THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!! The Incredible(s) Trip to Disney

[FreFam5]

I'm noticing a distinct lack of LegoMom pics. I sure hope to see some soon. Loving the report. You can just feel the Disney love.

Yes - where is LegoMom??? In fact - how come moms are normally missing from pictures??? I am going to make a concious effort to pass the camera to DH next month to make sure that when my kids are grown they realize I did indeed go on vacation with them!! LOL

[creativeamanda]

Yes - where is LegoMom??? In fact - how come moms are normally missing from pictures??? I am going to make a concious effort to pass the camera to DH next month to make sure that when my kids are grown they realize I did indeed go on vacation with them!! LOL

Even when dh does take pictures, they aren't worth posting or printing.

[LegoMom3]

I know! It's so awesome. I wish I had been able to ride it about 15 more times.

I'm a little sad about that. :sad2: Though I do like your pics!

Hopefully I was able to rememdy this earlier on the Lapu thread! And I also hope the rest of your day was better. :hug:



I'm noticing a distinct lack of LegoMom pics. I sure hope to see some soon. Loving the report. You can just feel the Disney love.

Aww...thank you! I probably shouldn't say anything to you, as I suspect this will just pour more fuel on the fire of your enthusiasm, but the DVC bug bit while we were there. There's no way in heck we could do it now, but I wanna... Someday. Anywho, it made me think of you!

Pics of moi?! Well, since I take the pictures, there are rarely any of me. Which I don't mind. I'm not fond of seeing myself as the camera sees me. But, for all of your sakes, I'll try to dig one up before this TR is over.



I am so glad that I waited to get home today to read your installments. Your pictures are beautiful and honestly, I could ride Soarin' and visit the Seas all day!

Hi c! Thanks for the nice comments. Glad you like it so far! There are lots more pics to come. Stay tuned!



Yes - where is LegoMom??? In fact - how come moms are normally missing from pictures??? I am going to make a concious effort to pass the camera to DH next month to make sure that when my kids are grown they realize I did indeed go on vacation with them!! LOL

Moms are normally missing from pictures because that is Clause #296.1 in the Mom contract: "You will be required to obtain and the learn the proper use of an image-capture device in order to accurately document every second of your family's life. This will apply to daily use but you will be expected to double your efforts for your child(ren)'s first step, first word, at any and all graduation ceremonies, and while on vacation. No other family members are required to perform this task, which will result in a disproportionately low number of photos of you, the Mom."


.

[Tnkrbelle565]

Yes - where is LegoMom??? In fact - how come moms are normally missing from pictures??? I am going to make a concious effort to pass the camera to DH next month to make sure that when my kids are grown they realize I did indeed go on vacation with them!! LOL


That's what Photopass is for :rotfl: that's the only way I get in vacation photos. God forbid we go to a place that's NOT Disney!!!!

[Smileybug]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_5_20.gif (http://*******************************************ZSzeb00 1_ZN)Where's the next update? :rotfl:

[LegoMom3]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_5_20.gif (http://*******************************************ZSzeb00 1_ZN)Where's the next update? :rotfl:


Sunday night!! http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Tongue/mockery-017.gif
Sorry, we'll be out of town from tonight until then! I am bringing my laptop (which I just discovered can go on the Internet....:headache: D'oh! Could've DIS'd while I was at the World... My dad picked it up for me used and I'm still learning about it) but I don't think the house we're going to has a DSL hook-up.


Please stay tuned....:surfweb:

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[Mean Queen]

Aww...thank you! I probably shouldn't say anything to you, as I suspect this will just pour more fuel on the fire of your enthusiasm, but the DVC bug bit while we were there. There's no way in heck we could do it now, but I wanna... Someday. Anywho, it made me think of you!



You are right. Between getting you to move to Florida and now buy DVC, I will never let up! (insert evil laughter.)

Looking forward to you finding pictures of yourself to post. Though your curly headed boys are sure cuties.

[creativeamanda]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_5_20.gif (http://*******************************************ZSzeb00 1_ZN)Where's the next update? :rotfl:

:rotfl:

[LegoMom3]

You are right. Between getting you to move to Florida and now buy DVC, I will never let up! (insert evil laughter.)

Looking forward to you finding pictures of yourself to post. Though your curly headed boys are sure cuties.


Hey, found one!! It's a few years old but should provide some entertainment around here until I get back and post the next installment.... :rotfl: (and thanks for the nice comment on my boys! :flower3: )


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/MeChipnDale-2.jpg

The LegoMom at Epcot in Nov. 2003, on a day trip with my dad


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[Mean Queen]

Hey, found one!! It's a few years old but should provide some entertainment around here until I get back and post the next installment.... :rotfl: (and thanks for the nice comment on my boys! :flower3: )


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/MeChipnDale-2.jpg

The LegoMom at Epcot in Nov. 2003, on a day trip with my dad


.

Nice! I remember that picture being in your siggie a while back. My family has our pictures on the Legend wall. I should have told you where so you could find us. (Though I never actually remember the wall numbers, just how to get there.)

[Smileybug]

I remember that photo too. You photograph well. :)

I hope your dreams of both DVC ownership and moving to FL. come true. :goodvibes

[LegoMom3]

The pool on Ol' Man Island at Port Orleans Riverside is really great. If it had a sandy bottom, it might remind me of the old River Country water park. It almost has an ol' swimmin' hole feel to it. Minus the sandy bottom of course, but also minus the muck and all the other creepy unknowns that inhabit water that you can't see the bottom of. Which is why I 100% prefer swimming in a pool over swimming in a lake. And coming from New Hampshire, I'll tell you there's no better way to spend a hot summer day (rare as they may be...) than hanging out by a northern lake...smelling the pine boughs warmed by the sun, feeling the sweet breeze off the water, and hearing a loon cry in the distance. But as for swimming, I won't wade in much deeper than my waist. Once the bottom becomes inky black, I'm out. No deal.


And hardly anyone up here has a big ol' in-ground pool, so coming to Florida and swimming at our Disney resort is about as good as it gets without actually going to the parks! I'm fairly certain that we could come to Disney, spend a week, never do the parks, and if the bulk of the day was spent in the pool, my kids wouldn't raise the slightest complaint. Case in point: on a daily basis, we would head out for one of the four theme parks at opening, do a boatload of super-cool Disney stuff, and by early afternoon, the battle cry from the troops was inevitably “I want to go back to the resort and swim!” On the other hand, having spent 2 or even 3 hours in said pool, when the time came to come out and get ready for a park again, the admonition was nearly always met with grave disappointment.


Pool – 3
Parks – 0


And all this drivel in the previous two paragraphs was really just to say that we all really, really enjoyed our afternoon of swimming back at the resort!


So, refreshed and ready to take on the World once more, we headed to the West Depot to catch a bus to the Magic Kingdom, where we would then take a boat over to the Wilderness Lodge for our dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe. This would end up being yet another testament against the Disney transportation system. Despite leaving POR shortly after 4:00pm for a 5:45pm ADR at the WL, we arrived with only minutes to spare....


And passed under the wooden arch where our dinner adventure was about to begin....


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008067.jpg




Being well-versed in all things DIS when it comes to Eating Around the World, I knew that WCC was not a place for the faint of heart or the painfully shy. We have none of those in our party (slightly shy, perhaps, but nothing that can't be overcome with some good-natured joshin') so we were ready for whatever she threw our way.


Which turned out to be a handful of straws from our waitress... They landed in somewhat of a heap in the center of the table, so we fared better than the family next to us who had to retrieve their napkins from all over creation.

DH, DS11 and I all ordered the All-You-Can-Eat Skillet...


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008068.jpg



DS6 got the kid's chicken strips, and DS8 got, as usual, a cheeseburger and fries. ( I should have just made up a card and pinned it on his shirt every day - “I'd like a cheeseburger and fries, please!” Would've saved a lot of time in the long run. ) We were also introduced to the bottomless shake.... Heaven! Between the lot of us, we got caramel, chocolate, orange, vanilla, and a mango smoothie. Mmmm! Yummy.

While waiting for our food to arrive, we witnessed our first Embarrassment. Somehow a young couple who were celebrating their anniversary caught the attention of a server, who promptly made them stand up for all to see and made a big deal over them. We were then instructed to tap our glasses with a spoon, and after the obligatory kiss, we all sang Happy Anniversary to them to the tune of Happy Birthday. Which is quite awkward, trying to fit a 5-syllable word into a 2-syllable space. I saw my boys steal anxious glances at one another, wondering if by some horrific Disney possibility the servers knew they had birthdays coming up this fall. They didn't.


The next antic had to do with ketchup. If you've eaten at WCC before, you know what that's all about, and if you haven't, I'm not going to ruin the surprise for you. Suffice it to say, if you ask for ketchup, you WILL get ketchup!!


There was also a stick-horse race, much to the delight of my horse-loving 6-yr old. He jumped right up, grabbed a horse, and was off and running within 1/1000th of a second of “Go!”. That boy can gallop! He didn't win (dang the cute little pig-tailed blonde on the far turn...), but he had a blast trying.


About the time the meal was wrapping up and we were slurping our glasses clean of the 2nd round of shakes, DH suddenly took a “look” about him and announced he really wasn't feeling so hot and wanted to go get some air. This was cause for concern on my part because the man is NEVER sick. Ever. He left abruptly and I wished our server would come with the check so we could call this done and I could find out what was going on.


She finally did, and within a moment of her leaving with my KTTW card to charge the tip to our room, DS8 suddenly announced that he didn't feel well, either. Unlike DH, when this boy says he feels sick, it's time to hustle him to the nearest bathroom!! I was feeling completely trapped at this point. DH was MIA, I was still waiting for our server to return with my card, and now DS8 doesn't feel well. I quickly told DS11 to take him and find the bathroom right away. DS8 replied that he didn't feel that sick.... But I know this child. Once again I implored the eldest to take his brother – now – and find the bathroom. I pointed him in the general direction of where it should be and they were off.


This is where the Whispering Canyon yelled at us. But believe me, that's all the detail you want on how the rest of this meal played out. I will just conclude by saying that DS8 did at least make it to the restroom. Where all of the stalls were occupied. And fortunately, there happened to be a janitor present. DH ended up being fine. He admitted to me later that he had been feeling a bit “blah” starting the day before we left for our trip, but hadn't wanted to say anything to me so I wouldn't worry.


So before y'all start getting all wigged out over having a meal at Whispering Canyon Cafe, let me stress here that DH and DS8 had caught a bit of the stomach bug that was going around home, before we left, and it simply chose this night to rear its ugly head. For the rest of us who weren't so afflicted, it was a great meal with some great fun.


But there is nothing – and I mean nothing! - about that place that whispers!!!



DS6 on the bridge over the stream inside the WL!...
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008069.jpg

On our way back to the boats:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008071.jpg

--------------------------

Next time: THAT WAS TOTALLY WICKED!!!!!


Incredible Quote:
"Mr. Incredible: Well what are you waiting for?!!
Boy on tricycle: I don't know....something AMAZING!, I guess.
Mr. Inredible: Me too, kid..."


.

[pmama]

Well, your title got me for two reasons. On our recent trip we rode to the MK next to this adorable 9 yr old girl who described everything as "WIKED FUN", or "WIKED FAST", etc. We thought that was so funny that we used that word all the time for the rest of our trip. I checked and no she doesn't belong to your family. But it is now one our favorite words. Also, I'm guessing that you went to MNSSHP as the Incredibles. So did we.;) It was pretty popular this year but so much fun to dress your whole family up the same. Great TR so far.:thumbsup2

[2xcited2sleep]

I am with you on murky bottom lakes... not for me!! :sad2: Whispering Canyon does sound like fun (minus a terribly timed stomach bug!)!!

[Lady Lallie]

I love swimming in lakes. Now, I can deal with the muck if it doesn't touch me but if I have to walk in muck before I can not touch anymore that doesn't fly with me. Which is why I love docks, jump in, no muck, no mess. ;)

I have seen Whispering Canyon in a whoooole new light. :rotfl2: DH and I really want to try this next trip but I have to admit that I am scared of the craziness. :laughing:

[creativeamanda]

I grew up swimming in lakes. They don't bother me all that much, but I do prefer pools.

Great installment.

[TarzansKat]

I do love a good swim at Disney. Apparently, you do too!

Okay, even though my rational mind tells me that the menfolk had a stomach bug, my freakout instinct says OMG, don't eat there.

But let me also tell you why. Well, not in great detail, but let's just say TK has an aversion to skillet food and leave it at that.

Well, let's not. It was the Garden Grill. We tried it twice because the character interaction was so good. Every. Member. Of. My. Party. Sick.

'Nuff said. However, I'm glad you had a good time! :lmao:

And it warms me to see pics of the lodge again. :goodvibes

[Tinkerbellarella]

nor do I enjoy having to use the broom closet that they call a "lavatory

Wait until I get to regale you with tales of what happened when someone in our party had to navigate the 4 square inches of the airplane's loo for something other than the normal potty visit. ::sigh::

Bathroom Olympics, Part I.

Did I mention that I love Florida?

No. I'm definitely NOT getting the love for FL vibe from you. At all.

If I wanted to use all 8 of my personal adult credits on that one night, then it's my right to do so!!

It would be gross, because I would never eat that much food in one sitting, but I could.

Just sayin'....

My. Kind. Of. Lady.
:rolleyes1

I was just re-living it in my mind for the 4,192nd time.

4,192nd? That's all? ;)

It was our moment of solitude, serenity and peace at the start of each day. A few moments to enjoy the beauty of God's creation that we call Florida... A few moments to really just enjoy each other's company and realize how blessed we were to be back in our Happy Place and have this time away. I love my early mornings at the resort.

Happiest. Description. Ever. (NOBest.Nom.Ever)

And strangely, I was also reminded of the Tina-Fey-as-Palin-SNL-skit when she says, "I can see Russia from my backyard." :rotfl:

We were really there! I got all kinds of giddy and felt like a kid on Christmas morning. The feeling is beyond words.

Which begs the question of why even attempt to write a trip report....

But those of you who've been there, who know that feeling, can appreciate my feeble grasping at words to try to convey the experience of the magic of your first park day.

I cry. Plain and simple. My brain recognizes that I'm speechless, without words, non-vocabularized and so, instead chooses to express itself with big alligator tears threatening to consume my cheeks and a lump in my throat the size of Bunsen Honeydew's head.

And why were thigh-high boots EVER legal??!! :scared: Yikes.

Are you kidding? I wear my thigh-high neon boots and mini skirt to the Lab ALL THE TIME!

Happiest. Nom. Ever. :love:

This makes me feel gleeful.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008033.jpg

MINE!

by the Odyssey Center (what is that about anyway??....other than a convenient path between Test Track and World Showcase!).

It used to be a restaurant. I ate there on my first trip with my grandparents. I VERY vaguely remember it. Then it closed down. Now it's got the restrooms, first aid and the rest of the building is used for special corporate events. The building was actually in use for some special event on the night of our dinner in Italy. They actually detoured us off the path and away from the building. :confused3

suddenly took a “look” about him and announced he really wasn't feeling so hot and wanted to go get some air

Ever see that look at cruising altitude on an airplane when the beverage service has just past and is now blocking the path to the lav, you're between the heaver and the aisle and you have your laptop, cranberry juice and iPod all laid out in front of you? Even. Less. Fun.

Can't tell you how happy I am to be reading this. :goodvibes

[Jenvenza]

Loving your TR!!!

[MRYPPNS]

I'm late to the party (as usual) but I'm here now. Good call to stay in and relax your first night there.....that stomach bug could have been worst if you all didn't get some rest after your long travel day.

[LegoMom3]

Well, your title got me for two reasons. On our recent trip we rode to the MK next to this adorable 9 yr old girl who described everything as "WIKED FUN", or "WIKED FAST", etc. We thought that was so funny that we used that word all the time for the rest of our trip. I checked and no she doesn't belong to your family. But it is now one our favorite words. Also, I'm guessing that you went to MNSSHP as the Incredibles. So did we.;) It was pretty popular this year but so much fun to dress your whole family up the same. Great TR so far.:thumbsup2

A New Englander for sure! See, we don't even think about it and it just spouts forth so naturally that we don't consider that others don't use it! And no, we didn't do MNSSHP but there are matching shirts involved.... Stay tuned!!



I am with you on murky bottom lakes... not for me!! :sad2: Whispering Canyon does sound like fun (minus a terribly timed stomach bug!)!!

WCC was a blast. If the bug had stayed away, it would have been a perfect meal!



....
I have seen Whispering Canyon in a whoooole new light. :rotfl2: DH and I really want to try this next trip but I have to admit that I am scared of the craziness. :laughing:

Oh you've gotta try it once! Being a young couple, you may get picked out of the crowd as potential newlyweds or on your honeymoon, but if you do, just go with it! It's a blast.



I grew up swimming in lakes. They don't bother me all that much, but I do prefer pools.

Great installment.

Thanks! :goodvibes



....
Okay, even though my rational mind tells me that the menfolk had a stomach bug, my freakout instinct says OMG, don't eat there.

But let me also tell you why. Well, not in great detail, but let's just say TK has an aversion to skillet food and leave it at that.

Well, let's not. It was the Garden Grill. We tried it twice because the character interaction was so good. Every. Member. Of. My. Party. Sick.

.....

Trust me, it wasn't the food. Since DS11 and I also had the skillet and were NOT sick, and DS8 didn't have the skillet and was sick, then it stands to reason that it was the bug and not the food that brought about "the event." (And I'm sorry to potentially disappoint Zzub but that's all the detail I'm gonna share on that!....some people I know *coughsniffhackZ* might actually take a picture and then post it on their TR....:rolleyes: ).

But seriously. It wasn't the food!



....

No. I'm definitely NOT getting the love for FL vibe from you. At all.

Well heck I'm gonna have to try harder then!
:rotfl:



Happiest. Description. Ever. (NOBest.Nom.Ever)

Best. Reply. EVER!

You rock! :thumbsup2


Ever see that look at cruising altitude on an airplane when the beverage service has just past and is now blocking the path to the lav, you're between the heaver and the aisle and you have your laptop, cranberry juice and iPod all laid out in front of you? Even. Less. Fun.


And yet, I'm still waiting to be regaled with this story... Yeesh, you'd think you actually have a life or something that inhibits your DISing time! :rotfl:



Loving your TR!!!

Thanks for dropping by! There's more coming, soon...I promise!



I'm late to the party (as usual) but I'm here now. Good call to stay in and relax your first night there.....that stomach bug could have been worst if you all didn't get some rest after your long travel day.

The party's still going so come on in! :woohoo:


.

[Smileybug]

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_50_1.gif (http://*******************************************ZSzeb00 1_ZN)Need new installment. :goodvibes

[LegoMom3]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....


This day would turn out to be totally wicked and completely sucky. All in one day. Neatly packaged and sprung upon us like Dream Fastpasses. Except we didn't get those. :sad2:


This was DHS day. We arrived just after opening, so while the crowds were herding down Hollywood Blvd., we lingered at the entrance.


Yes, you read right. We lingered.....


There was no mad dash for Fastpasses at Toy Story Mania. Alas, NONE of us were in the mood for that particular incarnation of the Running of the Bulls. I expect the original in Pamplona is a might less dangerous, too. Disney vacationers on a mad rush to obtain the rights to ride a new attraction with minimal wait....well let's just hope y'all signed a release waiver! It reminds me of what the Oklahoma Land Rush must have been like. People lined up behind a rope, or some invisible line, knowing their very destiny lies just out of sight and knowing they've got to beat the masses to that perfect plot of land. Or, in this case, an upright rectangular box that spits out little pieces of paper.


So we lingered...at the top of Hollywood Blvd. DS11 asked for an autograph book, which we purchased right there at the Crossroads of the World. Before we were done, DH had secretly bought me a Mater pin, which I had mentioned in passing the day before as something I thought would be cool to add to my collection. When he presented it to me, I got all kinds of mushy on him.... :lovestruc


I also took this opportunity to rent a stroller for DS6. He's going to be 7 in December, but he's a little bit of a peanut and all that walking wore him down quicker than the rest of us. I got the 3-day bargain deal which would secure a stroller for our upcoming days in Animal Kingdom and Epcot too. And how uninteresting is all of this?! Do you really care that I rented a stroller? Does it matter in the least in the grand scheme of things? Well, no, but chronologically it's just what we did while wasting so much precious time just lingering at the Studios entrance!


With DS6 riding like a king in his chariot and the crowds gone on their merry herd-of-cattle way, we were ready to head out and tackle the park. Our first stop was Mickey's of Hollywood. I'm all about a little retail therapy first thing in the morning!! :rolleyes: I didn't actually buy anything myself, but DS8 fell in love with and promptly purchased with his own, hard-earned money, a Star Wars Droid blaster gun. I requested it be shipped back to the resort, since it was large and awkward and knew he'd tire of carrying it before we could say “Star Wars.” On my way out of the shop, I was suddenly stopped dead in my tracks by this....


The Wall of Mugs....! (cue choir of angels!)

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008076.jpg


Looking at that picture right now, I see three or 4 mugs....at least!....that I shoulda bought! Rats.

You have to understand here, I have a mug fettish. I find them irresistible and if I had my druthers (whatever those are) I'd have shelves all around my kitchen just to display mugs. I knew I wanted one, but this wall overwhelmed even me and all I could do was stand and stare. And at the urging of my ever-patient husband, I finally pulled myself away and went back out into the heat, where I regained my senses. How I got out of there without making a mug purchase remains a mystery.

As we made our way down Hollywood Blvd we once again took pictures of each of the boys on the dime store horse. It's our third set of such photos and fun to see how they've grown since each preceding trip. And right about there we also saw a Photopass photographer and had a series of family snapshots with the Hat in the background.


Somewhere between here and the Hat itself, the Times Guide bit me in the butt.... Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show was performing exactly two – two!! - times on this day. Our one and only Studios day. Once at 10 minutes after our lunch ADR, and again at 4:30, smack in the middle of pool time. We could, conceivably, skip pool time, but that runs the risk of not making it until Fantasmic. Since this was our one and only day at the Studios, it was a must-see too. I had this day so, so carefully planned out. How could this happen?! Dang the slow season. Dang our not getting Park Hoppers...!


Never. Again.


In the end, all my planning would wind its way right down the drain, anyway, and none of this would matter a hill of soggy beans, but it was still early and we didn't know that yet. We headed for Star Tours first. DS11 and DS8 wanted to ride this. DS6 and I hung out at Tatooine Traders....

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008084.jpg


and it was only a matter of time before the boy found the Build-Your-Own-Lightsaber station.... He was SO enamored of it, and I was feeling some kind of guilty that he had to miss Star Tours (neither DH nor I can handle this ride, so he had to sit it out), so I ushered him right over to the nice, grandmotherly CM who was assisting with the building, and I set the boy loose.


Crazy I am. Taken leave of my senses, I have. Build or build not.... There is no try.

*sigh*


Well in no time at all he had one super-cool light saber, complete with sound-changing crystals!! There are three different colored plastic crystal rocks, and each one makes a different battle sound...


Best. Light saber. Ever.


About the time that the boys emptied out of Star Tours, we all got our hunger on. We backtracked over to Starring Rolls Cafe and had our fill of breakfast treats and some pretty darn good coffee! It was busy, but we found a corner, out-of-the-way table where we could park the stroller and sit a spell in some blessed shade. Oh yeah, it was hot that day.


We hadn't been there very long when it struck us how loud that little outdoor cafe seemed to be. I mean, it was a busy place, but should it be so loud that we had to really raise our voices just to talk to the person across the table? Why was it so loud?!


Three little letters: HSM.....


Oh how we would grow to hate High School Musical. It is to the Studios what Cinderellabration was to the MK. It was loud, extremely annoying, and it was performed over and over and over again.....


All. Day. Long.


And as if the teeny-bopper stage show weren't enough to rob you of your sanity, they then take the whole show on the road and an over-sized parade float takes the whole ill-conceived idea right down Hollywood Blvd.


We really, really didn't like the HSM show, in case you didn't catch that.


At this point, being near the entrance to Mickey Avenue, we decided to head over there and see Journey Into Narnia and the Magic of Disney Animation. The Incredibles WERE making appearances this day, on-going from 11:30am! Oh yes, this would be Mom's day. The elusive Supers were almost within reach. Since Journey Into Narnia is right next to the new Pixar Place area, we moseyed over there to have a look-see at all the new theming and over-sized toy props. There were some Toy Soldiers walking about and DS11 wanted to try to get an autograph. We were so focused on the Toy Soldier just ahead of us, that we almost walked right past the TSM Fastpass machines. Which were not yet sold out....at 10:45am!!!


:banana:


The return time was 2:55pm – 3:55pm!....perfect for right after lunch at Sci-Fi!!


:banana:


I grabbed my family's KTTW cards faster 'n you can say “Hey howdy hey!” and scored us some Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania, baby!! Without the Running of the Bulls! I immediately felt a rush of joy, followed quickly by a deep sense of relief..... Mean Queen and LL would kill me if I came back and said I'd missed this ride!!


:rotfl:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008085.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008086.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008088.jpg


Holding these Fastpasses, I kind of felt like Charlie when he finds the Golden Ticket. You see it, and you finger it gingerly, as though it might turn to dust at your very touch. Then you want to just grab it and run through the streets waving it wildly and yelling "I found it!....I've got the last Golden Ticket!" except you would be yelling about having the last TSM Fastpass or something like that. Because they're not golden nor are they [technically] tickets. But they are the prize! If you've got one of these, you're somebody special! And you feel even more giddy about it because you were the poor kid who shouldn't have had a snowball's chance in hell to ever get your hands on one in the first place. YOU lingered while everyone else made a mad dash. While Veruca's father's minions opened thousands of boxes of chocolate bars. While some other kid got one when he really didn't care if he did or not! YOU HAVE THE GOLDEN TICKET!!!

I savored the sweetness of the moment.....:cloud9:




And then we went to Narnia.

--------------------------------------

Next time: To be continued!....

Incredible Quote:
Elastigirl (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000456/): Settle down, are you kidding? I'm at the top of my game! I'm right up there with the big dogs! Girls, come on. Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don't think so.


.

[TarzansKat]

So I guess no family is immune to a certain amount of debacle on their vacation, eh?

I'll admit, you've peaked my interest.

Why will LegoMom henceforth always purchase park hoppers?

Did they actually stay in the park all day so as to see everything on their list?

Who melted down first?

I have so many, many questions. Could you update again? ;)

[Smileybug]

Since I'm not a wordy writey person...I'm gonna borrow TarzansKat line...."Could you update again?" But here's my own word....PLEASE!!!

[creativeamanda]

Now that is a great installment and worth every bit of the wait! So my big question is, did you see Prince Caspian? :love:

[Lady Lallie]

I have to admit, I was getting a little peeved that you might miss TSM after my wonderful words of encouragment. I am glad to see that you learned the errors of your ways and were able to obtain FP. ;)

[LegoMom3]

We made our way to the queue to meet Prince Caspian. I studied the map of Narnia and commented to DH at how similar it was to a map of Middle Earth. Same writing, same markings. It was cool. DH then reminded me that Lewis and Tolkien were friends and often had similar themes running within their writings. Probably explains why the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Chronicles of Narnia are my favorite movies ever.


When it was our turn and we entered the “forest,” Prince Caspian greeted us like true royalty and I secretly wished I was 20 years younger.... Wow...! DS8 ended up being really, really enthralled with this meet. His face lit up and he just kept mentioning it throughout the whole rest of the day. Definitely a high point for him! DS11 got his autograph, we took a few photos, and said our gracious good-byes. Prince Caspian was fantastic in his interaction – 110% in character! As far as my kids are concerned, they met the real honest-to-goodness Prince.


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008090.jpg




From here we entered Journey Into Narnia. As others have commented, it's basically a plug for the movie, but it's really cool if you've seen the movies and are into them at all. Walking into the chamber of the Stone Table was quite realistic. It has spiritual connotations for me, and it was quite moving for me to see up close the representation of such a great sacrifice. I think a lot of people miss that in the Narnia movies, but as with anything, if you're aware of the deeper meaning, it takes on a whole other dimension.


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008093.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008092.jpg




After a brief presentation and some film clips, we were ushered into the prop area where you could see some of the actual costumes worn by the children. What completely amazed me was the attention to detail, and how they can take something new and make it look like it's hundreds of years old and seen many battles.


On to The Magic of Disney Animation!!


There was about a 10 minute wait before the next show, so we walked around the outdoor queue area and looked at the old movie renderings.


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008096.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008098.jpg




Once inside, we watched the little show starring Mushu (or however you spell it), which was entertaining enough. We'd never seen it before and the boys liked it. We all spent some time admiring the artists in the working studio afterwards, though. DS11, who is very artistically inclined, was completely awed by the rows and rows of paints and markers and such! He asked me about the people working on drawings in there, if that was their job. I assured him it was, and saw a look of fascination light on his face. Hey, who knows who the next great Disney artist will be! :rolleyes:

Finally, FINALLY we entered the domain of.....


The Incredibles!!!!!


There they were: Mr. & Mrs. Incredible!....in the flesh! Or, in the Super Suit, at least. There wasn't too much of a line, so we all queued up and anxiously waited our turn. I was so many kinds of giddy at this point... Who was the kid here, anyway?! I'm not embarrassed to admit that I was. When our turn came and we approached them, they immediately noticed our matching t-shirts with their likeness on them and made a big fuss over us. It is utterly amazing how they communicate without words, how much is “said” by gesture alone. Mr. I had my hubby make a big muscle and compared it to his own, Mrs. I showed her appreciation for my shirt with her picture on it, as well as DS8 and DS6 with the picture of Dash. Then, they both caught sight of Syndrome on DS11's shirt... Boy did the fur fly then! :rotfl: Oh they made gestures like they were horrified!!....covering their eyes and stepping back, and Mr. I made like he might attack this nemesis! DS11 took it all in stride and it was a ton of fun. SO so worth the 2-year wait! I don't have the Photopass picture yet so I can't show you how cool we all looked in our Incredible poses, but it – was – a – blast!


Alas we had to bid them good-bye (what do you mean another family wants their turn...?! These are MY characters!! :rotfl2: ). But it was on to Mickey! Another brief wait, and another amazing character meet! Mickey greeted each boy individually, and shook hands with DH. I, however, had stepped back by the Photopass guy, as it was my intention to just take pictures here and not be in the shots.


Mickey had other ideas...!


The Photopass photographer asked if I was going to join my family for the picture. When I said no, I was just going to get a shot of all my guys this time, Mickey put his hands on his hips, then waved one hand up in the air and shrugged his shoulders, then shook his head “no” and marched right over to me. Then, to the horror of my DH, Mickey started to flirt with me!!!! :lmao: First he kissed me on the forehead, then he gave me a hug, followed by taking my hand giving that a kiss. I'm sure I was about 12 shades of embarrassed NOW! But really, how do you refuse that?! I took one picture of just the guys, then took my place next to the Mouse Himself and let the Photopass guy work his magic. Pure bliss...

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008104.jpg


But it wasn't over! Oh no, the Lego clan wasn't finished yet. After spending a few moments looking at the WALL-E props, something caught my eye up on the next level: the Incredibles were leaving, and who was that taking their place but Frozone!! Score! I alerted the kids and we headed right back up and got in the short line. DH opted not to join us this time, and oh how he should have. Up came our turn; all three boys went over to greet Frozone and this time I was staying out of the picture. I just wanted my boys in this one. DS8 and DS6 got handshakes and high fives and low fives and side fives. And DS11, with the Syndrome shirt, stopped Frozone dead in his tracks. He just looked at the shirt, then looked up at DS11. He shook his head in “disgust” and then made the move that will forever define this meet-n-greet.... He walked right up to the little autograph podium, ripped the Incredibles “I” symbol off it's heavy-duty Velcro base, put it in DS11's hands and made him cover up the Sydrome on his shirt!!!!


Dude!:rotfl2: :rotfl2:


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008109.jpg



And thus ended my long-awaited Incredibles meet at the Magic of Disney Animation. Those are some of the best memories we have from the trip. How Mr. & Mrs. Incredible were so excited to see us in our matching shirts. How Mickey made me feel extra special. How Frozone pulled out all the stops in his interaction with the kids. Those are the kind of things you go to Disney for, that you cannot get anywhere else on earth. I left there a very, very happy LegoMom. :goodvibes

-------------------------------

Next time: From Totally Wicked! to Completely Sucky....

Incredible Quote:
Helen (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000456/): I think your father is in trouble.
Violet (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1102970/): If you haven't noticed, Mom, we're not doin' so hot either.

.

[creativeamanda]

The character greets with the Incredibles and Frozone sound like the best ever! I'm excited the Stone Table is in Narnia, but I get so emotional at things, I think I may be all teary-eyed when I look at it. It sounds as if you all had an awesome trip to MGM. . .I mean Hollywood Studios!

As for the mugs earlier, I HAVE to have the Mike Wizowski (or however you spell it) one. Absolutely one of my favorite movies ever!

[Lady Lallie]

Awww. What wonderful character interactions you had!! :love:

You are completely right, that is what Disney is all about!

I am really worried about the totally sucky part coming up! :confused:

[tyniknate]

Have to see how this ends. Wish I had been able to read this BEFORE our September trip. Was the worst ever. LOUSY SERVICE, lousy food, rude castmembers, hot-hot-hot weather, all combined with trying to do too much. Lost all of the Disney magic. Would love to have a do-over right about now.
Will enjoy your account of the fun, though.

[Mean Queen]

Why do I have this sense of dread after reading this sentence "Mean Queen and LL would kill me if I came back and said I'd missed this ride!!"?

You had some great character interactions. You better hope Minnie doesn't read about Mickey flirting with you.

[Tinkerbellarella]

The Wall of Mugs....! (cue choir of angels!)

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008076.jpg


Looking at that picture right now, I see three or 4 mugs....at least!....that I shoulda bought! Rats.

I see one in the bottom left-hand corner that I DID buy!
(But that's not to rub it in. I'm just sayin'.)

Crazy I am. Taken leave of my senses, I have. Build or build not.... There is no try.

Yoda would be proud. :yoda:

Best. Light saber. Ever.

Dude.


Three little letters: HSM.....


Oh how we would grow to hate High School Musical.

Oh how happy I am that I never saw it!

. We were so focused on the Toy Soldier just ahead of us, that we almost walked right past the TSM Fastpass machines. Which were not yet sold out....at 10:45am!!!


:banana:


The return time was 2:55pm – 3:55pm!

Ah yes, the rewards of not rushing - as I will report in my TR, we arrived at the FP machines around 11 a.m. and were rewarded with FPs starting at 3:25 p.m.

And then we went to Narnia.

I don't know why, but just the way this sat by itself and was stated so simply made me laugh pretty hard.

As in, "And NATURALLY we walked right into that wardrobe and out the otherside. Duh!"

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008090.jpg

::drooldrooldrool::

Oh MY. I'm now wishing we HAD waited the extra 20 min. for this, ah, experience.

And DS11, with the Syndrome shirt, stopped Frozone dead in his tracks. He just looked at the shirt, then looked up at DS11. He shook his head in “disgust” and then made the move that will forever define this meet-n-greet.... He walked right up to the little autograph podium, ripped the Incredibles “I” symbol off it's heavy-duty Velcro base, put it in DS11's hands and made him cover up the Sydrome on his shirt!!!!


Dude!:rotfl2: :rotfl2:


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008109.jpg

Hy.Ster.I.Cal.

[ZZUB]

Alright now, I'm all caught up on your trip. It sounds like y'all had a great time and really appreciated and enjoyed some of the things we tend to rush through. Sometimes the characters are just full on funny, aren't they? We didn't get to see the Incredibles this year which is good. On account of the restraining order Mrs. I had sworn out against me after the "incident" last year.

Sometimes taking a slow start in the park when everyone is running is more fun. You may not be the first people on a ride, but you're almost guaranteed to enjoy the walk a whole lot more.

HSM is A TOTAL SUCKFEST!!!! I am so thankful my six year old hasn't landed on that or the dreadful Hoochie Montana thing yet.

We are not big WCC fans. We found the food to be less than stellar although it's a fun place to eat. And you can't beat the milkshakes.

:moped:

[wood145]

I'm really enjoying your trip report. DHS is my least favorite park but DH and I really want to see the Incredibles and have a drink at the Tune-in Lounge that we may make it there. I'm also making our own Incredibles T-shirts, since you can't buy them anywhere - DH was so disappointed, but shh... it's a surprise.;)

I love the way the characters interacted with all of you especially the boys. That is why there is no place on earth like WDW. Looking forward to reading more!

[Smileybug]

Just wanted to stop by and tell you good morning and I hope today is a happy one!! :goodvibes

[tksbaskets]

I'm loving your trip report! You are such a good writer :goodvibes You crack me up! I too am anxious to find out why you won't ever NOT get park hoppers. I struggle with what type of pass to buy each time we go. Thanks for sharing. Will you ever tell us how you liked Toy Story Mania????

[LegoMom3]

.....
As for the mugs earlier, I HAVE to have the Mike Wizowski (or however you spell it) one. Absolutely one of my favorite movies ever!

That was the first one to catch my eye when I saw the picture and I cannot figure out HOW I missed it when I was standing right in front of it....:headache: It cracks me up and would have been a great way to start the day!


Awww. What wonderful character interactions you had!! :love:

You are completely right, that is what Disney is all about!

I am really worried about the totally sucky part coming up! :confused:

Oh and it is coming up.... Next installment! :rolleyes:



Have to see how this ends. Wish I had been able to read this BEFORE our September trip. Was the worst ever. LOUSY SERVICE, lousy food, rude castmembers, hot-hot-hot weather, all combined with trying to do too much. Lost all of the Disney magic. Would love to have a do-over right about now.
Will enjoy your account of the fun, though.

Ugh, sorry you had that kind of trip! This was our 3rd September trip and we've never had such problems (well, except the HOT part!!). Don't give up!



Why do I have this sense of dread after reading this sentence "Mean Queen and LL would kill me if I came back and said I'd missed this ride!!"?

.....

Well, after all the drilling from you and LL re: getting those Fastpasses, I figured you guys would disown me if I came back and reported that I did NOT get to experience TSM! :rotfl: We did. Stay tuned.





Oh how happy I am that I never saw it!

Oh how happier I'd be if I never had....:scared:


Ah yes, the rewards of not rushing - as I will report in my TR, we arrived at the FP machines around 11 a.m. and were rewarded with FPs starting at 3:25 p.m.

Don'tcha kinda feel like the kid who didn't study for the test and still got an "A" out of sheer luck?!!


::drooldrooldrool::

That about sums it up.

Dude.



Alright now, I'm all caught up on your trip. It sounds like y'all had a great time and really appreciated and enjoyed some of the things we tend to rush through. Sometimes the characters are just full on funny, aren't they? We didn't get to see the Incredibles this year which is good. On account of the restraining order Mrs. I had sworn out against me after the "incident" last year.

:eek: .....I can only imagine.... Is it recounted in one of "The Battle"s??

Sometimes taking a slow start in the park when everyone is running is more fun. You may not be the first people on a ride, but you're almost guaranteed to enjoy the walk a whole lot more.

That's totally our style. I have more fun at a park at opening when the crowds have moved out and I can just take my time and take it all in.

HSM is A TOTAL SUCKFEST!!!! I am so thankful my six year old hasn't landed on that or the dreadful Hoochie Montana thing yet.

:rotfl2: Out of the mouth (or, keyboard...) of Zzub!!! SO, so well phrased! And I am confident that with such a dad as you, Zzubby will be well-guarded against such....umm...."stuff."

...And you can't beat the milkshakes.

Seriously.

I could've had endless refills of the shakes for dinner and called it done. I liked the food ok, but I loved the shakes.



I'm really enjoying your trip report. DHS is my least favorite park but DH and I really want to see the Incredibles and have a drink at the Tune-in Lounge that we may make it there. I'm also making our own Incredibles T-shirts, since you can't buy them anywhere - DH was so disappointed, but shh... it's a surprise.;)

I love the way the characters interacted with all of you especially the boys. That is why there is no place on earth like WDW. Looking forward to reading more!

Hi and welcome! If you do nothing else at DHS, find the characters! So worth it!



Just wanted to stop by and tell you good morning and I hope today is a happy one!! :goodvibes

Hey Smileybug! Where ya been?...I mean, 2 days with no "I'm bored when's the next installment"....

I was beginning to worry about you! ;)



I'm loving your trip report! You are such a good writer :goodvibes You crack me up! I too am anxious to find out why you won't ever NOT get park hoppers. I struggle with what type of pass to buy each time we go. Thanks for sharing. Will you ever tell us how you liked Toy Story Mania????

Aw gee....:flower3: Thanks for the kind words! I actually do love to write, and this is a good outlet for it. Glad you're enjoying the ride. Do stayed tuned...the next installment will answer your questions!!


.

[TarzansKat]

You all had some AWESOME character interaction!!!!!!

DUDE! ;)

In all seriousness, this was a great update. I love reading about your adventures with the Incredibles (and...ahem...Prince Caspian).;) ;)

Honestly, I know how you feel on the excitement level. I don't know why, but put some of my favorite characters in front of me, and I'm just like a kid again. Seems like you are too. :goodvibes And that'll just make for some wonderful trip memories. :thumbsup2

[Charleston Princess]

I just spent an enjoyable evening interlude reading your TR! I love your writing style and your boys are precious! However, I have to ask -- where are you in the photos??? Hmmm? ;)

I cannot wait to read more! :goodvibes

[LegoMom3]

After the most perfect of perfect character interaction sessions, we had just enough time before lunch for DH, DS11 and DS6 to ride Tower of Terror. DS8 still doesn't want to try it, and I've done it. Once. Before it was randomized. 'Nuf said. So DS8 and I went and had Mickey Ice Cream bars and sat in the shade for a spell. We debated who was having more fun, us eating our ice creams or them riding ToT. The vote was unanimous on our part: us! I snapped this picture while we were waiting, and I was so jazzed about the dark clouds being a perfect backdrop for ToT, that I failed to consider what the dark clouds really meant....

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/WDW2008110.jpg


The thrill-seeking trio emerged from the Plunge o' Doom just about the time I was starting to get all anxious over cutting it too close and being late for our ADR. I did that a lot, it seems. I have a problem with being late. Not that it doesn't happen. It's just that being late for some things carries a heavier penalty than being late for others. Being late for an ADR can mean forfeiting your I-called-180-days-ago table to some schmuck who made no ADRs whatsoever and thought he could just wing it during Free Dining....:headache: No way I'm giving up this table. It was another "missed it last time, NOT missing it this time" square on my well-planned list. I was checking it off as done, darn it!

Safely inside the Sci-Fi entrance, we gave our name and didn't wait long to be called. We were ushered down a long dark hallway that didn't seem like it was the right way to be going. I thought about asking "Are you sure this is the right way to be going?" to our hostess, but decided that either she must know where she's going, or she's new and doesn't know where she's going and instead of showing us to our car, she's actually going to end up showing the inner workings of The Great Movie Ride. Which might be cool. But we did end up in the right place and scored a front-row car! I was pretty jazzed about this, too.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008116.jpg


We had a GREAT server here. His name was Taoufiq, and he went out of his way to chat with the boys, took that picture, and just gave all around super service. I went out of my way to give him a great tip at the end. On the advice of so many DIS reports, we kept to the simple burger-and-fries fare and I have no complaints about anything we ate. And when it came time for dessert, I was happily surprised by their size - in the past I've been overwhelmed by these huge desserts and am always so disappointed that I'm nearly too full for another bite anyway. They were "just right" and the perfect ending to the meal. Between us we had the Chocolate Tart, Blueberry-topped Cheesecake, Apple Crisp and ice cream sundaes. YUM - O! Yessiree, I love me some sweet desserts.....

True to my guess, we were wrapping up this meal just in time to head back over to Toy Story Mania and make use of those Golden-Ticket Fastpasses. As we exited the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater, something was amiss....There was a change in the air. Alas, it was raining. Apparently, it had rained quite hard while we were partaking of our most recent installment of the Happiest Nom Ever, snug in our car and watching giant insects causing feeble womenfolk to faint. The stroller was soaked. We hadn't left much in the mesh pouch so nothing was harmed, but DS6 wasn't about swimming in his rolling throne so he opted to walk to TSM. Fortunately the rain had let up and the walk over was fairly dry, but the clouds remained so this time we parked under cover.

We had just enough of a wait in the Fastpass queue to be able to take a good look at the theming inside. It's a lot of over-sized toys and props and really a lot of fun.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008117.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008118.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008119.jpg

At this point, I don't want to give away too much of the ride itself, since it's still new, but I do have one thing to say (Mean Queen and LL, pay attention!!).....

FUNNEST. RIDE. EVER!!!!


Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin has got nothin' on this! TSM is 3-D and interactive and there's something new and surprising at every turn....literally! I ended up with some ridiculously high score and beat the pants off everyone else in my party. As much as I wanted to ride it again, it was good to go out on a high note. :rolleyes:






It was right about now that I needed to remember how wonderful this day had been. That despite lingering at the entrance at opening, I had indeed gotten FP's for TSM and it was the Funnest Ride Ever. That despite enduring several obnoxious performances of HSM, we'd had the best meet-n-greet with The Incredibles and Mickey Mouse. That our lunch at Sci-Fi was a blast. Because as we emerged from Toy Story Mania and out into the street, the taunting rain shower turned into full on downpour.

Dude.

We turned right and headed for the sheltered area near the HISTK playground. As we passed the Backstage Studio Tour, we considered that for a moment, but were quickly deflected by the black-and-yellow barrier and CM's turning people away. Closed. By the time we reached the covered area, the rain was coming down in sheets. And blankets and throws and rugs and... Well, "tropical downpour" should give you an idea. We weighed our options. There was no sign of it letting up anytime soon. The sky was dark in every direction. So much for the 4:00 performance of Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show. Unless they had some jet skis to sub in for the motorcycles, and a couple of souped-up pontoon boats in place of the cars. But I doubt it. So that was out. Another "must do" bites the dust. The final consensus was for DH and DS11 to stick it out a bit longer and see what else they could get in. DS8 and DS6 and I opted to head back to our room, deflated but not defeated! I purchased 3 ponchos for the occasion, given the trek from the back of the park where we were, all the way out to the bus stop (POR is the furthest away at this park!!), and then trekking to our room once back.

And, once back, I took these pictures from our doorway.....

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008121.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008122.jpg

I turned on The Weather Channel for the 943rd time this trip, and waited for the local radar to appear. It mocked me. The first insult came by way of this rain being a way-far-away outer band from Ike. Ah yes, Hurricane Ike. How foolishly I thought we'd evaded your touch! You know in the scene from The Lord of the Rings where the Fellowship are all trying to escape the mines, and the huge demon is chasing them out, and Gandalf fights with it and finally sends it plummeting downward and just when you think it's been defeated and they are safe, it sends its whip up out of the depths and grabs Gandalf?? Such was Ike. This thing was sitting hundreds of miles away out in the center of the Gulf of Mexico!!....and yet this last outer band of rain was sweeping across central Florida, unwilling to let go. And the Orlando area was the only spot in all of Florida that was getting the rain at all!!!!!!!!! As I watched the radar loop suck this thin band of storms up and over the Disney World property, I waved good-bye to my one and only chance of seeing Fantasmic. That was the 2nd insult hurled at me by this storm. The rain wasn't moving east to west or west to east and making it only a matter of time before it cleared out. No, it was coming, and coming, and coming... up from the south, with no end in sight on this day. :sad2:

I decided then and there that I would never, ever again do Disney without Park Hoppers. It would have been worth the couple hundred dollars extra to have a chance to see the Extreme Stunt Show and Fantasmic. Weather crappy today?....no problem, we'll go tomorrow! But oh no, not us. My careful planning out of each day, each park, each ride and attraction, were finshed with this one rain storm. Done. Over. Kaput.

*sigh*

The bright side, the glass-half-full, if you will, was that at least I was in my Happy Place! If you've got to look out your window at a deluge, it may as well be a Disney-resort window, right?!

--------------------------

Next time: I've waited for this for just forever!


Incredible Quote:
Boy on Tricycle (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1384126/): [after watching the Parr Family defeat Syndrome over their house] Oh, man...
[shouts]
Boy on Tricycle (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1384126/): That was totally wicked!

[Mean Queen]

Sorry a thunderstorm rained on your parade. But I'm glad you got to do TSM. Now you know why LL and I were both insisting you do the ride. I try to beat my last score, or at least my DH, each time we ride. And it's always different.

[creativeamanda]

Sorry you had to do DHS in the rain. Last time we were there, it rained, too, but not enough to keep Fantasmic! away. But ya know what? You absolutely had what I would consider an awesome time at that park!

[HonnyDipp]

:thumbsup2 I loved your TR!!! Thanks for sharing!

[TarzansKat]

What a bummer about the rain! But I'm glad you had a good time at Sci-Fi and TSM!

And Dude. I totally know what you mean about the park hoppers. Except it didn't affect me in quite the same way, but more like, a hey, I am so sick of eating at Roaring Forks and we can't hop to another park kind of way. Like that. :lmao:

[Lady Lallie]

:goodvibes The words Funniest. Ride. Ever. have never looked so good. I am so glad you enjoyed it with your golden Fastpasses. The only thing I didn't like about my golden Fastpasses was that I got to the ride too quickly! :lmao: Just can't please a DISer. I wanted to see Mr. Potato Head! I missed him completely. I hoping by the time I go again I can do the standby and not be in it for 54 bazillion hours.

[FreFam5]

We are eating at Sci Fi in 3 days - I hope we get that car you got!!!!!

[Tinkerbellarella]

True to my guess, we were wrapping up this meal just in time to head back over to Toy Story Mania and make use of those Golden-Ticket Fastpasses. As we exited the Sci-Fi Dine In Theater, something was amiss....There was a change in the air. Alas, it was raining.

Hmm.

Because as we emerged from Toy Story Mania and out into the street, the taunting rain shower turned into full on downpour.

Dude.

DUDE.

Curiouser and curiouser.

If I didn't KNOW for a FACT that you were there before us I would SWEAR we were there on the same day as this is precisely what happened to us when we rode TSM (the first time).

Only the day totally ended differently.

But you'll have to wait to hear about that. ;)

By the time we reached the covered area, the rain was coming down in sheets. And blankets and throws and rugs

:rotfl:

You know in the scene from The Lord of the Rings where the Fellowship are all trying to escape the mines, and the huge demon is chasing them out, and Gandalf fights with it and finally sends it plummeting downward and just when you think it's been defeated and they are safe, it sends its whip up out of the depths and grabs Gandalf??

How much do I wish you'd named that kitty Eowyn right now?
How is she, by the by?

deluge

Oh how this made me miss The Living Seas preshow. ::sigh::

[LegoMom3]

Sorry a thunderstorm rained on your parade. But I'm glad you got to do TSM. Now you know why LL and I were both insisting you do the ride. I try to beat my last score, or at least my DH, each time we ride. And it's always different.

Yes. Yes I do. :rolleyes:



Sorry you had to do DHS in the rain. Last time we were there, it rained, too, but not enough to keep Fantasmic! away. But ya know what? You absolutely had what I would consider an awesome time at that park!

That I did. :cloud9:



:thumbsup2 I loved your TR!!! Thanks for sharing!

Glad you're enjoying it! :goodvibes



What a bummer about the rain! But I'm glad you had a good time at Sci-Fi and TSM!

And Dude. I totally know what you mean about the park hoppers. Except it didn't affect me in quite the same way, but more like, a hey, I am so sick of eating at Roaring Forks and we can't hop to another park kind of way. Like that. :lmao:

No more base tickets. Ever. :headache:



:goodvibes The words Funniest. Ride. Ever. have never looked so good. I am so glad you enjoyed it with your golden Fastpasses. The only thing I didn't like about my golden Fastpasses was that I got to the ride too quickly! :lmao: Just can't please a DISer. I wanted to see Mr. Potato Head! I missed him completely. I hoping by the time I go again I can do the standby and not be in it for 54 bazillion hours.

DUDE. NO kidding. I had wanted to see him and the ride was over and I was in the rain before I even realized I had missed him!!!! :confused:



We are eating at Sci Fi in 3 days - I hope we get that car you got!!!!!

If it's not real busy, ask for one! The front was great. :thumbsup2



Hmm.



DUDE.

Curiouser and curiouser.

If I didn't KNOW for a FACT that you were there before us I would SWEAR we were there on the same day as this is precisely what happened to us when we rode TSM (the first time).

Cue Twilight Zone theme....!


Only the day totally ended differently.

But you'll have to wait to hear about that. ;)

Well get on with it woman!!!! :rotfl:



How much do I wish you'd named that kitty Eowyn right now?
How is she, by the by?

How much do I wish we'd named her that! Just the other day she was really getting into mischief and I yelled out "Millie, quit being such a...such a...POO!" Then one of the kids said "Hey she's Millie the Pooh!" to which I replied "Yeah well if we'd named her Eowyn like I wanted, and called her Winnie for short, she'd have been WINNIE the Poo!..." :lmao: Oh, and she's doing fine, thanks for asking! Getting big. But still 100% kitten!!

I'm banking all these names, though. Someday the kids will be out of the house and I'll name my cats whatever I want. I've already decided that when I finally get my own horse again, he'll be named Gandalf.

OR!....maybe Cap'n Jack! :love:



.

[Smileybug]

Awwwww, I just read your last update. Sounds like a magical day except for the unscheduled downpour. :upsidedow But with all of this talk of TSM it looks like hubby and I will be donning running shoes laced tight on the morning of our DHS day. I will have Mean Queens directions memorized to the amazement of my hubby. (I'm directionless. I get lost in the bathroom) The fantasy of getting a fast pass and a short stand-by line is giving me tingles. :goodvibes Moving on....I loved your picture of the TOT with the storm clouds in the background. How perfect was that?! :thumbsup2 LL may have some picture competition. And having little moments with our kids. Like sitting in the shade eating ice cream. All in all...sounds like a perfect day. :lovestruc

[LegoMom3]

To my faithful followers, I do solemnly swear to put up another installment before this day is over. Pirate's Code. pirate: (which is another way of saying "I promise unless something more important comes along" :rotfl: ).

No, srsly, I really want to get at this.

BUT!...to tide you over I'm inserting my long-awaited Photopass pics from our DHS day:


The MostAwesomeOfAwesome Character Meets: The Incredibles!!!!!

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And the full family pic with Mickey!

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Ha ha!....See ya real soon! ::MickeyMo


.

[Lady Lallie]

Awesome pictures!! :thumbsup2

[tksbaskets]

Very nice....standing by in case nothing better happens today and you are able to write more popcorn::

[Tinkerbellarella]

Thttp://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/Fall08044.jpg

You have a beautiful family.

Though.

Birthing those two with the big plastic heads must've been, er, unforgettable.

[Mean Queen]

You have a beautiful family.

Though.

Birthing those two with the big plastic heads must've been, er, unforgettable.

:lmao: :rotfl2: I'm sure the non-plastic ones were hard enough. Great pictures! But I don't know if that's enough to call off the villagers.

[Charleston Princess]

Great pictures! It makes me want to go watch The Incredibles!

[LegoMom3]

Prepare yourself for this journey.

Think, if you will, of your own magical Disney moment. A day, an event, a place….Some memory that brings it all home, that gets you all kinds of warm and fuzzy. If you’re Zzub, it’s walking into the Comtemporary after 35 years of waiting and planning. If you’re Tinkerbellarella, it’s the same feeling while arriving at the Polynesian (only it wasn’t quite so long of a wait…:rolleyes: ). If you’re TarzansKat, it’s watching your child’s face light up over the simplest things and knowing in your heart it was all worth it. Cue the music in your head that really makes the memory come alive, and sit back to enjoy the journey.

Despite going to bed to the sound of rain pelting the porch roof, we knew the next day would be better. The sun would come out. (NOAnnie) I knew it to be true in my heart. And I also watched The Weather Channel until I had the map of central Florida practically committed to memory. My pre-dawn coffee walk confirmed a cloudless sky, and by the time we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, the day couldn’t have been better.

We queued up in the Line for People Who Get to Enter the Park Early and couldn’t help but notice the looks of disbelief, awe, and, sometimes, confusion, on The Other People’s faces. I reveled in that for a moment. At 7:50am, the Special Gate opened, and The Lucky Few entered a world that most people never see: a nearly-empty park

Cue choir of angels!

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The characters were already out and starting to make the rounds inside the Crystal Palace. All three boys had autograph books by now, so I was relived that it wasn’t very crowded yet, since it took some time to go through signing three books and posing for pics! My seat had me with my back to the characters as they approached our table, and each one seemed to grab that opportunity to sneak up and surprise me. And of course Tigger made a fuss over DH and DS6 with their shirts. Then he kissed me…. :eek: This was setting a precedent yet unseen on any of our Disney trips, and DH was trying to figure out what to make of it. Another man moving in on his wife he can handle.... Fuzzy larger-than-life characters, that's something else entirely.


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We finished with breakfast just about the time that the rest of the park was opening, so we headed over to the bridge to Adventureland and waited for the crowds to disperse after the rope was dropped. As usual we weren’t in any rush, but decided to head over and get us a little Cap’n Jack fix before starting the rest of our day. Only to find to our absolute horror that the ride was closed. This was Pirates of the Caribbean, people! It’s not like walking up to the Tiki Room or the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and being told the ride is closed; that’s simply “Oh, that’s a bummer” as you walk away unscathed and go the next ride on your list. Slightly disappointing, but nothing to ruin your day. POTC, on the other hand….well, that has a following of die-hard fans. Fans who use count-down tickers until their next chance to take a boatride to pirate heaven, for an honest-to-goodness glimpse of Jack Sparrow himself. And we were being denied!!!!!!!!!!!

We consoled ourselves with a Jungle Cruise. Great skipper, fun ride. NOJohnnyDepp…..

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A hike up the Swiss Family Sweat-house and a spin on the Spitting Camels of Aladdin killed a bit more time, until we finally conceded to giving up Adventureland and going to Frontierland. At least there we could thrill to Splash and Big Thunder mountains. And a funny thing happened on the way to the West….. POTC had opened!!!!!!!!!!!! It must have just opened because the sign said “5-minutes” so we scooted our butts down through the dungeon and smack into a boat. Mmmm…..I love me some Jack Sparrow, yes I do…:love:

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After dumping some more money into the Disney empire in the pirate-themed black hole disguised as a shop, we hooked a left and headed for Frontierland, but not before we met Wendy and Peter Pan. We thought it odd to find them there, and I can only guess that the Powers that Be are trying to make some connection to the whole pirate thing. Which would work if it were the old POTC, perhaps, but not now.

Another funny thing happened on the way to the West. We were temporarily halted on our trek to allow Woody’s Roundup to pass. And DS8 and I found ourselves randomly singing out that song for the rest of the day. It’s a catchy little tune, and lucky for us doesn’t fall into the “Obnoxious” category like HSM3 at DHS. “Slightly Irritating” after a bit, maybe. But it was still cute. Wooody’s round-up!…..


[to be continued...]


.

[TarzansKat]

If you’re TarzansKat, it’s watching your child’s face light up over the simplest things and knowing in your heart it was all worth it.

Oh, hon. You make me all teary-eyed. Bless you. :hug:

and by the time we arrived at the Magic Kingdom, the day couldn’t have been better.

WOO HOO! :woohoo:

The Lucky Few entered a world that most people never see: a nearly-empty park

DOUBLE WOO HOO! :woohoo: :woohoo:


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Seriously, empty park photos are just the coolest things. I really, really love it. It reminds me of January, back in the day. Good times.


Another man moving in on his wife he can handle.... Fuzzy larger-than-life characters, that's something else entirely.

Oh, lord. If you think that's bad, I so need to send you the photos of me and Tigger. It'll have you DED and DEDDER. :lmao:


Only to find to our absolute horror that the ride was closed. This was Pirates of the Caribbean, people! It’s not like walking up to the Tiki Room or the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and being told the ride is closed; that’s simply “Oh, that’s a bummer” as you walk away unscathed and go the next ride on your list. Slightly disappointing, but nothing to ruin your day. POTC, on the other hand….well, that has a following of die-hard fans. Fans who use count-down tickers until their next chance to take a boatride to pirate heaven, for an honest-to-goodness glimpse of Jack Sparrow himself. And we were being denied!!!!!!!!!!!

This is just wrong on so many levels.


We consoled ourselves with a Jungle Cruise. Great skipper, fun ride. NOJohnnyDepp…..

Just doesn't quite cut it, huh?


POTC had opened!!!!!!!!!!!! It must have just opened because the sign said “5-minutes” so we scooted our butts down through the dungeon and smack into a boat. Mmmm…..I love me some Jack Sparrow, yes I do…:love:

:yay: :yay:


After dumping some more money into the Disney empire in the pirate-themed black hole disguised as a shop,

I love that store. Does it surprise you that I could spend hours in there?


Another funny thing happened on the way to the West. We were temporarily halted on our trek to allow Woody’s Roundup to pass. And DS8 and I found ourselves randomly singing out that song for the rest of the day. It’s a catchy little tune, and lucky for us doesn’t fall into the “Obnoxious” category like HSM3 at DHS. “Slightly Irritating” after a bit, maybe. But it was still cute. Wooody’s round-up!…..

Sounds like something we'd do.

Thank you so much for the update! I love, love, love reading about your trip! :goodvibes

[LegoMom3]

The rest of the day was spent taking in the many wonders of the Magic Kingdom. We rode Big Thunder 3 or 4 or 90 times….I lost track. While DH, DS11 and DS6 went on Splash Mt., DS8 and I floated on over to Tom Sawyer Island. We love TSI, we really do. Maybe because it’s such a respite from the busy-ness of the rest of the park, but I think it has a certain charm all its own. We explored it up and down, and when the rest of the crew came over after Splash, we explored it some more.

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After returning to the mainland, we cooled ourselves with a frozen lemonade and once again sat in some blessed shade and just enjoyed the little moment. When you can get kids to stop for a few minutes, to sit still and just look around them at Disney, they start to see the real magic, too. Like how cool it is just to be there. Eating a frozen lemonade anywhere else wouldn’t be half so fun, but eating it while listening to people whoop it up on BTMRR, or hearing the “fwoomp” of a log descend into the briar patch, or even the distant little ditty of yet another Woody’s Roundup...well, it's just different!

After the Haunted Mansion we made a jaunt over to Tomorrowland where we took in Buzz Lightyear, the WEDWay, and 2 out of 5 went on Space Mountain.

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By the time we did a few more character meets, the boys had had it and were ready for the ever-popular afternoon swim. I wasn’t feelin’ it, though, and while that’s nothing new for me, DH did offer this time to take them back and give Mom some solo time in the Magic Kingdom…. Oh sweet bliss! I wandered first over to Fantasyland, but everything had a major wait going on..... except Mickey’s Philharmagic. Truth be told, I’m becoming concerned about our little three-dimensional friend. I remember the first time we saw this, we were awed by the clarity of it compared with the Muppets 3-D, which was a much older film. I still love it; it’s a great show with some great movie songs and it’s all larger than life. But alas, not once in our trip did I ever see any kind of a wait for this gem. We even got “surprise” Fastpasses for it later in the week, dispensed with Winnie-the-Pooh FPs, a Golden-Ticket wannabe for something that, apparently, no one really wanted. So. Sad. We didn’t even have to use the “surprise” FPs for Philharmagic because indeed, there was no line….*sigh* And yet, despite this lack of crowds, I still never managed to really get a middle-of-the-row seat…. Go figure.

Once I reached Liberty Square I suddenly remembered something from my last-time list that I hadn’t done: got a cookie from Sleepy Hollow! And oh whadda ya know, there it is! I purchased an over-size chocolate chip sin, a large Diet Coke (because I prefer diet over regular, thank you), and sat down at a little table to enjoy my treats and the company of some ducks Those come free with any order, by the way. I also soon realized that if I didn’t want to be stuck behind the afternoon parade in my attempt to leave the park, I’d better get a move on and head for Main Street. I made a quick purchase for a friend in the Emporium, and by the time I reached the Town Square, the parade was making its way around the Hub and I could hear it coming. It sounded fun, so I found myself a pretty good viewing spot over at the far end of the Exposition Hall, and decided to watch. Got me some pretty good photos, too!

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When the parade was over I was feeling like I had had my time alone and ought to head back to the resort and catch up with the guys. We wanted to come back tonight for SpectroMagic, since it wouldn't be performing when we came back on Sunday. It was on my list, I had planned it into the day, and it was our one chance to see it this trip.

Remember that.

At some point on the bus ride back to POR, I suddenly noticed that the roads were wet. The driver may have even run the wipers once or twice. Which was very odd considering that the sun was bright and shining back at the Magic Kingdom. Not so at POR. We were in full on downpour once more by the time I reached our room. Where I found the guys. Who had managed to get in about 30 minutes of pool time before they closed that down. DH already had The Weather Channel tuned in and it wasn't good news. EXACT repeat of the day before. Oh sweet mother of fudge are you kidding me?????!!!!! http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Unhappy/unhappy-028.gif

No Park-Hoppers: 4
Me: 0

While we did indeed miss our one opportunity to see SpectroMagic, we salvaged the evening by heading to Downtown Disney. It was raining, yes, but manageable. The boats had stopped running after the previous day's deluge because the canal levels were too high for them to fit under the bridges, so we had to take the bus over. We headed to Earl of Sandwich so as to be able to use some counter-service credits, and had what turned out to be a fantabulous meal! By this time the rain had stopped, we were having a good meal, and once again just enjoying being at Disney. We made the obligatory stop at the Lego Store, as well as World of Disney, Goofy's Candy Co., and Disney Tails. By the time we were ready to call it a night, we checked the docks and found that the boats were back in service, and ended the day with a beautiful boat ride back to Port Orleans.

As they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men...". A Disney trip is what you make of it, after your plans fail in one capacity or another. To me there is just so much joy in my surroundings there. Instead of the lights of parade floats in the Magic Kingdom, I got the lights from Saratoga Springs reflecting off the water. Instead of a musical score, I got the music of nature in the woods. And you know what?....it was a beautiful evening! :goodvibes

--------------------------

Next time: Wow, the French Quarter is really pretty sweet!

Incredible Quote:
Syndrome (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005134/): Oh, come on! You gotta admit this is cool! Just like a movie!


.

[TarzansKat]

As they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men...". A Disney trip is what you make of it, after your plans fail in one capacity or another. To me there is just so much joy in my surroundings there. Instead of the lights of parade floats in the Magic Kingdom, I got the lights from Saratoga Springs reflecting off the water. Instead of a musical score, I got the music of nature in the woods. And you know what?....it was a beautiful evening! :goodvibes


Oh, hon. You just captured it, right there. I know how frustrated you must have been, but you definitely made some lemonade out of those lemons, eh?

I love that you got to spend some alone time in the Magic Kingdom! How awesome is that? And the picture of your three boys on the rocking chairs is so cute! They look tuckered out. :lmao:

Thanks so much for the two-fer update! :goodvibes

[Lady Lallie]

Did you frame those parade shots with all the lights in them just for me?? ;)

Wonderful update! I would LOVE some alone time in MK. To just wander wherever my heart desires. :goodvibes

[Sarilas]

A Disney trip is what you make of it, after your plans fail in one capacity or another.

I shall make this my mantra- I will love it and squeeze it and I will call it George. :goodvibes

[Mean Queen]

Another funny thing happened on the way to the West. We were temporarily halted on our trek to allow Woody’s Roundup to pass. And DS8 and I found ourselves randomly singing out that song for the rest of the day. It’s a catchy little tune, and lucky for us doesn’t fall into the “Obnoxious” category like HSM3 at DHS. “Slightly Irritating” after a bit, maybe. But it was still cute. Wooody’s round-up!…..


[to be continued...]


.

It was all fine and dandy until you put that darn song in my head. I now run from those people dressed in cartoon cowboy gear.

[Tinkerbellarella]

If you’re Tinkerbellarella, it’s the same feeling while arriving at the Polynesian (only it wasn’t quite so long of a wait…:rolleyes: ).

Hot holy carp! A cameo!

I also now have "What a Feelin'!" from Flashdance stuck in my head, if you're at all interested.

Another man moving in on his wife he can handle.... Fuzzy larger-than-life characters, that's something else entirely.

There are so many places to go with this! LOL
But I think I'll stay right here. ;)

As usual we weren’t in any rush, but decided to head over and get us a little Cap’n Jack fix before starting the rest of our day. Only to find to our absolute horror that the ride was closed.

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

POTC, on the other hand….well, that has a following of die-hard fans. Fans who use count-down tickers until their next chance to take a boatride to pirate heaven, for an honest-to-goodness glimpse of Jack Sparrow himself.

I don't know ANYONE like that.

:rolleyes1


fun ride. NOJohnnyDepp…..

It's the placement of this that makes it so funny. :rotfl:

POTC had opened!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well thank the Lord because I was about to personally pitch a hissy for you.
And it would've been EPIC. I'm in a hissy fittin' mood today.

We made the obligatory stop at the Lego Store

You?
Never.
I don't believe it.

[LegoMom3]

......
Oh, lord. If you think that's bad, I so need to send you the photos of me and Tigger. It'll have you DED and DEDDER. :lmao:

Well dang don't keep me in suspense!! I could use some DED and DEDDER right about now!



Just doesn't quite cut it, huh?

You're tellin' me... A Disney boat ride sans Jack Sparrow is just. so. wrong.


I love that store. Does it surprise you that I could spend hours in there?

Oh I'll have to dig up and direct you to my last TR.... I may have spent more time in the Lego store than the parks....:headache:


Thank you so much for the update! I love, love, love reading about your trip! :goodvibes

Aw, thanks!! :flower3: I am still SO glad we met, even for just 5 minutes under the monorail. :goodvibes



Did you frame those parade shots with all the lights in them just for me?? ;)

...

:lmao: I didn't even notice that until you pointed them out!!



I shall make this my mantra- I will love it and squeeze it and I will call it George. :goodvibes

:rotfl2: Love that episode!



It was all fine and dandy until you put that darn song in my head. I now run from those people dressed in cartoon cowboy gear.

Catchy, isn't it?! ;)



Hot holy carp! A cameo!

I also now have "What a Feelin'!" from Flashdance stuck in my head, if you're at all interested.

Why yes, yes I am. Thanks for sharing. :rolleyes:


There are so many places to go with this! LOL
But I think I'll stay right here. ;)

And I thank you....:rolleyes1



I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Srsly.


It's the placement of this that makes it so funny. :rotfl:

*ahem* There is nothing whatsoever that is funny about there being no Johnny Depp!! Does TK know that you're laughing, right here, at this point on my TR?....huh?, does she?? :sad2:



Well thank the Lord because I was about to personally pitch a hissy for you.
And it would've been EPIC. I'm in a hissy fittin' mood today.

Well RATS!....I'd loved to have witnessed that, I'll tell ya! Should I go back and edit and say that POTC never opened while we were there?!! :rotfl2:


.

[Lady Lallie]

:lmao: I didn't even notice that until you pointed them out!!

.
And are you surprised that I did notice that? ;)

[LegoMom3]

As far as Disney resorts go, I’ve never understood the complaints by some people regarding one or another. I guess for our family, it’s just such a blessing to get to go every other year, that staying anywhere on property is fine with us. My dream trip is to stay the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but that is so out of reach right now that I can’t even fathom when it might come true.

On our first family trip to the World, our youngest was under 3 so we were still able to squeeze into a Value. All Star Movies to be exact. We loved it. Granted we didn’t have a room facing the pool, so we weren’t plagued by noise at all hours, but our little 3-rd floor parking-lot view at the very back of the Love Bug building was perfect. I didn’t mind “the walk” to the food court or the buses. Taking such a walk gives a person the chance to soak in her surroundings and enjoy the details and sights and sounds of a Disney resort. When you’re always in a rush, hurrying from room to bus to park to pool…well, you’re missing out. Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. :rolleyes1

When our family of five was no longer allowed in just one Value room, we turned our sights to Port Orleans Riverside and a room with a trundle bed. Seems folks either love or hate this resort. We love it. So much so that after one week-long stay, we were bona-fide POR snobs. French Quarter?….oh yeah, we’ve heard of it. Supposed to be POR’s “sister” resort, but it can’t hold a flame to her. POR has lush, beautifully landscaped grounds, dripping with Old South charm that just begs you to take a deep breath and unwind. The fishin’ hole, the water wheel, the huge Live Oaks….*aahhh* FQ has a New Orleans/Mardi Gras theme. Meh.

So I was rather surprised with myself when, on our designated Day Off, I was all about going to the French Quarter for breakfast! I’d heard so many raves about these delightful little morsels called Beignets, that I thought well, let’s head over there for our breakfast today. The walk over along the river was really, really nice. And as we turned past the pool, I suddenly found myself in the midst of a beautiful, palm-lined avenue….and it was awesome! The iron railings, cobblestone streets….could it be that this place, too, this lesser sibling to my beloved Riverside, was worthy of my devotion?!

Whooda. Thunk.

The huge scary clown faces on the ceiling of the food court were a bit disturbing, but overall the FQ was a delight and the Beignets did not disappoint. Ok, so it’s a little mini fried-dough. But it’s smothered in powdered sugar and absolutely melts in your mouth…. Worth the walk over from Riverside! While enjoying our breakfast feast and trying to avoid eye contact with the freaky clowns above, we all concurred that we’d come spend our day off here at French Quarter, in that pool.

Ah yes, pool hopping… Gotta love the one and only place on Disney property where it is not only allowed, but virtually encouraged. Check in at either resort and you will be given a map that includes both sections and shown how to reach the other, should you want to visit at any time during your stay. As is your right. And if that weren’t enough , your Port Orleans refillable mug is also good at either resort! And, to further promote this blatant bending of Disney rules, they even provide a boat for your convenience that travels between the two resorts!!

The horror…:scared1:

But, it’s Disney and they can make up the rules as they go along, so we took full advantage of our right to use the French Quarter pool. We also took the boat over and back, and brought our refillable mugs.

**************

Our enjoyable day at the FQ pool was a lot of fun. DS6 became a slidin' fool and must have made that run down the dragon's tongue no less than 3,016 times. I spent considerable time just soaking up the sun on my lounge chair, and took home a beauty of a sunburn as a souvie.:headache:

Remembering to build in enough time for Disney transportation to get us there, we left POR about 2-1/2 hours before our designated check-in time for the Hoop-De-Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness. Fortunately the buses were running smoothly and we had not yet encountered The Scooter People, so we got to the MK in good time. From there we took the boat launch to Fort Wilderness.

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Alas, the Lawnmower Tree has been cut down!!....but you can still see just a little bit of the blade sticking out at the bottom:
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We actually arrived quite early so we had a chance to just walk around that part of the Fort. It's really beautiful over there and I can't wait to live closer to the World so we can camp there again! DH and I did it once, "B.C." (Before Children), and it was great. If you like that sort of thing. If you don't, there's always the Wilderness Lodge. :lmao:

Anywho, we took a tour of the horse barn (finally!!) and saw some pretty impressive equines. That had equally non-impressive names. Like "Dave." There was a pair of white ponies outside that DS6 fell in love with.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008221.jpg


I also saw what is one of the few remaining pictures of Mickey with a musket...

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008223.jpg

It's slowly being phased out and replaced with Mickey with a banjo. Which is quite lame. Davy Crockett certainly didn't open up new wilderness and fight to the death at the Alamo by pickin' the sun down.... Please.

Since we still had some time to kill, we wandered over to the Settlement Trading Post and looked for more ways to blow some cash. Didn't take long, although we got out without too much damage. DS8 and DS6 also found a checkerboard and immeditely sat down to a game:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008225.jpg


We had a rousing good time at the Hoop-De-Doo and to my surprise, the kids LOVED it! They got the corny jokes and thought the characters were funny. All in all a very fun meal which we'd do again without hesitation.

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It was the boat ride back to the Magic Kingdom that turned out to be the icing on our Day Off Cake. We had hoped to catch the Electrical Water Pageant, but only managed to watch it pass in silence and darkness on its way to the Contemporary. I did get this shot of the CR, and my apologies for the blur but the darn boat just wouldn't stay still!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008252.jpg


What happened next made up for missing Fantasmic, Spectro, and the EWP all at once.... As we came into view of the MK, the fireworks show had just begun, and we were treated to one of the most spectacular displays I have ever seen at WDW. I don't know if it was different from the regular Wishes show, but it was MNSSHP that night so it may have been different. Regardless, it was amazing!!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008258.jpg

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Best ending to a Disney day.

Ever.


.

[Lady Lallie]

I really really want to stay at Riverside. Like really want too. In case you missed that, I really want to stay there. But Marc is so smitten with WL that I want to indulge him since he indulges me so and they have a boat. A boat!

Riverside is like my safety net, I know it will be there and I know I will stay there. Someday.

Sounds like the best ending to a day ever! Beautiful fireworks! I love those unplanned happy moments. :lovestruc

[Sarilas]

When our family of five was no longer allowed in just one Value room, we turned our sights to Port Orleans Riverside and a room with a trundle bed. Seems folks either love or hate this resort. We love it. So much so that after one week-long stay, we were bona-fide POR snobs.


You don't even know how happy this makes me!

Just this morning I changed our ressies (thanks to ridiculously good AP room rates) from ASMusic family suites to two rooms at POR! I'd been all set with the value resort (set as in satisfied, but not entirely content) and now with the change I'm practically giddy with anticipation!

I cannot WAIT to experience it all!

[reelmom]

Just found your trip report and I am hooked. I think it is very cool that you got some solo time at Magic Kingdom. That is my ultimate dream. To actually be able to soak up the magic anyway I choose. Looking forward to reading more.

[Mean Queen]

I'm so glad you had the little doughy pieces of heaven, aka beignets. POFQ is my favorite moderate mostly because of those (and I have no fear of clowns.) But POR is a close second. The other moderates pale in comparison to those two. What an amazing view of the fireworks. Understandably the best end to a Disney day ever.

[2xcited2sleep]

Great update! Love the serendipity of the fireworks view from the boat. And also love the reference to one of my all time favorite movies Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. :rolleyes1
Ferris Bueller. :thumbsup2

[creativeamanda]

I totally get how you feel about POR, and thanks to your warnings, will not be near POFQ. Seriously, I thought the clowns in It's A Small World were after me.

POR is absolutely beautiful. And those pictures of the fireworks are awesome!!!!

[LegoMom3]

Hey, Lego, remember this?…your TR?

TR??…Hmm, TR….. Nope, not-- OH, my TR!!! Yeah, I remember that! Something about our trip to Disney and all its ups and downs and in-betweens.

Yep, that’s the one. And know what?…..it’s still here…..unfinished.

Oh, well, yeah, sorry about that. It’s just that life has been….well, not so good lately. I mean, it’s hard to reach deep down inside and pull up some funny when everything around me seems to be crashing to the ground.

Sure, I understand. But you’re up to your Animal Kingdom day on here. That was just a great day, wasn’t it?

Absolutely! One of the best that week.

Then I think you can find it in you to whip out another chapter. You have loyal followers who are patiently waiting, after all. At the very least you can fill a few pages with your photographs.

Dude. You’re so right.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------


It’s Saturday!…..Animal Kingdom day!!

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This was one of those days that, looking back now, was just about perfect. It was a day when most of our plans worked out for us, we had no major delays or detours, and everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly.


Which sounds great, but makes for a rather boring trip report chapter...

But I have pictures. :thumbsup2

We arrived just after opening. Immediately upon entering the park, we spotted a CM carrying one of those small plastic clear containers. It had something in it. Being naturally curious folk, we wandered over to give it a look-see. And immediately I turned my skin inside out and did the heebie-jeebie dance.

It was a Huntsman spider...:scared:

Now, it was not as large as I know they can get (I once worked with a gal who was from Australia, and the stories of Huntsman spiders that she regaled us with were just something else entirely). But it was a heap bigger than ANYthing we have up here in New England. The nice CM told us all about it, but the only factoid that stuck with me was this gem: "They do live in Florida...." This is important to someone who is in the early planning stages of moving there....

(For all you arachniphobes out there, stick with me....At least there are no pictures of THAT!)

*deep breath*.....

Okie-dokie now! Moving on.

We headed first for Asia. There were two reason behind this: first of all, I never saw that part of AK on our last trip, and, we wanted to hit EE before the lines built up. I loved Asia. Disney was spot-on with the the theming and the feeling is very authentic.

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Our strategy for EE paid off; when we arrived there was a 5-minute wait, so we made our way through the queue and walked right up to the turnstyles.

Expedition Everest is one of those rides that I had really, really wanted to ride the last time, but due to all manner of hoopla in our party that day, I missed out on it. SO disapointing. But I was here today, and there was no line, and the mountain beckoned...

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It did not let me down! WOO-FREAKIN'-HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!! What a wild ride!! LOVED it! And when we got off at the end, we went right back around to get on again! Well, four of us did. DH likes the ride, but the backwards part is one of those "once was enough, thank you very much" deals. So when the boys and I reached the turnstyles and were asked how many in our party, we were directed to the very front row!!! SWEET!!! DS11 and DS8 took the very front seats, with DS6 and I right behind. Let me tell you, the very front is a whole different experience! For starters, when you stop at the broken track, you can just about look straight down...:faint: We also saw the Tower of Terror, the Orlando skyline, and quite possibly Cuba.

After two fantastic turns on what has become my new favorite ride in all of Disney World, I was on some kind of high and ready for whatever else the day brought. We crossed the bridge over towards Dinoland, and fortunately for us the kids showed no interest in the whole Dinorama amusement area. Blar. Primeval Hurl was closed for refurb, and there was nothing else of interest so we continued on to Dinosaur.

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DS8 opted to sit this one out. I know this child, so I was trying to give him an honest assessment of what to expect on this ride, based on what I'd read and heard from others. He chose wisely. And since we all know that Animal Kingdom pumps in additional heat even in September, he and I went off in search of some ice cream while the others were chased by the Carnotaur.

Consulting my handy-dandy park map, I set my sights on this little place for a cool refreshing respite:

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DS8 ordered an ice-cream cookie sandwich. I wish I'd taken a picture of that thing - it was hand made to order with two ginormous cookies!! This kid can pound down a snack with the best of them, but even he couldn't quite finish it. And hot though it was, I seized the opportunity to finally order a churro.... oh sweet ribbon of sugary cinnamon goodness...:lovestruc To beat the heat I did get a large Diet Coke, which was equally as ginormous as the ice cream cookie sandwich. Yum - O.

On our way back to Discovery Island, we were sidetracked by The Boneyard. The kids took off running while DH and I sat in the path of a ginormous fan.

Come to think of it, there are lots of things at AK that are really, really big.

But the fans placed strategically throughout the park were one of Disney's better ideas. It felt so good to sit there, matter of fact, that we may have been happy to spend the rest of the day right on that faux rock.

Alas, we started to get our hunger on, as did the boys, so we pried ourselves off our breezy perch and headed out for Discovery Island.

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Where we were greeted by my most-anticipated counter-service eatery of the whole trip!!!

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I love, love, LOVE the Flame Tree Barbecue. And not because I'd eaten there and loved the food (although I admit that the menu from AllEarsNet looked mighty tasty...:goodvibes ). No, I love FTB because of the background music they play. Which I hear all the time on various Live365.com stations, and they have become sort of an audio icon for me. Listening to the Flame Tree BGM puts me in my Happy Disney Place, so I was beside myself to finally have the chance to actually hear the music "in context" if you will!

Come to find out, only two out of three kids wanted to eat. Here. Now.

Dude.

DH was hungry, so he and the Hungry Children got in line to order, while I took DS6 back over the bridge to Dinoland to the ice cream cart on the other side. We agreed to meet in the seating area, come to find out that it is ginormous! Dude!...I'm not kidding! There have got to be like 4 different levels and all these windy paths that go back and forth and up and down and around.... It would have been annoying except that the entire confusion is lined with speakers piping in that blessed beat that I've come to know and love. :cloud9: And I got this picture of the Best Ride Ever:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008291.jpg

We finally found them up on the first level, about 15 feet from the ordering windows....:headache: We enjoyed our lunch with the ducks and the Ibis, and an Egret even swooped in for a peek at the action.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008292.jpg


---------------------------

To be continued.....

Up next: monkeys.....:scared:


.

[TarzansKat]

Hey, Lego, remember this?…your TR?

TR??…Hmm, TR….. Nope, not-- OH, my TR!!! Yeah, I remember that! Something about our trip to Disney and all its ups and downs and in-betweens.

Yep, that’s the one. And know what?…..it’s still here…..unfinished.

Oh, well, yeah, sorry about that. It’s just that life has been….well, not so good lately. I mean, it’s hard to reach deep down inside and pull up some funny when everything around me seems to be crashing to the ground.

Sure, I understand. But you’re up to your Animal Kingdom day on here. That was just a great day, wasn’t it?

Absolutely! One of the best that week.

Then I think you can find it in you to whip out another chapter. You have loyal followers who are patiently waiting, after all. At the very least you can fill a few pages with your photographs.

Dude. You’re so right.

LegoMom, I don't have words, hon.

Just lots of these.

:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

We also saw the Tower of Terror, the Orlando skyline, and quite possibly Cuba.

You are a braver woman than I. Therefore, I must take your word for it.:thumbsup2


Come to think of it, there are lots of things at AK that are really, really big.

Honey?

Will you laugh if I tell you my mind just went all sorts of un-DIS like places when I read that? I'm so sorry. But it's so funny. Out of context. :rotfl2:

Listening to the Flame Tree BGM puts me in my Happy Disney Place, so I was beside myself to finally have the chance to actually hear the music "in context" if you will!

I know just what you mean. I had to call Disney Dining today, and I heard the little ditty they sing on Main Street, "I'm walking right down the middle of Main Street USA" and even though that can sometimes seem so annoying, and yes it has been stuck in my head ALL DAY LONG, when I hear it on Main Street, it's just awesome.



Up next: monkeys.....:scared:


.

Okay. I'm a little nervous about why the monkeys are scary.

[Lady Lallie]

Hugs for LegoMom.

:hug: :hug: :grouphug: :hug: :grouphug: :hug: :grouphug: :hug: :hug:

In a pretty pattern, nonetheless. ;)

I am terrified to try Expedition Everest. I've survived Splash, Space and Big Thunder Mountain but EE just scares me.

I have to admit I ate at CS in AK in 2005 and the birds flocking around me while I eat just freak me out. *Shudder*

Monkeys, eh? Hmmm.

[DanMedix]

Great trip report so far!

[2xcited2sleep]

:hug: :hug: Hugs here for LegoMom too! :hug: :hug:

Thanks for giving us an update. I so enjoy your report!! That spider would have sent me packing. What if he got out of his jar and somehow came to find me?? :scared:

Beautiful picture of EE from your lunch spot -- perfectly framed by the trees and you even caught it with the train going up. You could enter that in a contest! Really.

Oh dear... the monkeys are scary? Really? popcorn::

[creativeamanda]

You looked at the monkeys?!? I absolutely ride It's a Small World a second time because I had forgotten about the clowns!!!!!

[LegoMom3]

You looked at the monkeys?!? I absolutely ride It's a Small World a second time because I had forgotten about the clowns!!!!!


I had no choice.....:headache: Stay tuned!!!


.

[LegoMom3]

After our lunch at Flame Tree Barbecue, we hopped across the way and saw "It's Tough to Be a Bug." Good, but quite short. I was glad there was no wait for it. I also knew enough of what to expect that I managed to avoid getting my butt stung.:rotfl:

I was not, however, able to avoid this along the outside pathway...

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008294.jpg

Or this....

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008304.jpg

I don't have a fear of monkeys, per se, but rather images of monkeys. Ask anyone from the "Scrolling Tag Quest" thread. :rolleyes1 I have no explanation for this. It just is. And here were these two, ginormous and bigger-than-life. Huge even (TK get your mind out of that gutter!).

Fortunately this is the Tree of Life, not the Tree of Monkeys. The images carved into this tree are really something. I have looked at my pictures over and over and keep finding new things!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008298.jpg

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I really liked this guy.....the feather detail is amazing:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008303.jpg

Anxious now to see some real animals, we crossed back over to Asia and the Maharajah Jungle Trek. And this was the first thing I saw...

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Monkeys.....:headache:

Well, to their credit they were real-live, fairly entertaining, and one of them had a baby clinging to her belly. Not so scary. And, in reality, they were Gibbons.

The Fruit Bats were uber-cool...
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We couldn't get over how many people came into that part of the exhibit and asked a) are they real??...and b) how do get that glass so clear!?

Answers: a) Yes. Animatronics don't nom on melons. b) There IS no glass .

These little dudes hang there, hangin' out (literally), and they fan themselves with their wings to cool off. Love it. Their faces looked soft and fuzzy but I couldn't pet one....:sad2:

Next up were the tigers. [I]Gorgeous cats....

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008312.jpg

The Jungle Trek comes out right near the entrance to Kali River Rapids, and since there was no pool break today, the boys wanted to at least attempt to get wet. I wanted no part of it, thank you very much. We had a dinner ADR that afternoon and wasn't thinking I wanted to still be damp. So my guys went on Kali while I had some solo time. I wandered into some shops, looked for a place to buy a large cold drink, and then waited for my clan to emerge from The Soaking.

While I watched the monkeys.....:scared:

-------------------------

To Be Continued....




.

[Lady Lallie]

I think the Fruit Bats are super cool. They are so neat to just sit and watch....errr stand and watch I guess.

I can't believe you are scared of Monkeys. That is really quite odd. My brother loves Monkeys and wants on as a pet, though I think that is going a bit too far with the Monkey Love. :lmao:

I would have pass on Kali too. Blech. I don't like getting wet on rides. I have my hair to consider afterall. :upsidedow

[TarzansKat]

Dude.

You lament not being able to pet the fruit bat, but you're terrified of the monkeys?

Excuse me...

:::shuffle, shuffle, slamming door...HYSTERICAL LAUGHER::::

:::arrives back perfectly composed:::

Um, hon. Monkeys? Really? Not spiders, not snakes, not big ole bats, but monkeys?

Alright, who did it? Who scared LegoMom with some insane thing about monkeys when she was little, therefore scarring her childhood and adult perceptions?

Was it you? You?

[creativeamanda]

See, that to me is the same as being forced to look at clowns in It's a Small World. Great pictures of the Tree of Life, BTW. I love to look at it.

[LegoMom3]

Our Animal Kingdom Day was winding down. It was hot. We were tired. The parade would be starting soon and we were happy to scope out our spot early and just sit down. We followed the walkway from Asia towards Africa, which was very quiet and mostly shady. The ropes were already up to mark off the route, so we picked an area between a post and a bush that would just about fit us and no one else. We were at the end of the parade route, but it was quiet back there. And shady. Have I mentioned it was hot?

I need to interject a little aside here. My kids are full on nuts over Webkinz. For the uninformed, these are stuffed animals that come with a code that you enter on the Webkinz web site. There you can set up a room, a yard, make friends, play games with other Webkinz...it's a virtual world for your stuffed animal. I admit, it's pretty cool. Although I don't have my own Webkinz. Yet. But my boys do. Friday evening while we waited for the Hoop-de-Doo, DS8 found a Chihuahua Webkinz at the Settlement Trading Post that I broke down and let him buy. He put it on our table once inside and it "watched" the show right along with us. It "saw" the sights on the boat ride back over from Ft. Wilderness to the MK, and was "introduced" to POR once we returned to our room. In short, this boy LOVES his Webkinz.

As does DS6. At some point during our Animal Kingdom day, he spied a bin full of Webkinz at one of the shops and make his case for getting his own. Doesn't take much when we're at Disney World and the Cutest Child Ever gives me the sad eyes...:rolleyes: So now we had a snake among us. And the cutest thing was, he carried it front-and-center all day long, so it could "see" everything at Animal Kingdom. The parade would be no different. He pulled up his little patch of pavement, set the snake on his lap (duly christened "Slithers"), and waited for the parade. This is important. Remember this.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008661.jpg

I should also interject here, for the sake of fairness, that all photos of the parade were taken my my eldest son. My camera battery had been pushed to its limit this day, and it decided to take a nap right after I snapped this picture:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008321.jpg

Alas, I tucked my little Kodak Z712 IS into the backpack and put it to bed. :sad2:

But I didn't let that rain on my parade....:rotfl2:


*ahem*

Soon enough the parade made its way around the park and along our path. The music has a great beat and it's catchy and you can't help but clap and groove right along with the characters. Maybe it's just a really great parade, or maybe it was because there weren't many other people around, but the character interaction was fantastic! They not only waved at us, but each and every one of them came over, shook hands, or high-fived us. NOPuddy.

And each and every character that came over to us, pointed out DS6's snake and made a huge fuss over it! I kid you not. The first couple of characters, it was cute and he got a kick out of it. By the 5th, 7th, 10th...well it was full on funny and we were laughing our butts off. DS6 of course just soaked up the attention. Some of the characters just pointed out the snake, then approached it very gingerly like it might bite, and others made a big ol' scene and even went over to still other characters to point out the snake and then before you knew it there was practically a riot going on over the snake!!!:lmao:


Anyway, DS11 got some nice shots of the action:

King Louie approaching; he's already spied the snake...
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008613.jpg

Hidden Mickey on the front of this jeep!
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008617.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008619.jpg

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http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008630.jpg

Monkey....even in the parade....:scared:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008635.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008638.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008639.jpg

----------------------------------

To be continued.....again!!


.

[LegoMom3]

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008640.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008644.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008647.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008650.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008652.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008656.jpg

And finally, The Mouse Himself!
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/Disney2008-3/WDW2008657.jpg



At the conclusion of the Best Parade Ever, we made our way slowly to to the front of the park. We had dinner at Boma and plenty of time to get there, so we were in no hurry. It was nice to walk through the Oasis trails, enjoying the shade and some birds and the sounds of Animal Kingdom. I think it's so cool that they can pipe music in through hidden speakers and still manage to keep the "wild" and natural feel to it.

We took the Longest Walk Ever across the Hottest Bus Depot in All of WDW and got on an Animal Kingdom Lodge bus. I blinked and we were there. With nearly an hour to our ADR time, we found some big comfy chairs in the lobby and plopped our weary butts down. As I sat and looked up and marveled at the architecture and the decor, and saw the savannah out the huge ginormous windows, I had a revelation.

The LegoMom loves the Animal Kingdom Lodge....:love:

I am now doing fuzzy Disney math and other mind contortions to figure out how DH and I can swing a long weekend there in the not-too-distant future. :rolleyes1

When our ADR time finally arrived, we made our way down the staircase to Boma. I felt a little like Scarlet O'hara, except I wasn't wearing a long gown and Rhett wasn't waiting at the bottom. But what was waiting was a heap better, in my opinion.... Roasted meats. I actually don't remember a whole lot about this meal, and I can't tell you what I ate because I couldn't pronounce half of it anyway. I'm an educated gal, mind you, it's just that trying to remember something in an unfamiliar language isn't something I do everyday. I went through the food line twice and sampled some of this and some of that. It was overall a very satisfying experience. Until I went to the dessert station. And discovered that the much-extolled and highly-praised Zebra Dome...

....was barely a bite-sized morsel!!!!!!! :scared1:

Dude.

Ok people I'm sorry but I had figured this to be more like a small pie, or at least something that would fill the palm of your hand! Instead it's more like a bon-bon.

One. Bite.

Teeniest. Nom....EVER!

But, to their credit, they do kick butt. It's just that they would oh so much better if they were ginormous.

----------------------

Next time: Another Magical Magic Kingdom Day...and I meet a DISer!!



.

[LegoMom3]

I think the Fruit Bats are super cool. They are so neat to just sit and watch....errr stand and watch I guess.

I can't believe you are scared of Monkeys. That is really quite odd. My brother loves Monkeys and wants on as a pet, though I think that is going a bit too far with the Monkey Love. :lmao:

I would have pass on Kali too. Blech. I don't like getting wet on rides. I have my hair to consider afterall. :upsidedow

A monkey as a pet.....in your house!....:faint: Ewww....

And yes, you do have several nice hairstyles in your TR pics!



Dude.

You lament not being able to pet the fruit bat, but you're terrified of the monkeys?

Excuse me...

:::shuffle, shuffle, slamming door...HYSTERICAL LAUGHER::::

:::arrives back perfectly composed:::

Um, hon. Monkeys? Really? Not spiders, not snakes, not big ole bats, but monkeys?

Alright, who did it? Who scared LegoMom with some insane thing about monkeys when she was little, therefore scarring her childhood and adult perceptions?

Was it you? You?

:lmao: :rotfl2: TK you win the award for Funniest Reply!!! I had a perfect mental image of you doing what you wrote!

I can't explain the monkey thing. It's not a fear like you would have of spiders or snakes or bats (although no, none of those really bother me...). It's more of a creep factor. They're creepy. To me.

And yes, for the record, I would love to pet a Fruit Bat on its fuzzy little head.




See, that to me is the same as being forced to look at clowns in It's a Small World. Great pictures of the Tree of Life, BTW. I love to look at it.

Then stay away from the food court at POFQ! Or, at least, don't look up when you're there.:rotfl: Funny, I don't think I ever noticed the clowns on IASW. Taking a mental note for next time!


.

[TarzansKat]

I love that parade. Haven't seen it since my honeymoon.

Gasp! It's been a long time! Thanks for all the photos. :goodvibes


The LegoMom loves the Animal Kingdom Lodge....:love:

I am now doing fuzzy Disney math and other mind contortions to figure out how DH and I can swing a long weekend there in the not-too-distant future. :rolleyes1

Good luck on that. That's like the fuzzy Disney math I employed by saying, well, the dining is free, so sure we can stay at the Wilderness Lodge at rack rate. :thumbsup2


When our ADR time finally arrived, we made our way down the staircase to Boma. I felt a little like Scarlet O'hara, except I wasn't wearing a long gown and Rhett wasn't waiting at the bottom.

Well, dang, I told him to meet you there. He must have gotten confused since you weren't wearing the dress. ;)

Until I went to the dessert station. And discovered that the much-extolled and highly-praised Zebra Dome...

....was barely a bite-sized morsel!!!!!!! :scared1:

Dude.

Ok people I'm sorry but I had figured this to be more like a small pie, or at least something that would fill the palm of your hand! Instead it's more like a bon-bon.

One. Bite.

Teeniest. Nom....EVER!

But, to their credit, they do kick butt. It's just that they would oh so much better if they were ginormous.

Whereupon we learn...

yet again...

it's not the SIZE that counts.

And yes, I am snort laughing while I write this.


Next time: Another Magical Magic Kingdom Day...and I meet a DISer!!


Dude?

Who?

;)


:lmao: :rotfl2: TK you win the award for Funniest Reply!!! I had a perfect mental image of you doing what you wrote!

It probably helps a lot that you have seen me in person. Therefore the mental image was not headless. Although I'm sure that would have been pretty funny, too.


I can't explain the monkey thing. It's not a fear like you would have of spiders or snakes or bats (although no, none of those really bother me...). It's more of a creep factor. They're creepy. To me.

Okay, I say this in all honesty. Can you watch the Wizard of Oz?


And yes, for the record, I would love to pet a Fruit Bat on its fuzzy little head.

I am mystified by this. You are a mystery enshrouded in a conundrum wrapped in a riddle, my dear.

[LegoMom3]

Good luck on that. That's like the fuzzy Disney math I employed by saying, well, the dining is free, so sure we can stay at the Wilderness Lodge at rack rate. :thumbsup2

Yes but it works, doesn't it!?



Whereupon we learn...

yet again...

it's not the SIZE that counts.

And yes, I am snort laughing while I write this.

:lmao: :rotfl2: As long as you didn't inhale your face!!!! :rotfl:




Okay, I say this in all honesty. Can you watch the Wizard of Oz?

Absolutely. Weird, huh?



I am mystified by this. You are a mystery enshrouded in a conundrum wrapped in a riddle, my dear.

I WIN! :yay:


(by the way, speaking of being the weirdest, have you ever heard of Mongolian throat singing??....Google it sometime. I promise you you've never heard anything that weird...).


.

[TarzansKat]

Yes but it works, doesn't it!?

Point taken.


:lmao: :rotfl2: As long as you didn't inhale your face!!!! :rotfl:

Nope. Came close though.



(by the way, speaking of being the weirdest, have you ever heard of Mongolian throat singing??....Google it sometime. I promise you you've never heard anything that weird...).


.

Okay, you know I'm going to have to check this out, right?

[LegoMom3]

Sunday was another day that we didn't have to be up super early, so while the gang slept I took my usual coffee walk and enjoyed the POR grounds. Maybe a little slower this day. We were coming down to the wire, and while I don't like to think about departure day before it actually arrives, I gave it pause long enough to remind myself to slow down and really savor the moments.

Somewhere towards the end of the first week, we got new neighbors at POR. We didn't hear them, and except for one brief occasion, we didn't see them. We knew they were there because we could smell them.... No, they were not lacking in the personal hygeine department, and no, they weren't sneaking cigarettes out on the balcony. The mother was absolutely smothering the two children in citronella....

The discovery of this fact came early one morning while I was standing on the railing across from our door, sipping my coffee and enjoying the sun coming up, and just taking in the start of a new Disney day. This family emerged from their room, whereby the kids were directed to stand with legs apart and arms out, while Mom commenced the spraying. About this time I pretended that something at the far end of the balcony caught my attention and I made a leisurely stroll to put as much distance between myself and this stench as I could before I either passed out or started hacking uncontrollably.

Dude. Even at Fort Wilderness at dusk I never saw so much as one gnat... WHO needs that much bug repellent at Disney World????? Now, I know it's possible that this was sunscreen with bug repellent; it does exist. But honestly I've only ever seen that in lotion form. In my mind, citronella-scented spray = bug repellent. Period.

I could not imagine how these poor kids went through an entire day smelling like that. They must have been immune to it, is all I can figure. But it's a smell that lingers and lingers and lingers. When we went out that Sunday morning for our 10:30 ADR at Kona, we knew the Citronella People had already headed out for the day because the entire upper balcony of Building 34 smelled like a perfume counter gone bad.

Sometimes, when your day begins a certain way, you just know you should see the signs.

We arrived at the West Depot and waited just a minute or two for a Magic Kingdom bus. It wasn't crowded, so we hopped on to make our way to the MK and then the monorail to the Poly. At the next bus stop, there were were a couple of people on scooters. It took 30 minutes to load them on the bus....!!!!!!!!!!!

Stand by for my rant.....:mad:

The scooter use at Disney is Out. Of. Control. We saw them absolutely everywhere on this trip, to the point that we really noticed the increase in their use. Now please don't flame me for being unfeeling towards those who need them! But there needs to be a better system for handling them within the Disney transportation system. The bus system has enough quirks and challenges on its own; making people sit for a half-hour while a single bus driver loads up scooters is just insane. These people didn't even have a clue as to how to maneuver their scooter. The bus drivers certainly don't know. So what ensues is a melee of forwards and backwards and forwards again (and sometimes completely off the bus and back on at a different angle.......:headache: ) until they are lined up just so with the safety straps that tie them down. If you are on a newer bus that has a ramp and simply lowers to curb height, it's bad enough. If you're hapless enough to be on a older bus that has the lift system, you may as well get out and walk to your destination. I guarantee you'll get there faster.

*Rant over*


Fast forward to the Poly. We arrived with a few moments to spare for our ADR at Kona. I was lovin' the Poly and took a few moments to take a deep breath and refocus. There is nothing like a tropical atmosphere to make you relax.....:cloud9:

The atrium area at the Poly:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008323.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008324.jpg

Entrance at Kona:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008325.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008327.jpg

The boys getting pressed pennies:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008328.jpg


We were seated before long and immediately greeted by the Best CM of the Week! Her name was the same as mine so we hit it off 110%. She sat right down with us and took our orders like we were old friends chatting about old times.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008329.jpg


The coffee here was undoubtedly the best I'd had all week, and I wished I could walk from POR to the Poly. But that would be one heck of a coffee walk. Breakfast was very good and we'd eat there again. I was sad that I was missing out on the chance to have a Lapu-Lapu. Oh well, that's one for next time!

Hidden Mickeys in the carpet at Kona!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008330.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008331.jpg


After breakfast we hopped back on the monorail and were off to the MK! It was a beautiful day, the rain bands from Ike were no longer a threat, and the day was promising.

And h-o-t......

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008335.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008337.jpg

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http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008343.jpg

We kind of wandered around aimlessly for a while. The Dapper Dans were out (score!!) so we stopped and watched them. At the end of their performance, I witnessed a Magical moment of a different kind that I will never forget. There was a woman next to us with a young gal who had some special needs. It was her 14th birthday, I believe, and she had met the Dapper Dans a few days prior. She loved them, and was back on this day, her birthday, to see them again. They remembered her, and when they discovered it was her birthday, they came over and did a rendition of "Happy Birthday" as only the Dapper Dans could, just for her! She was beaming, and DH and I nearly cried! It was beautiful. Sometimes, the magical moments you experience at Disney, aren't even your own.

------------------

continued......



.

[LegoMom3]

As we arrived at the hub and were just about deciding to head to Tomorrowland, some confusion was happening up by the castle, which we soon realized was a stage show of some kind. Now I am normally very averse to any stage show of any kind, but this was Mickey and the music was catchy, and besides all of my kids wanted to watch. So we found some blessed shade under one of those little overhangs by the water fountains and watched the show.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008346.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008347.jpg

I also discovered that Mean Queen has a moonlighting job!....:rotfl:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008352.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008354.jpg


At the conclusion of the festivities, we made our way to Tomorrowland. It was hotter than ever, so we sought out some cool: Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. Funniest. Show. Ever. We loved this! It does help when the people who end up in the spotlight are really into it, and the guy who dances really, really got into it!! He was great!

I loved this inside the pre-show waiting area:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008359.jpg

And Mike has his very own door, about 2-1/2 feet high!
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008360.jpg

A brief foray into Fantasyland resulted in riding the Teacups, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, the carousel, and another visit to Mickey's Philharmagic. The line for Peter Pan was insane so we bypassed that one. I love it, but not enough to wait nearly an hour for it. We then returned to Tomorrowland and did the Speedway, Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain (DH and DS11), and of course, the WEDway...

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008363.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008365.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008367.jpg

And, yes, before long the heat caught up with all of us and it was time for a swim. We planned to return to the MK later on for the evening EMH, so a break was mandatory. But it almost cost me a long-awaited moment of this trip!!

We got back to POR around 2:00pm. As we took the stairs to the 2nd floor to our room, we realized and voiced out loud that the Citronella People had recently been by. :crazy2: We changed into swimsuits, crossed back through the cloud of citronella, and made our way to Ol' Man Island. It was a glorious afternoon. The pool felt soooo refreshing. We made several runs on the Olympic Water Slide, and swam under the water falling from the sluice. I was enjoying myself. So much so, matter of fact, that I almost failed to realize when it was after 4:00pm and we needed to be thinking about getting back to the MK.

As soon as I got back to our room, I checked my cell phone and sure enough, there was a message on it. From a certain DISer that I'd planned to meet. We played cell-phone tag 2 or 3 times until finally we connected! She and her family were still at the MK but planning to leave soon. It was their arrival day, they had been up since some ungodly pre-dawn hour, and their little nugget was nearing his breaking point. Well heck, they all were, but....! I was on a bus in no time and headed back to the MK. All was going well, until....

....we stopped at the main bus depot at POR and there were MORE scooter people waiting to get on!!!!!!!!! This time there was a whole posse of 'em. And boy were they steamed when the bus driver said he could only take two! But even still, loading two scooters on the bus took forever and a day. My dreams of meeting TarzansKat were fading very, very fast.

That single bus ride to the MK from Port Orleans Riverside took exactly ONE HOUR! Tell me my friends, what's wrong with this picture???!!! I have now sworn off Disney bus transportation from here on out. I'm done. No more. I will commit to memory the maze of Disney property roads, and drive my own car.

As soon as the bus pulled up at the MK stop, I was on the phone to TK. They were still there, but barely. I apologized a gazillion times and explained the hour-long bus fiasco. We remained on the phone while trying to find each other, until suddenly someone approached from behind... There was the usual screaming and yelling and laughing and hugging. We had the fastest meet-and-greet ever, there under the monorail at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, but it was one of the best 5 minutes of my trip. Not only did I finally meet a DISer, but I met a DISer that I had already gotten to know here on the boards. Being able to put a face to the name was priceless to me. :goodvibes

We parted ways and my family and I headed through the entrance back into the MK for the start of our evening. We were full on hungry by now, having had a late breakfast and nothing but a snack in between. We knew exactly where to head for dinner: Casey's.

I'm not sure what it is about the lowly hotdog, but eating one in the Magic Kingdom while gazing at the castle that is beginning its evening show of colors...well, a hotdog never tasted so good. And the cheese fries....! Oh heaven. Death in a paper box, to be sure, but heaven. We found a table outside and sat down with our dinner and were once again accosted by ducks. Nobody was feeding them on purpose but honestly, there are so many things that spill that they have a virtual feast just picking around under the Casey's tables! Cute little things, actually.

When we had all finished eating, we decided a better viewing spot for Wishes could be had over on the walkway by the railing. It was perfect. We could see the castle and the zip line and all the sky. I did not want to be messing with my camera all evening, so I hadn't brought it with me, which is why I have no pictures of the MK this night. But I really was glad to just watch Wishes without trying to get the perfect shot. Suffice it to say, it did not disappoint. Wishes is Disney all the way, and if you somehow have been in the Magic Kingdom, and yet for reasons that would escape me have still not caught the Magic, you will by the time Wishes is over.

Cue the "all-kinds-of-warm-and-fuzzy"...

The rest of our EMH was awesome! We did Big Thunder Mt. twice, in the dark! We did the Haunted Mansion - at night!! That was super, super cool. There really were no lines for anything. The time flew by, though, and 11:00pm was approaching at light speed. We decided to end the night, and our last day in the Magic Kingdom, by taking a spin on the WEDway. There's just something about that little ride...:lovestruc

Now, this would be a great way to end this chapter. It was a great evening, we were all feelin' good, and there was nothing amiss. But it ain't over til it's over, as they say, and we still had to get back to POR. Getting out of the MK wasn't all that bad. The crowds were moving, so we moved with them. Our number was up, though, when we approached the bus stops.... The line for POR was unlike ANY thing I'd ever seen. Dude!!...what did EVERY one who is staying there come to the EMH??! Was there a secret POR gathering that we didn't know about?!! Seriously, this line was easily an hour long. It was late. We were tired. As we stood and contemplated our fate, the final nail was driven into this coffin by the sight at the front of the line: the Scooter People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude.

The very same little clan that we dealt with that morning on our way to Kona....

No. Way.

Right about this time, DH made the astute observation that there WAS no line for POFQ!! We didn't even have to speak. We motioned the boys to follow us, ducked under some railings, and reached the bus stop at the exact moment that a FQ bus was pulling up. We hopped on, rode to the French Quarter in a scant 12 minutes, hopped off there and took the ferry back to Riverside. All tolled the trip took maybe a half hour. We felt very smug. It was hard not to, even though we're not usually that kind of people. And so our perfect evening ended with a perfect boat ride along the canal...peaceful, magical, and oh-so-Disney.

---------------------------

Next time: Our last day and a tour of the World!



.

[Lady Lallie]

Do not apologize for ranting about the scooter people because I feel the exact same way. It's not that I mean to people who really need them it's the fact that they think they are entitled to ride the bus even though there are others who have been waiting longer. That really peeves me.

Sounds like a lovely day at MK and so happy you got to meet TK. :goodvibes

I am really scared about the buses now at POR. I am going to have to remember your little POFQ trick!

[jenjolt]

Wow I spent my lunch hour reading your trip report and finally now that the bell has rung I can finally reply!!

I'm loving hearing about your trip!! It makes me even more excited about my trip in January. The talk about Disney transportation is making me a little nervous. I'm taking a rental car so I'm starting to think it might be easier for me to use my car some of the time. I'm really glad I bought my GPS now just to make sure that it will recognize all the sites on WDW site LOL!!

Can't wait to hear out the last day of your trip went.

[TarzansKat]

And Mike has his very own door, about 2-1/2 feet high!
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008360.jpg

I love how Mike's door was previously the Maintenance closet. :lmao:


As soon as the bus pulled up at the MK stop, I was on the phone to TK. They were still there, but barely. I apologized a gazillion times and explained the hour-long bus fiasco. We remained on the phone while trying to find each other, until suddenly someone approached from behind... There was the usual screaming and yelling and laughing and hugging. We had the fastest meet-and-greet ever, there under the monorail at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, but it was one of the best 5 minutes of my trip. Not only did I finally meet a DISer, but I met a DISer that I had already gotten to know here on the boards. Being able to put a face to the name was priceless to me. :goodvibes

Seriously, no apologies were necessary. I was just so grateful I caught you before we left. My hopes of meeting you were fading fast as my little nugget got crankier and crankier! I really enjoyed that quick meet and greet, and it was a pleasure my dear.

I still owe you that photo, don't I? :eek:


I'm not sure what it is about the lowly hotdog, but eating one in the Magic Kingdom while gazing at the castle that is beginning its evening show of colors...well, a hotdog never tasted so good. And the cheese fries....! Oh heaven. Death in a paper box, to be sure, but heaven.

Dude.

So, so borg on this. :thumbsup2


the Scooter People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You just couldn't get away from them.

Now, I must say, Nana does require the use of one in the parks, and they can be difficult to manuver, but she's gotten fairly good at it over the years. No broken toes yet! ;)

[LegoMom3]

Do not apologize for ranting about the scooter people because I feel the exact same way. It's not that I mean to people who really need them it's the fact that they think they are entitled to ride the bus even though there are others who have been waiting longer. That really peeves me.

Sounds like a lovely day at MK and so happy you got to meet TK. :goodvibes

I am really scared about the buses now at POR. I am going to have to remember your little POFQ trick!


SERIOUSLY!! And even if the ferry isnt' running for some reason, without kids in tow, you and Marc could do the walk in 10 minutes tops. It's not all that far and it's really nice!



Wow I spent my lunch hour reading your trip report and finally now that the bell has rung I can finally reply!!

I'm loving hearing about your trip!! It makes me even more excited about my trip in January. The talk about Disney transportation is making me a little nervous. I'm taking a rental car so I'm starting to think it might be easier for me to use my car some of the time. I'm really glad I bought my GPS now just to make sure that it will recognize all the sites on WDW site LOL!!

Can't wait to hear out the last day of your trip went.


:eek: ....Wow! I hope you managed to get in a bite to eat, too!!:rotfl: Glad you've enjoyed it. I always start these things with such enthusiasm, but then life happens and I get more and more behind until I almost just want to toss it out the window. By this stage of the game, I wonder if I'm keeping people's attention anymore!


Seriously, no apologies were necessary. I was just so grateful I caught you before we left. My hopes of meeting you were fading fast as my little nugget got crankier and crankier! I really enjoyed that quick meet and greet, and it was a pleasure my dear.

I still owe you that photo, don't I? :eek:

Yes. Yes you do...popcorn:: Do you still have my e-mail address?! Or, I could come pick it up in person!...:rolleyes1



You just couldn't get away from them.

Now, I must say, Nana does require the use of one in the parks, and they can be difficult to manuver, but she's gotten fairly good at it over the years. No broken toes yet! ;)

I don't have an issue with people needing to use them. And I certainly don't have the answer but the transportation system as it is just can't handle it! At the very least, the bus drivers need special training on the basic operation of a scooter. When neither the bus driver nor the person IN the scooter have too much of a clue on how to maneuver them, it just isn't pretty....:sad2:

Then agian, it is entirely possible that all the scooter people on Disney property that week were staying at POR, and nobody else has these issues!:rotfl:


.

[TarzansKat]

Yes. Yes you do...popcorn:: Do you still have my e-mail address?! Or, I could come pick it up in person!...:rolleyes1

.

Oh, I may be tempted.

Hmm...I just don't know if I have your e-mail anymore. ;)

[mommytothreeboys]

Just finished reading your TR in one sitting and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. I also have three boys...duh!! We made our first Disney trip in April of 2007 and also fell in love with POR. We are so looking forward to going back this coming April! I teared up reading your description of your first park day....I SO GET IT! We are 4 1/2 months out and I am way too excited...how will I ever pass the time! Thanks for the great trip report...looking forward to more!:goodvibes

[creativeamanda]

Great addition! And, silly me, I get all teary-eyed about you meeting TarzanKat!

Anyway, I completely understand about the scooter situation. Apparently, there were complaints about it with POR/POFQ, because when we were there, if there were scooters getting on a bus, they would board 2 buses at the same time, with the lines moving much faster. I do agree the situation is getting completely out of hand due to the fact that I think people are renting them without having ever driven one.

[Mean Queen]

I also discovered that Mean Queen has a moonlighting job!....:rotfl:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008352.jpg




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http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a367/shayb5/Avatars%20and%20stuff/monkey-22.gif
You caught me! Now you know how I can afford to go to Disney all the time. I put on a full blown Malificent costume and walk right in through the CM entrance. :maleficen

I agree about the scooters. Nuf said.

My DH has been the dancing guy at Monsters Laugh Factory. He really got into it. :lmao: Our friend was "that Guy" on another trip. I want to be the one that buys churros one day. :snooty: Goals. I haz dem.

[Vexorg]

Just read through the whole thing (so far) and I've enjoyed it. I can definitely associate with the part about getting rained on since it happened the last time I went to Disneyland, but if you can live with it, it's not that bad (and can really cut back on the lines too.) Even so, I'd like there to be some sun when I go in a couple of weeks, because there's plenty of rain to go around up here already.

[LegoMom3]

That title is the name of a song from the original "Chronicles of Narnia" soundtrack, which has become a bit of a theme for me with this trip. I even put together a slide show on my computer and used tracks from that album for the musical score. Brings me to tears every time.

But even though we've come to the end of my trip, and, thankfully!, the end of this poor little TR, it really is only the beginning of the adventure for me.

I'm looking forward to 2009. Aside from the Disney trip, 2008 was not kind to the Lego clan. I bid it adieu and will not look back. Every new year arrives full of promise, but the reality is that none of us really know what it will bring. I hope and pray that this is the year I finally get to move. I hope and pray that 2009 is the year that finds me in Florida. Or at the very least, south of the Mason-Dixon line! Cold winters do nothing for me, and seasons in New England are over-rated to me. Probably because I've grown up with them. Just sayin'.

As you can tell I'm waxing nostalgic today. It may not be the best time to attempt to finish the TR, but it needs finishing so it can be mercifully laid to rest and we can all move on in our little lives. Or at least I can. I highly doubt this is anything more than a diversion to the rest of you. To me, it's become a burden, and it's time to be done.

I don't have another trip to Disney in the works. I can honestly say right now that I have no idea when we'll return to the Happiest Place on Earth. Again, I hope and pray it's this coming year, as Florida residents with APs, but only God knows if that will happen. So letting go of this trip is just that much harder. Which is why I made a slide show with the "Chronicles of Narnia" soundtrack for the musical score.

But I digress....




The last day of a trip is always the hardest to write about, I find. It goes without saying that part of that reason is due to the long-awaited and every-detail-planned out trip is coming to its inevitable end. Which no one wants to happen.

But it does.

Our last full day was spent at Epicot. We arrived around 11:00am, due to having been out late at the MK the night before. We slept in (well, the men did...I was up for my coffee walk as usual at 6:00). We headed first for Spaceship Earth. Remember we still needed to experience the complete ride. NOJapaneseaudio. Everything was functioning properly this time and since I was riding with DS8, it all went off without a hitch.

Except I am in mourning for the old audio track. Just not feelin' this new one. It lacks the detail and intensity of the Jeremy Irons narration. I felt the scenes were rushed through (audio-wise) and if you never experienced the old SE, you would have little idea of what the scenes were really about. It's HISTORY, man! Disney seems to be in such a hurry to get to the "modern" day of communication, that it blows right by the timeline that brought us here in the first place.

So. Sad.

I snapped this photo of the Roman soldiers when the ride came to a brief stop. Please remain seated in your Time Vehicles. The ride will resume shortly.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008374.jpg

DS8 absolutely cracked up over the interactive screens at the end!...this was his favorite part:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008376.jpg


And, upon exiting:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008377.jpg


We didn't linger in the post-ride area, since we had done that already and wanted to devote most of today to World Showcase. We had lunch at the Electric Umbrella, then made our way over to begin our tour of the World within the World.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008378.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008379.jpg

All this needs is the monorail to be the perfect shot!
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008380.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008381.jpg


Our first stop was Canada. I don't know why but we always tour WS in a counter-clockwise direction. It would end up saving us a lot of back-tracking today, though, since we had a 4:30 dinner at the Biergarten in Germany. Good strategy! :thumbsup2

We did see the new "O Canada!" film, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It helps that I like Martin Short, but I felt that this "upgrade" accomplished what it should have: freshened up the film without losing what it's all about. The kids also had Passports so we had to find the KidCot stops in each country. They really enjoyed this. I grew weary of it after about 4 countries... But the completed Passports really are a neat souvenir, and most of the CMs wrote something in their native language, which the boys thought was way cool.

Meanwhile, back in Canada:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008382.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008384.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008385.jpg


On to the United Kingdom!

We ended up having a lot of fun here, and would have stayed even longer than we did if we weren't on a schedule. We saw Piglet and Eeyore while at the FunStop, and had a really great time browsing the shops. I bought a stuffed "Owl" from Winnie-the-Pooh to add to my collection at home. DH bought some Beatle's "Yellow Submarine" t-shirts and a mug for one of his brothers. According to our Times Guide, the British Invasion was due to perform in just minutes so we pulled up a patch of shade on the side walk by the gardens and watched the show. They were fantastic!! The boys were able to get their autographs afterwards, too, which was a big highlight of the day for them.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008398.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008392.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008393.jpg

Mary Poppins!....the boys didn't want her autograph but I wanted a picture:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008/WDW2008400.jpg


(Continued next post....)


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[LegoMom3]

After the UK, we toured France, Morocco, and part of Japan before needing to head to Germany for our early dinner. Nothing funny or spectacular or unusual happened in any of those countries, so I'll just post some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008402.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008403.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008405.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008407.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008408.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008410.jpg


We arrived in Germany with time to spare for our ADR, so we gave our name and had a seat on a bench where some cool air was mercifully blowing down on us. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love the heat, but a cool breeze is just plain refreshing and feels oh-so-good when you've been pounding the WS pavement for 3 hours!

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008411.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008412.jpg

We were seated down on the main level with two other gentlemen. They were friendly but not overly talkative so there wasn't much interaction after the initial greetings. Which was fine by me. It's noisy in the Biergarten so conversation is difficult. DS11 got a front-row seat for the show and was all kinds of excited about that.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008418.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008417.jpg

This guy is AMAZING!!....love the cowbells...
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008420.jpg

And, possibly my favorite picture of the entire trip - DS6 raising his glass of rootbeer!...:rotfl:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008419.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008425.jpg


(Continued next post...)


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[LegoMom3]

After dinner at the Biergarten, we backtracked to Japan to finish touring there. We spent a disproportionate amount of time in the store, mostly due to the uber-cool stuff for sale, especially for three Pokemon-loving lads!! I really liked it, too, and could have spent more time and money there than I actually had.:rolleyes1 In our search for the FunStop here, we found ourselves in the tin toy museum. This was fascinating, I thought, and worth a look if you find yourself in Japan in Epcot!

I saw this in the coy pond:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008429.jpg

Looking across World Showcase from Italy:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008433.jpg


We continued our tour of the countries with Italy, USA, the train village next to Germany, and finally on to China....

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008437.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008438.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008442.jpg

....where it became exceedingly apparent that DS8 and DS6 were not going to last for Illuminations. Since I had seen it on our last trip, I was not going to push them, but rather I volunteered to call it a day with them and the three of us would head back to Port Orleans. We did a whirlwind tour of Norway (including Maelstrom) and Mexico (NOboatride) on the way by (had to get those last two Passport stamps!) and made our way out of World Showcase. The clouds that had been building for the last couple of hours were now putting on quite a display of lightning, and I wondered if DH and DS11 would actually get to see Illuminations after all.

I was enjoying Epicot at night as we strolled our way towards the exit. It's every bit as magical as the MK, in my humble opinion, and maybe more so in its own way.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008447.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008450.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008452.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008453.jpg



The next morning, I was up for my last coffee walk of this trip. I took my camera with me and took the long way around to Riverside Mill. I walked slowly this morning, savoring every sight, sound and smell, wishing I could bottle it all up and save it.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008454.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008455.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008459.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/WDW2008462.jpg


So this was it. In a few short hours we'd all be back on the Magical Express bus (which is not-so-magical when it's returning you to the airport...), then on a plane and bound for home.

Sitting here now, more than 3 months later, I can say that I would have no idea then, at the end of this trip, how much it would come to mean to me that we were able to take it. Life has dealt us a hard blow, and it's so good to be able to look back at this trip and have the memories.

It truly was "Totally wicked!!!", which is a phrase not uncommon in my born-and-bred-in-New-England vocabulary. Only now it means something just a little bit different. Because for one brief moment in our lives, we were The Incredibles, and our family was a family of Supers, and it just doesn't get any better than that, my friends.

Thanks for reading.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j311/LegoMom3/Disney2008-2/Fall08044.jpg


Final Incredible Quote:
Dash (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1714016/): That was the best vacation ever! I love our family.


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[2xcited2sleep]

Awww. It's over? It's really over? Well, I'm so glad you finished b/c I've loved reading along with your family.

Sorry that 2008 wasn't the greatest. Here's hoping that 2009 will bring you sunny skies, warm temps, FL resident passes and lots of trips to see the mouse! :hug:

Great final updates. In random order:

LOVE the photo of DS hoisting a pint in Germany! :laughing:

I agree, Epcot is just as magical as MK.

ME definitely not as magical in reverse. :sad2:

Great photos!! :thumbsup2

Thanks for sharing your trip with us! :goodvibes

Oh and great ending to your TR. You are the Incredibles and it sure sounded like the best vacation ever!!

[Mean Queen]

The trip may have come to an end, but you will have those memories for a long time. Plus, you'll make more when you move down here this year. I'm going with the power of positive thinking. I'm positive you will be sitting in shorts and a t-shirt, like I am, next Christmas. ;)

You are a great photographer! You really tell a story with those alone.

[Lady Lallie]

Awww. This last update brought a few tears to my eyes. You have a such a great family. :hug: Though I am a little miffed your boys didn't want to see Mary Poppins. ;)

[lovegrumpy]

:cool1: :thumbsup2 :rotfl2:

[susieq76]

Great Trip report! We made the move from NY to NC last year and are lovin it! I hope you can make the move soon!

[mommytothreeboys]

Loved your TR! I'm sorry that 2008 was not your year, but here's to 2009! It's always nice to have a fresh start! You've inspired me to begin my own Pre-Trip report...I'm sure it won't do yours justice! Nice Job....and Happy New Year!

[TarzansKat]

Honey, your trip report was amazing. Thank you for letting us be a part of these special memories with your family.

I think 2009 will be your year. It has to be. :hug: