off our purchases. Goofy4Tink was really hoping to get the chance to ride on Spaceship Earth at some point this trip, so we decided to make our way over to the Magic Kingdom via Epcot. We saw that there were people coming out of Spaceship Earth, but we learned that we had just missed the opportunity to ride it. Goofy4Tink was a bit ticked off about it, as it was the second time she missed riding by less than a half hour.

We hopped on the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center, and then switched over to the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. We were planning on meeting up with Magiroux, who would be leaving to fly home to Boston that evening. The parade was just coming through when we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, so we watched it from in front of the train station.

After the parade, Magiroux decided to leave, so we said goodbye to her. We sure had a lot of fun hanging out with Magiroux, starting before we even left Boston. We had a lot of laughs throughout the weekend.

It started to rain, so we made our way into the Emporium and walked through the shops up Main Street, browsing through the souvenirs. By the time we hit the last store, the rain had stopped. We decided it was time for a snack. Goofy4Tink and I opted for the cheese filled pretzels at the launching pad while JenM opted for an ice cream. Goofy4Tink realized that she left her room key back in the room, so she had to go back to the Boardwalk to get a new one, as we needed it for the dining plan.

I ran into one of the David, a DVC cast member I know, in Tomorrowland. I stopped to chat with him, and then someone came up to ask about DVC. I waited a few minutes, but since they were still with him, I walked away, hoping I could catch him later before his shift ended.

The Magic Kingdom was packed this afternoon. JenM and I were going to try to hit Splash and Thunder Mountains, but the lines were long. We wound up grabbing a fast pass for Splash since we had not yet ridden on it. We took the train over to Toontown. Jen stopped to take some pictures, and I went back to see David again.

I spent a bit of time talking to David and a couple of DVC members. The DVC members were complaining about how it was impossible for them to get a room at their home resort, the Boardwalk. They said that they haven’t even stayed there yet. The woman was going on and on about how unfair it is that others can book the rooms at the Boardwalk. She said she had tried in November to get a room at the Boardwalk for January, but couldn’t. Both David and I were explaining to her about the eleven and seven month windows, and she just didn’t want to hear anything about it. I just kind of shrugged and said, “All members have the same advantage at their home resort. If you want a particular resort at a close of date, DVC may not be right for you.” She was just so ticked about not being able to get a room at the Boardwalk. I know David pretty well, and we were just giving each other sideways glances as this woman went on and on. I finally had enough of it, and left to take a ride on Space Mountain with JenM.

We then met up with Goofy4Tink in front of the castle to watch the castle light ceremony. The castle lighting was so much fun. The show was really cute, and it was neat to watch the lights come on section by section.

[TLinden16]

Day 5--Monday, December 10, 2007--Part II

After the castle was lit, JenM and I were going to use our fast passes for Splash Mountain, but the fear of getting drenched before we had to head out to dinner made me change my mind. We had left Goofy4Tink in the Christmas shop in Liberty Square (which was very stinky for some reason), so we went back to find her there. We all went for a ride on the Haunted Mansion.

We took then took the boat over to the Wilderness Lodge to have dinner at the Whispering Canyon Café. Goofy4Tink and I have eaten at the Whispering Canyon Café several times together in the past, and always had great meals. This time, we were disappointed by our meals--it was our one bad meal of the trip. I started off with the southwest chicken soup, which I’ve gotten several times and always enjoyed. This time around, the soup was lukewarm at best, and flavorless. Goofy4Tink got the mixed green salad, which she seemed to enjoy. JenM got chicken wings, which were very spicy, but small with very little meat. For entrees, Goofy4Tink and I got smoked prime rib, and JenM got the ribs. The prime rib had a lot of flavor (although it was too smoked for Goofy4Tink), but dry and very fatty (not nearly as good as the prime rib we had at the Yacht Club Galley the night before). The mashed potatoes were hard, lumpy, and flavorless. JenM seemed to enjoy the ribs. We all got the milk shakes as well, which were very good. Since we were now in our fifth day on the dining plan, we were pretty full by this point, so I was the only one who got dessert. I got it not because I was hungry for dessert, but because I wanted to try the banana cinnamon tortilla. I didn’t really care for the dessert at all--the tortilla tasted really bad. The ice cream and bananas were fine, but the tortilla was just disgusting.

After dinner, we were thinking of taking the boat to the Contemporary so JenM could see the decorations there, but JenM was suffering from a severe case of “I need to get on a ride-itis.” It was so bad she was literally twitching. So we immediately had to get on a boat to the Magic Kingdom.

While we were on the boat, Wishes started, so we got a mini-Wishes cruise without having to pay $200 for it. When the boat docked, we headed into the Magic Kingdom and watched the end of Wishes.

It was Extra Magic Hours night at the Magic Kingdom. I’m not a big fan of the evening Extra Magic House. Every time I’ve gone to one, the lines are ridiculously long. But tonight was different. The park was very manageable. I’m thinking that the Christmas parties and the Candlelight Processional at Epcot kept people from going to the Extra Magic Hours because every other time I’ve gone to Extra Magic Hours at the Magic Kingdom, the lines have been so long that I’ve wound up leaving after a short time, or just hitting a few shows and people watching.

Tonight, we got quite a bit accomplished during Extra Magic Hours. If memory serves me correctly, this is what we saw (in no particular order):

Mickey’s Philharmagic
it’s a small world
Peter Pan
Snow White’s Scary Adventure
The Country Bear Jamboree
Big Thunder Mountain

There may have been one or two additional attractions, but I can’t remember for sure. It was definitely a more worthwhile trip to the Magic Kingdom I’ve ever had during Extra Magic Hours.

A couple things of note from our evening at Extra Magic Hours. When they loaded us onto it’s a small world, for some reason, they put the three of us in the front row, and a couple in the back row with no one else in between us. I don’t know if they were afraid of overloading the boat or what, but it was very strange.

The Country Bear Jamboree was as fun as ever. I really gained a new appreciation for this show after not seeing it for nearly 20 years. I love going to see it with Goofy4Tink so that we can sing along to the Mama Don’t Shoot Little Buford song. It’s so bad, and so wrong, and so dated, and so out of place in the Magic Kingdom, but that’s what makes if so much fun. I mean, who can’t help but sing a long to “All the guys that turn me on turn me down” and “My girl ain’t purty but she don’t swear none.” Truly Magical.

We headed out of the Magic Kingdom shortly before the park closed at Midnight, and took the bus back to the Boardwalk.

[TLinden16]

Day 6--Tuesday, December 11, 2007

After a quick breakfast in the room, Goofy4Tink, JenM, and I started to walk to Disney MGM Studios. We were discussing what to do with our remaining table service credit. The original plan was to go to the Grand Floridian Café for dinner that night, but since we weren’t planning on going to the Magic Kingdom, it just didn’t make sense to go all the way over there for dinner. We were trying to come up with an idea, and we wound up being able to get an early lunch reservation at 50’s Prime Time Café that morning. I was psyched that we were able to get a last minute reservation at this very popular restaurant!

Once through the gates to the park, we started to soak up the Streetmosphere. There seems to be a lot more Streetmosphere going on these days. We ran into the cleaning lady Rosie, and had a brief conversation with her. I asked if she would go take care of my room at the Boardwalk but she said it wasn’t her job. She cleans up in the parks because she is a people person. I told her that we saw a protein spill down the street, and she said that’s not her job either.

We then headed over to the Rock ‘N Roller coaster and took a ride. We had to wait a few minutes to board our limo, as they stopped the ride for some reason. Not too long, but enough to be annoying.

JenM and I headed over to the Tower of Terror. Goofy4Tink doesn’t like to ride this, so she headed over to the Great Movie Ride instead. JenM and I knew it would be quicker for us to get through our ride, so we decided we would ride the Tower of Terror twice.

The best cast member was working in the library. His name is Luke, and he was so into his character. He was animated, and funny. He was joking around about our rooms not being ready. At one point he said, “This is a library, so I have to ask that you remain silent or I will stand next to you.”

When we got in line the second time around, we some how managed to get stuck in the middle of a very large Argentinian tour group--there must have been 100 kids in the group. We stopped to let them go by, as a cast member was funneling them all to one side.

I noticed a white-vested member of the Dream Squad standing near the doors to one of the libraries, and I said to Jen, “If this tour group gets a dream, and we don’t I’ll be pissed.” When we were finally sent towards a library, we were sent to the side where the Dream Squad member was. I said, “Someone is going to get lucky.” And then I told him, “It has been my entire life’s dream to meet you, Scott. My dream has come true.” He laughed and gave me a high five.

When the library door opened, and we stepped inside, there were two more Dream Squad members standing at the exit door. I could barely contain myself because it seemed imminent that I would be getting a dream on my fifth Disney trip since the promotion started! I was planning on titling my trip report the Year of Zero Dreams because I just didn’t think I would get a dream, but now, it looked like I would finally be getting a dream!

Luke was once again the cast member working in the library, and he was again, very animated and funny as he interacted with the guests in the library. After the preshow was over, one of the Dream Squad members introduced the themselves to us, and told us that we had won Dream Fast Passes! All of us started to hoot and holler, we were so exited! Even Luke was screaming and jumping up and down, and I gave him a double high five!

Dream fast passes hanging around our necks, we worked our way to the elevators with the rest of the winners. All of the kids in the tour group had went into the right hand side, so the left hand side was completely empty. We wound up riding the Tower of Terror with only the people who had just won the Dream Fast Passes, which was really fun.

After the ride, we headed towards the hat to meet up with Goofy4Tink. I told JenM not to mention that we won to Goofy4Tink, just see how long it took her to notice the Dream fast passes around our necks. It only took Goofy4Tink a minute or two to notice it. I would like to say that Goofy4Tink was jealous and pissed that we won and she didn’t, but her response was, “You finally got one.” I guess when you’ve had two dreams, watching your friend finally get one is no big deal.

We then went over to ride on Star Tours. JenM is a huge Star Wars fan, so I’m surprised that we didn’t make it on this ride earlier in the trip

[TLinden16]

We then headed over to Sunset Blvd. so JenM and I could have our picture taken in front of the Tower of Terror with our Dream Fast Passes. Along the way, we ran into Rosie again, so I showed her our Dream Fast Passes and said, “Look what we won, Rosie.” She was very excited for us. I wound up having my picture taken with Rosie. She said in a very loud annoying voice, “Cheese.” So I mimicked her with a big “Cheese” of my own. She said, “That was very good. We could be sisters.” I replied, “Maybe we are.”

It was almost time for our reservation at 50’s Prime Time at this point. JenM decided to skip lunch to use her fast pass. Since I had already ridden the Tower of Terror and the Rock ‘N Roller coaster, I decided that I would keep my fast pass intact so I could put it in my scrapbook knowing that I finally had a dream come true. So Goofy4Tink and I said goodbye to JenM to head for the restaurant.

JenM picked the wrong meal to skip because I think this was probably our best meal of the trip. I started off with the chicken noodle soup, and Goofy4Tink got the shrimp cocktail. The chicken noodle soup was excellent, although it needed some pepper to give it a bit more flavor. There were big chunks of chicken and vegetables in it, and lots of noodles. We both ordered the pot roast for dinner, which was excellent. Very flavorful, and tender. The potatoes were awesome. For dessert, I got the S’mores and Goofy4Tink got an ice cream sundae. The s’mores were awesome, not overcooked and burnt. Just perfect.

After lunch, Goofy4Tink headed to Epcot to try to get on Spaceship Earth, and I took the bus over to the Animal Kingdom. I spent the next three hours riding Expedition Everest over and over and over again, 17 times in all. JenM joined me for many of those rides, I think around eleven. We made good use of fast passes and the single riders line. I had two guests give me extra fast passes, and a cast member at the fast pass machine gave us an extra pair of fast passes when I told him that I was riding it over and over again. I really love this ride.

Although I wasn’t really hungry, I decided to get a bite at the Anandupar Local Food Cafes. I really enjoyed our meal their earlier in the trip, and wanted to try the sweet and sour pork. The pork was good, but not nearly as good as the crispy honey chicken we had earlier in the week. I will definitely go back there on future trips, but will stick with the chicken.

JenM and I then headed out of the park. JenM had bought some stuff and wanted to run back to the resort, but I decided to head directly to Epcot. JenM also stopped to see Santa Goofy and Mickey.

When I arrived at Epcot, I noticed people walking into Spaceship Earth. I was psyched that I would be able to get on it. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed by it. I thought the narration was very dry and boring. The interactive part at the end was pretty dull as well, and ended long before the ride ended--probably a good 30-45 seconds when you just sit there looking at the lights above as your ride vehicles goes down backwards. I know it was just a little sneak preview, and it definitely could use some work. It will be interesting to see what changes they make between now and the official opening.

I then headed over to meet Goofy4Tink to watch the tree lighting ceremony at Epcot. We stood right under the archway for the ceremony. The show they do for this tree lighting is very cute, and fun to watch. I’ve only seen it from a distance before, so it was fun to be there under the archway. We met up with JenM after the show.

After the show, Goofy4Tink and I started to walk around the World Showcase, while JenM walked around taking pictures. We took a ride on the Maelstrom, and chatted with some folks in line while we waited. There were two couples traveling together, and one of the guys had on a Viking hat with blond braids. I got the biggest kick out of him, and we were joking around with them. I asked him if I could get a picture with him, which he happily posed for.

After the ride, we stopped and watched the Holiday storyteller in Norway. This storyteller is very entertaining, and definitely one worth catching.

We stopped in the counter service restaurant in the American Pavilion for a bite to eat. Goofy4Tink got the chicken strips, and I got a kids chicken nuggets (since I had eaten about quarter of a meal earlier).

I then said good bye to Goofy4Tink, who was going to watch the end of the Candlelight Processional, and started to make my way out of the park so I could go to Jellyrolls. I called JenM and told her I was leaving. I walked back to my room to drop off my bag and freshen up before heading to the bar.

On my way to the bar, I popped into the DVC model because Adarsh, one of the cast members I knew, was working in there. I chatted with him and Bryan, the other cast member working there (who had also been working with David the day before) for a bit before heading over to the bar.

Scotty and Jason were already onstage by the time I had arrived. I took my regular bar stool in the back of the bar, and actually was sitting a few seats away from Jason’s father Dennis. At one point, Scotty said, “We have Karen from Boston and Dennis from St. Louis back there.” Jason told everyone that we were the stockholders and sitting in the special stockholders section.

While I was watching them, I was surprised to see Pete, a former Jellyrolls pianoman walk into the bar. He was in town for a few days, and came to see his ex-co-workers. He remembered me as a regular at the bar, so he came over with his typical, “Hello, darlin’” and chatted with me for a bit. It was good to see him again. He had left the bar right after my January trip, and because of his schedule, I didn’t get to see him at all on that trip.

Jellyrolls was really hopping this night, and it was one of the best nights I ever had there. Scotty, Jason, Christian, and Daniel were the piano players that night, and they all were on top of their game. It was just a really loose, fun atmosphere, and the crowd was really having a blast. It was a Tuesday night, so there were a lot of cast members there, and everyone was getting in as much fun as they could that night, as it was the last night before Jellyrolls would be closing for two weeks for renovations.

Some really nice cast members wound up sitting next to me, and I wound up chatting with one of them for a bit. He is a manager over at Pleasure Island, and it was fun chatting with him for a bit.

I was planning on leaving at 10:00 that night, but Pete took the stage to sing a few songs with Christian. Pete and Chris used to play together at Jellyrolls quite a bit, and they always worked really well together, so it was fun to see them playing together again. Pete really wowed everyone with “Under Pressure” and “The Wall.”

I said goodbye to Pete, Scotty, my new cast member friends, and a few of the staff members at Jellyrolls, and slowly made my way back to the room, just enjoying my last evening at the Boardwalk.

[TLinden16]

Day 7--Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The last day is always the saddest of a trip. It really turns into a day when you rush to do the last minute things you want to do before you head out, and just reflect on all of the great times you had during your trip.

I woke up before JenM and got dressed, and finished packing up my gear. I dropped my bag off at Resort Airline Check-in, and packed up my Owner’s Locker so that I could leave it down at Bell Services.

When JenM and I were packed up, we went to say goodbye to Goofy4Tink. Goofy4Tink is a great friend. She puts up with me being annoying very well, and she goes to see the Country Bear Jamboree with me, and even sings along. I can’t wait to go on the Mousefest cruise with her in 2008. I hope she doesn’t push me overboard.

JenM and I then took the bus over to the Magic Kingdom. We headed over to Tomorrowland and road Space Mountain, and then stopped so I could get a cinnamon bun at the bakery. We also went to see Mickey’s Philharmagic, and I believe that we road either Pirates or the Caribbean or Haunted Mansion as well (I didn’t take notes this day, so it’s a bit of a blur).

We then took the monorail over to Epcot. I always like to end my trips at Epcot when I’m staying at an Epcot area resort. It’s a quick walk back to the resort rather than having to give yourself plenty of time to get back to the resort on the bus.

We stopped and grabbed some lunch at the Electric Umbrella. We both got the chicken strips. The woman at the register rang mine in incorrectly as a double cheeseburger, and I paid for it, not realizing she ordered the wrong thing until I looked at the slip. When I told her that I had ordered the chicken strips, she said, “No you didn’t. You ordered the bacon double cheeseburger.” I said, “No, I wanted the chicken strips.” She again told me that I had ordered the bacon double cheeseburger, but finally told them that I wanted the chicken strips. She was not very magical, I’ll tell you. I think I know what I wanted, lady.

After lunch, I headed towards the American Adventure so I could catch the first performance of the day of the Voices of Liberty, as I always enjoy their holiday show. JenM opted to ride Mission: Space instead. I took my time walking to the American Adventure, and got their a few minutes before show time. There were people lined up waiting for them. It was now after show time, and we were still all waiting. After close to ten minutes, a cast member said, “Due to a schedule conflict, the Voices of Liberty will note be performing this set.” I was disappointed, as it was the only show I could have made before my pick up time for Magical Express.

I continued to walk through the World Showcase, stopping in France to get some Crème Brulee. It was a decent cup of Crème Brulee, but not as good as the stuff I get at Wolfgang Puck’s Express. The guy in line behind me struck up a conversation with me, and he was a cast member enjoying the parks on his day off. He had some good looking French bread pizza for lunch.

After eating my Crème Brulee, I walked out towards the Boardwalk and browsed around in the shops. I also watched the guys working on the Jellyrolls renovations through the windows for a few minutes.

JenM got back to the Boardwalk, and we sat in the rocking chairs on the back porch and enjoyed the view until I had to get my bags and head to Magical Express. The bus was about 10 minutes late, so JenM left to take one more walk along the Boardwalk before her bus a half hour later.

I made it to about two and a half hours before my flight. I grabbed a chicken wrap at the Outback Outpost to eat on the plane. The plane took off on time, and the flight home was relatively smooth.

We arrived at Logan Airport about 20 minutes early. I went to baggage claim, and waited, and waited, and waited, and waited. But my bag didn’t show up on the belt. I went and filed a claim with JetBlue. I found out the next day that my bag went to Syracuse, and it had to fly home in a snowstorm though JFK in New York. I received my bag back at about 10:45 on Thursday night.

But my mind is already on my next trip, scheduled for March of 2008, when my niece and nephew sing there with their high school chorale group.

[sharonW]

K A R E N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You came back, I mean really back! You finished
the entire TR!! You really didn't forget about us!!:confused3
Heck, work should never ever get in the way of diz!!:rotfl2:
Honestly, karen, 17 times on EE, are ya NUTS:crazy2:
Sounds like you had a great time, I had the best time
reading! You need to start posting pics though!! Sorry
I expect a lot!!!:snooty: I miss chating with you in the
room, its been down way to long!!:upsidedow Take Care!:)

[Einetius]

Great report. Thanks for finishing.