Two Bunnies Return to WDW [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

jwhtewolfd

03-23-2009, 11:09 PM

Ok, so we don't leave til the end of Spetember, but I did wait for there to be only 6 months left before I started this pre-trip report. That's alot of self control!...Right? :rolleyes1

I guess we should start at the beginning again.

The cast:
Me (Jamie): 26 yr, fifth trip to WDW. Last trip 9/08 for fifth anniversary. Still Vet Tech at Cat Hospital. New Planner Extraordinaire. ;)

Tony: 35 yr, bf/fiancee, third trip to WDW. Last trip 9/08 for fifth anniversary. Still stays home to do the house work. He is also the money for this trip too.

This is us at the end of our bonus spur-of-the-moment extra sixth day last year. Enough said.
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202008/Magic%20Kingdom%202nd%20PM/DisneyWorld1176.jpg

The dates:
September 24, 2009 - October 3, 2009
The 24th and the 3rd are for driving from and to New Orleans, leaving 8 park days. Hopefully this time it will be enough and we won't have to add a day at the end like last year. That was an adventure waking up at 6am, booking bouceback at 7am, doing AK in the am, MK in the pm and starting the 10 hour drive home at 11:30pm! The 25th is our six year anniversary, so the pressure is on to plan an amazing first day.

Also, I should add this trip is indeed the 8-park-day free-dining bounceback trip I imagined last year.

The place:
Disney's Pop Century Resort. LOVE Lady and the Tramp, but not the idea of paying for a "preferred" location, so let the chips fall where they may. Don't really care what building we stay in. Just hoping for a king size bed. Last year one of the double beds became just a large desk, and it was a tight squeeze in the other one. Keeping our fingers crossed this year.

The cats:
Probably going to be asking my mom to take of them, since Louie is still on meds since his issues started last September. Jezzie is still very independent. Louie still pees on his dad's clothes if he leaves them on the ground. Louie has a (yet another) new nickname: Louis Patouis (loo-iss pah-two-iss)

Other misc. items:
We have a new bag we will be trying this year. Last year's messenger bag barely held up for the full trip. It has gone bye-bye. This year we will try one of those "half backpacks" that are kinda triangle shaped with one strap. I'll also have my small purse (that I always wear across the shoulder anyway) for the camera and cell phone.

Today standing in line at Home Depot there was an elderly gentleman that had a small portable stool. The guy in front of us made the mistake to remark that a stool like that would be really handy in Disney World. That was all Tony needed to hear. Until the guy had checked out and walked off, it was all Disney talk, all the time. Luckily there weren't too many people in front of us.

You may recall I bought a Katrina-ravaged, gutted house in the summer of '07. I didn't move in til Dec '07, so spring of '08 was all about furniture, home necessities, accents and such. This spring we finally have time for a garden and landscaping. I've gone goofy on rose bushes. All total, we ended up with 9 bushes. I was going to stop at 7, but I really wanted a white rose bush, so off we went in search of what was to be the last of the roses. But while we were at the local nursery, I found what was called a Disneyland Rose. It's the official rose bush of Disneyland. Of course I NEEDED to have this rose bush.
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/garden/march%2023%2009/disneyland.jpg
It's still a little baby, but it's supposed to have blooms that are copper, apricot, orange and pink. So we shall see what happens.

I decided to do a countdown chain this year. There's a tid-bit of Disney trivia/history hidden underneath each numbered day, so when the link is torn off we can read the "Disney fact of the day." I started it a few days ago. It's still REALLY LONG. :sad1: Here it is at "185 days left until our 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!"
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/garden/march%2023%2009/185032309.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/garden/march%2023%2009/1853032309.jpg

I can't make ADRs til late June. Luckily we're arriving in late September, so the park hours should be up well before my ADR day. Unfortunately the first 3 days of October will be a while in coming, but I figure I can wing the last three days. At least I'm not in the predicament of the poor unfortunate souls arriving the first week of a month with little to no time to plan park days before the 90 day ADR mark. That being said, the ADR's I'm gunning for are: Boma (dinner), Coral Reef (repeat), Le Cellier, Tutto Italia (repeat at Tony's request), Crystal Palace (dinner), Tony's Italian Rest (repeat at Tony's request), Kona Cafe, Garden Grill (repeat), The Wave, and hopefully OOP Fantasmic! Brown Derby package (trying at Tony's request).

I'll be packing according to last year's packing list, as it served us very well. I didn't forget anything, I had everything I needed and I didn't have anything I didn't need or use. I could probably bring a few less snacks, but last year's were left over from evacuation, not all purchased for Disney.

Ran some numbers the other day (b/c who doesn't like doing math for the fun of it?) and found out that once my car is paid off (only 3k left :woohoo:) if I keep putting away what would have gone to the car note into savings, we can keep going to WDW every year! That's of course assuming value season, value resort, free-dining, and absence of incredible price hikes.

We will definately be hitting up MNSSHP, just not sure which day yet. Had some other things happen that I thought I should put in my TR, but can't remember them right now. More to come as I remember and the planning unfolds.

Where'sPiglet?

03-23-2009, 11:43 PM

Woohoo! I found you!!

Of course, you made it so easy! :thumbsup2

I am impressed with your chain...you made that with numbers AND facts?!?

portocall

03-23-2009, 11:52 PM

I am here too... thanks to Bethany... and what she said... that chain is incredible... did you do it on the computer?

jwhtewolfd

03-24-2009, 02:19 AM

Woohoo! I found you!!

Of course, you made it so easy! :thumbsup2

I am impressed with your chain...you made that with numbers AND facts?!?

I am here too... thanks to Bethany... and what she said... that chain is incredible... did you do it on the computer?

great to see ya'll!

yeah, the chain started at 187 days. and 187 Disney facts/trivia/history.

i typed it all out on the computer. i even found the disney handwriting font to use and printed it out in "mickey shorts red" as i call it.

essentially i copy and pasted "days until our 2009 Walt Disney World vacation!" 186 times and filled in the numbers. the trivia took a little longer to find, and to challenge myself, i kept them all short enough to fit on one typed line (in disney font, size 20). yeah, i know. :rotfl::rolleyes1

anyway, i cut each number and factoid into strips. i put a number strip on top of a factoid strip and stapled them into a link. so you can't read the factoid until you break the link (hopefully in the strategically unprinted stapled area) and pull back the number strip. it was a stroke of 2am genius! :idea::laughing:

aha! a stroke of 1am genius: post each day's factoid! (let's see how long this actually lasts :rolleyes1) so we have some catching up to do.
disclaimer - most of these are written more for tony, who is not an avid disser and would not know most of this stuff
187 - splash mountain has a 5 story drop that can reach up to 40 mph
186 - cinderella's castle took over 18 months to construct
185 - mickey's philharmagic has the largest seamless projection screen in the world
184 - the moat surrounding the castle holds 3.4 million gallons of water
and tony jumped the gun and pulled 183 off early, so we'll skip pulling one on tuesday, but 183 - the statue of Walt and Mickey holding hands is called "partners"

wow. is my life really this boring? :confused3 oh well! suits me just fine! :love::wizard::rolleyes1pirate:

Where'sPiglet?

03-24-2009, 08:39 PM

Wow that is really impressive the effort you put into that chain!

By the way, your kitchen looks really nice! (At least the part I can see...)

jwhtewolfd

03-24-2009, 08:50 PM

Wow that is really impressive the effort you put into that chain!

By the way, your kitchen looks really nice! (At least the part I can see...)

thanks, and thanks. the open floor is part of my dining room (that's the red wall). the bar looks into the kitchen. it's nice for hiding mess behind, until the mess overflows onto the bar, as you can see:rolleyes1

you can see some more of the house in '07 during the dreaded contractor nightmare phase on myspace http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=217319968
hopefully you can access those, i don't know the site too well.

Where'sPiglet?

03-24-2009, 09:14 PM

I loved the photos of your house. I like all the color in the rooms, although the color name "rouge red" made me giggle. :lmao:

jwhtewolfd

03-24-2009, 09:30 PM

I loved the photos of your house. I like all the color in the rooms, although the color name "rouge red" made me giggle. :lmao:

i know! doesn't it sound like a "lady of the night"? but it's really pretty in person. i desperately wanted a red room, but i wasn't brave enough to go for it in my bedroom. it makes the dining room a little more "formal" without being stuffy. at least, i think so.

jwhtewolfd

03-24-2009, 10:36 PM

We officially made it to the halfway mark. Phew. That was rough.

One day in January I somehow managed to get home from work before 7pm, don't ask me how. :confused3 To celebrate the occasion, I hit up Amazon.com and, well:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/002.jpg
Plus 2 trivia books. Oops. :rolleyes1

In researching for my countdown chain (it was originally was supposed to be picture oriented, but I was too lazy to go buy a black ink cartridge to properly print pictures - yes, you caught me. That's why i printed the chain in mickey-pants red :rolleyes:), I found an awesome pic of the most awesome villain ever. Check out my shiny new desktop:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/004.jpg

A few days ago a very nice Disser posted about crocs on sale, so I broke down and finally ordered some for me and Tony. They shipped from up north, down to Mississippi and I thought "hey, they're almost here!" Then today the tracker says they shipped to Tennessee??? :confused3 The site claims they will arrive in two days. That's after they've finished making their cross country tour I guess.

kmores

03-26-2009, 07:02 PM

thanks, and thanks. the open floor is part of my dining room (that's the red wall). the bar looks into the kitchen. it's nice for hiding mess behind, until the mess overflows onto the bar, as you can see:rolleyes1

you can see some more of the house in '07 during the dreaded contractor nightmare phase on myspace http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=217319968
hopefully you can access those, i don't know the site too well.

pretty!! (and I love lolcats too....)

kmores

03-26-2009, 07:04 PM

jwhtewolfd

03-30-2009, 01:22 AM

The crocs finally arrived!....at the post office :headache: I got a thingy in my mailbox telling me to go pick them up. What a pain. Good thing I paid for free shipping, or I'd be a little more than perturbed. I'll have pictures later, especially if I can persuade Tony to go pick them up for me. :thumbsup2

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We practiced for Food and Wine Festival this weekend at the Louisiana Crawfish Festival. In two nights DBF and I ate:
soft shell crab
chicken on a stick
crawfish pasta
crawfish etouffee
crawfish beignets
shrimp and crab bisque
crab cake over dirty rice
onion mum
egg rolls
funnel cake
boiled crawfish
crawfish catfish
gumbo
butterfly potatoes

There was more, but we just couldn't pack any more away.

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The Disneyland Rosebush has a bud on it! As soon as it blooms (if we can get past this cold snap) I'll have pictures.

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The countdown chain trivia bits for days "182 - 178 days left until our 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!":

182 - "It's a Small World" is sung in 5 languages: english, spanish, swedish, japanese and italian
181 - Mickey's Toontown Fair was originally called Mickey's Birthdayland
180 - "It's Tough to Be A Bug" 3-D glasses are called "honorary bug eyes" (he knew that one)
179 - The live oak known as the Liberty Tree in Liberty Square is 135 years old
178 - The Carousel of Progress moved from Disneyland to WDW in 1973

jwhtewolfd

03-31-2009, 09:09 PM

Someone posted a youtube clip of Scar and Shere Kahn having a converstaion. It was pretty cool, and gave me an idea for the new Design-a-tee store at DTD. I want to make Tony and I "complementing" shirts (not actually matching). Here's the idea:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/BOTwbbwBWkKGrHgoOKj8EjlLmVnmBJu6UF9.jpg
You're trying my patience

for Tony, and for me:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/scar02.gif
You have no idea

This would make me happy since I couldn't find any Scar shirts last time. I looked in HS's villain store and at World of Disney, but no dice. I fiddled around with the "create your own" at disneyshopping.com, but I'm leary of ordering stuff online without having seen it with my own eyes. This will give me more to look forward to on our first night when we plan to go to DTD anyway. And if I ordered them online now, Tony's would be all ragged out before we got to WDW. I would like to wear them the day we go to MNSSHP (probably Tuesday the 29th).

It would also be kinda cool, but also kinda cheesey, to make some for our anniversary day. The tough part is figuring out something fitting, but not too lovey-dovey. And definately animals. Lady and the Tramp, Pongo and Perdy, Simba and Nala....something on that order. But that would be the extent of the matching shirts. I wonder if the design-a-tee store takes the Disney visa reward card. :scratchin I'll have to look into that.

For lack of a better segue:
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We know our plans for Thursday. Wake up early, drive, arrive, check in and find the room. Bring the bags in (I don't unpack the bags into hotel drawers 1. eww and 2. I'm very efficient at living out of bags since '05) then head to DTD. Get CS at DTD (thinking of trying Earl of Sandwich), browse, shop, relax, etc. And now - make Scar and Shere Kahn shirts!

Friday was throwing me a curve ball, b/c although we don't have September hours yet, we DO know that there is a MNSSHP on Friday the 25th. Of course we want to go to MK our first day, but getting kicked out at 7 and no Wishes kinda sucks. We could go to the party that night, but being Friday, it's probably premium price. Plus last year we tried the go-til-midnight the first day and it wore us OUT. The solution we (I) came up with is to go to MK Friday, leave when the party starts and head to Port Orleans for a "romantical" carriage ride.

Tony wants to eat at Tony's before we leave MK, but I think we can do better for our anniversary. Typically Epcot would have EMH on Friday night, but it will be the first night of Food and Wine Fest, so no telling what will happen, not to mention how crowded Epcot will be. So Coral Reef may be a possibility, or we might just call it an early night. We'll see what happens once the official schedule comes out, but at least we have a plan and a finite list of possibilities. That makes the whole trip a little less daunting.

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177 - 176 days left until our 2009 wdw vacation
177 - the lasers used on Buzz Lightyear are FDA certified Class 2 lasers
176 - The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh replaced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (to which Tony said pbbbbbttt :p as this was his favorite ride when he went when he was little)

Where'sPiglet?

03-31-2009, 11:01 PM

I like the shirt ideas. :thumbsup2

jwhtewolfd

04-02-2009, 02:04 AM

Look what finally came in! :woohoo:

Tony's:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/007.jpg

and mine:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/006.jpg

I probably won't wear them at WDW, but I needed something that I could slip on quickly for short outings. Z-coils are GREAT for all day at work, but they are a pita to strap on every time I want to step outside. Who has time to tie their shoes?! :laughing:

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175 days left until our 2009 wdw vacation - Tinker Bell first flew from Cinderella's Castle on July 4, 1985

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Jezzie had her dental today. She did very well under anesthesia. Before she was knocked out...not so much. She turns into a little heathen when I bring her work. I did well at my dentist appointment yesterday too. No cavities, but he wants to extract all my wisdom teeth :scared1: OUCH. Next cleaning is scheduled the week before we leave, so I'll have a nice, clean, shiny smile for pictures with Mickey. :teeth:

jwhtewolfd

04-13-2009, 11:50 PM

Nothing new to report on the planning end. Itching for June when September hours will be posted...I hope. The Disneyland rosebush is about to BURST. See how nicely it has flourished:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/dis1.jpg

And look at these clusters of buds:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/dis6.jpg

We have several days to cover since our last countdown:
174-163 days left until our 2009 WDW vacation
174 - Splash Mountain contains 65 audio-animatronics
173 - Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin opened on October 7, 1998
172 - The story of Cinderella is told on mosaic murals inside the castle
171 - It's A Small World features 289 audio-animatronics dolls
170 - Snow White's Scary Adventures opened with WDW in October of 1971
169 - Mickey's PhilharMagic 3-D glasses are called "opera glasses" by Minnie
168 - The drop on Splash Mountain is called Chickapin Hill
167 - MuppetVision 3-D is the only 3-D show that uses "3-D Glasses"
166 - Walt designed "It's A Small World" for the Pepsi-Cola Company
165 - The ride vehicles on Haunted Mansion are called "Doom Buggies"
164 - There are 125 audio-animatronics figures in Pirates of the Caribbean
163 - Cinderella's Castle is built to withstand hurricane winds of 90 mph

In preparation, I have recently watched Lady and the Tramp, Robin Hood and the Aristocats. Now have The Fox and the Hound and Lion King 1 1/2 is on the way. Also in the Netflix queue is Tarzan, 101 Dalmatians, Muppet Treasure Island and The Ugly Dachshund. Netflix really has a dismal selection of Disney movies if you're looking for the animated classics.

jwhtewolfd

04-20-2009, 02:16 AM

More Disney factoids from our count down chain and random pics:

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
162 - The "Jolly Roger" is a white skull and crossbones on a black background
161 - Dumbo was an opening day attraction at Magic Kingdom in October, 1971
160 - One of the mermaids in Peter Pan's Flight looks like The Little Mermaid's Ariel
159 - It's A Small World is an original opening day attraction of WDW
158 - Big Thunder Mountain opened on September 23, 1980
157 - Cinderella's Castle is 189 feet tall, the tallest structure in Magic Kingdom
156 - Spaceship Earth towers at 180 feet over the rest of Epcot

Here's how the count down is progressing:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/012.jpg

It's still REALLY long :sad1: At least the whole thing fits on the table now; it was draped over the chairs too.
Here's a close up. At the top edge, you can sort of see that the link is two strips of paper, with the factoid strip hidden by the number strip.
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/014.jpg

(And yes, I have no dining room table until September :rolleyes1 It's ok, we usually eat at the computers anyway - we only have 4 of them :rolleyes:)

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The first bloom on the Disneyland bush opened today!
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/dis2.jpg
Looks like the others are just about ready to burst open too. :goodvibes

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Wandering around the house aimlessly with camera in hand yields some very random pictures. Here we have my modest, but growing, Eeyore collection:

This is the stuffed Eeyore I bought on our '08 trip
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/017.jpg

My very good friend from high school gave me this recently as one of my x-mas/birthday/catchup-i-haven't-seen-you-in-forever presents. HOW DID SHE KNOW I ALMOST BOUGHT THIS ON OUR '08 TRIP!?
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/016.jpg

Tony bought me this little guy for my birthday this January. The crystal didn't photograph well, but you get the idea
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/015.jpg

jwhtewolfd

04-21-2009, 09:48 PM

Our customized maps came in today!

"This is Spinal Tap" moment of the day:
Me: We got our maps!
Tony: Oh, cool. (sees them) Don't we have those already?
Me: Those were for last year. These are for this year.
Tony: But don't we have those already?
(pause)
(blink)
Me: These are for this year.
(pause)

Well, I'm excited.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/020.jpghttp://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/019.jpghttp://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/018.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/m017.jpghttp://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/m016.jpg

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Totally unrelated to Disney or Disney planning, but it's my PTR, so I'm adding it. I picked up a piece of charcoal yesterday for the first time in maybe 6 years and splotched out this picture. Tony said you can tell it's Louie because of the schnoz.
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/002-1.jpg

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...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
155 - The religious buildings in Morocco are not lit during Illuminations
156 - The Tree of Life has over 320 animals carved into its trunk

Where'sPiglet?

04-21-2009, 11:16 PM

Wow...you are talented!

And I already told you I love your flowers!

I have a growing Piglet and Tigger collection! :thumbsup2 They are in a BOX right now! :cool1:

jwhtewolfd

04-22-2009, 12:35 AM

Wow...you are talented!

And I already told you I love your flowers!

I have a growing Piglet and Tigger collection! :thumbsup2 They are in a BOX right now! :cool1:

Well, thanks. Though I'm terribly out of practice. (My portfolio was on the floor of my room when we evacuated. When we went back to clean up, I just chucked it. I couldn't even stand to open it to see. I just assumed newsprint and charcoal didn't hold up well to Katrina water. That's kind of discouraged me from getting back into it.)

Hooray for Piglets and Tiggers in boxes. Two more months and they will have a new home! :woohoo:

jwhtewolfd

04-25-2009, 10:16 PM

The Disneyland rosebush exploded!

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/garden/april%2025%2009/011.jpghttp://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/garden/april%2025%2009/015.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/garden/april%2025%2009/016.jpghttp://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/garden/april%2025%2009/017.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/garden/april%2025%2009/019.jpghttp://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/garden/april%2025%2009/021.jpg

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...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
153 - Epcot Center opened on October 1, 1982
152 - It took 650 Imagineers over five years to develop Mission: Space
151 - Spaceship Earth weighs 16,000,000 pounds

Where'sPiglet?

04-25-2009, 10:47 PM

Okay that rosebush is just beautiful. I love the colors!

And are those Mickey crocs? I have the same ones! :thumbsup2

jwhtewolfd

04-25-2009, 10:51 PM

Okay that rosebush is just beautiful. I love the colors!

And are those Mickey crocs? I have the same ones! :thumbsup2

Yep, good eye. :thumbsup2 I kept fussing at Tony to get out of my shot! :rotfl:

Where'sPiglet?

04-25-2009, 10:53 PM

And you have that nice thick grass. What's it called? Augustine or something?

kmores

04-25-2009, 11:47 PM

jwhtewolfd

04-26-2009, 01:12 AM

And you have that nice thick grass. What's it called? Augustine or something?

Yeah, it's St. Augustine (or "St. Aug" as everyone here calls it). The crazy thing is that I decided NOT to dig up and re-sod the lawn (serious $$$). When I bought the house it was all weeds in the front and back, but we could see a few runners of St. Aug. It grows like crazy, so I just left it and started cutting the grass (well, nagging Tony to cut it ;) ). This is only going into my second summer here and already it has taken over. There are still more weeds than my dad's lawn (he had the $ to re-sod), but the St. Aug is everywhere now and slowly pushing the weeds out. We must have good soil out here or something b/c after Katrina blew in, people were finding weird things growing in their yards. I heard of people finding tomatos, watermelons and my grandma even had THREE PAPAYA TREES growing on her front lawn! (She never planted any papaya trees.)

girl I had a pair of those black ones I would have given u! bought them at WDW but were too big for me.... :(

Well, I have little feet, so I don't know. I range from 5 1/2 to 7, though 7 is usually too big in length, but sometimes I'll go up for the width. The Z-coils doc put me in a 7 for the width to help battle chronic ingrown toenails - OW! Though I've found that, with socks on, I can fit in Tony's (the black ones), "fit" meaning they won't fly off and I can go out in the garden (I wouldn't try to wear them away from the house), but he's only a men's 8 - 9 in crocs.

Where'sPiglet?

04-26-2009, 10:53 AM

Yeah, it's St. Augustine (or "St. Aug" as everyone here calls it). The crazy thing is that I decided NOT to dig up and re-sod the lawn (serious $$$). When I bought the house it was all weeds in the front and back, but we could see a few runners of St. Aug. It grows like crazy, so I just left it and started cutting the grass (well, nagging Tony to cut it ;) ). This is only going into my second summer here and already it has taken over. There are still more weeds than my dad's lawn (he had the $ to re-sod), but the St. Aug is everywhere now and slowly pushing the weeds out. We must have good soil out here or something b/c after Katrina blew in, people were finding weird things growing in their yards. I heard of people finding tomatos, watermelons and my grandma even had THREE PAPAYA TREES growing on her front lawn! (She never planted any papaya trees.)

Okay...I love that kind of grass. :rotfl: My friend in Chalmette has it, and I don't remember ever seeing that kind of grass before. I had not seen grass so thick and green; I was jumping around in their yard in bare feet. (Can't really do that up here.) :lmao: It's now a long-standing joke, but I have PICTURES of their grass :rolleyes1 and came back to NY and was like "OMG you will NOT BELIEVE this grass they have down there!" :rotfl2:

Do you have any mystery gardens in your yard? :laughing: That's some crazy stuff!

jwhtewolfd

04-26-2009, 03:25 PM

Okay...I love that kind of grass. :rotfl: My friend in Chalmette has it, and I don't remember ever seeing that kind of grass before. I had not seen grass so thick and green; I was jumping around in their yard in bare feet. (Can't really do that up here.) :lmao: It's now a long-standing joke, but I have PICTURES of their grass :rolleyes1 and came back to NY and was like "OMG you will NOT BELIEVE this grass they have down there!" :rotfl2:

Do you have any mystery gardens in your yard? :laughing: That's some crazy stuff!

That's so funny. I guess I take our grass for granted. We and everyone around us have always had it. I like the look of the delicate spring grass that pops up here and there.

By the time I started looking to buy, most people had already cleaned up the weird stuff. There was some ginger going nuts in the back yard, but it was on the other side of the property line. And a sizable crepe myrtle in the front yard that survived.

jwhtewolfd

05-15-2009, 11:59 PM

Today on the drive home from work I saw a cloud shaped like the Tree of Life. ... ... ... I think I'm ready for my vacation. :rolleyes1

My aunt e-mailed me today. They just decided they are going to Disney World. In five weeks. Yeah, JUNE. She wanted dining recomendations. :scared: I tried to keep the reply email under 20 pages. Hey, I TRIED.

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation
150 - Cinderella's Carousel was discovered in New Jersy in 1967
149 - Epcot's Eiffel Tower is 1/10 the size of the real tower in Paris
148 - Haunted Mansion has been open since Magic Kingdom opened in 1971
147 - The Jungle Cruise river is dyed brown to hide its depth of 3.5 feet
146 - Sleepy, Happy, Dopey, Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful, Doc (this is sort of an inside joke - last year I made Tony learn the Seven Dwarves...he still doesn't have them quite down, but I quiz him randomly from time to time)
145 - Most of the Acacia trees in Animal Kingdom are modified oak trees
144 - Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor replaced Robin Williams and "The Timekeeper"
143 - Pirates of the Caribbean was the last attraction supervised by Walt
142 - There are 1,100 audio-animatronics figures in the Magic Kingdom
141 - At some point, Rock N Roller Coaster reaches 5 Gs
140 - Space Mountain opened in the Magic Kingdom January 15, 1975
139 - Cinderella's Castle is the most photographed building in the world
138 - Thunder Mount - 197 feet, Space Mount - 180 feet, Splash Mount - 87 feet
137 - The dragon in Fantasmic! has a fifty foot wingspan
136 - Space Mountain reaches a top speed of 28 miles per hour
135 - SpectroMagic debuted Oct 1 1991 for WDW's 20th anniversary
134 - The drop on Splash Mountain is 52.5 feet at a 45 degree angle
133 - The Haunted Mansion hitchhiking ghosts are Ezra, Phineas and Gus
132 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first full length animated film
131 - Wishes debuted October 9, 2003, replacing Fantasy in the Sky

jwhtewolfd

05-25-2009, 09:27 PM

Now that we are in the 3 month-ish range, I feel ok taking out the "very pre" part of the pre-trip report title.

No more Disney-shaped cloud sightings, but I still can't wait for September hours to come out. I realize I should probably have some backup ADRs planned in case I can't get some of my first choices. Seems that those with longer stays are taking up all the seats with their "+10" privileges. We're only staying "+8" but hopefully I'll get a few good places and times. We don't mind eating late; I'm rarely home for dinner before 8pm anyway. Guess I'll be browsing menus again tonight...but not til AFTER dinner. I make that mistake too many times. :scared::rotfl:

Here's the chain at 120 days!
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/019-Copy.jpg

Still fairly long, but definitely making progress. Though I will have to move it from its dining table shrine tomorrow. We'll need the table b/c we will be signing closing papers tomorrow at 10am for the refi on the house! 4.5% baby! :woohoo:

...Days left until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
130 - Sleeping Beauty's name is Aurora and her father is King Stefan
129 - Big Thunder Mountain takes place in the town of Tumbleweed
128 - Tomorrowland Indy Speedway is an original opening day attraction
127 - Cinderella's stepmother is Lady Tramaine
126 - Less than 10,000 guests attended WDW on opening day
125 - The cobra in Fantasmic! is 100 feet long and 16 feet tall
124 - Building Thunder Mountain in 1979 cost as much as Disneyland in 1955
123 - Space Mountain's cone shaped peak is 183 feet above ground
122 - The Haunted Mansion can host 3,200 guests per hour
121 - The Liberty Bell replica was cast from the original Liberty Bell's mold

jwhtewolfd

06-01-2009, 05:40 AM

June is upon us. The wait for September park hours is officially ON. :scared:
I think I might break the refresh button. :rolleyes1

Our last day in the parks will be a Friday, which, if my guesstimated schedule serves me correctly, means the only nighttime spectacular that night will be Illuminations (MNNSHP @ MK = no Wishes, Fantasmic! =/= Friday). Can you really end a WDW trip without Wishes or Fantasmic!? :confused3 Even Hallowishes, though excellent, wouldn't be the same. :sad2: Not to mention I don't want to wait until our last day to do MNSSHP, just in case. :scared:

In all of this, I have to remember to take a step back and look at the big picture. I promised Tony I would not do what I did last year: 7:00am - midnight on both our first and second days. :rolleyes1 But how can you justify NOT being in a park when one is still open!?!?! :confused3 :rotfl:

...Days Left Until 2009 Walk Disney World Vacation!
120 - Thunder Mountain's real antique mining equipment cost $300,000
119 - There are 109 audio-animatronics figures in the Haunted Mansion
118 - Splash Mountain can run 50 logs at a time when at full capacity
117 - Walt Disney originally wanted the Jungle Cruise to feature live animals
116 - It took $1.4 billion and three years to open Epcot

Where'sPiglet?

06-01-2009, 11:41 AM

Any park hours updates? ;)

jwhtewolfd

06-01-2009, 01:23 PM

Any park hours updates? ;)

Curse you! ;)

lovedonaldduck

06-01-2009, 04:08 PM

jwhtewolfd

06-01-2009, 04:36 PM

We will be at Bay Lake Tower 9/26-10/3. I am looking at September hours this way, while they will fill my need to plan the first 5 days of our vacation, I am still going to have to guess for the October dates so any September info prior to our ADR date is a bonus.

Hopefully that thought process will get me through until whenever they get around to posting September hours. I've only checked like 6 times so far today.

Only SIX?! Wow, that's a lot of self-restraint. I think I had checked 6 times already by 2 am! :rolleyes1:rotfl:

October 3rd is actually a travel date for us, so I really only have 2 days to guess at. Being that we KNOW there are MNSSHP both the 1st and the 2nd, we can rule out Wishes and Spectro. The only wrench will be EMHs and if Fantasmic! will show on that Thursday and/or Friday. I'm going to assume it will show on the 1st, since Thursday seems to be a fairly reliable Fantasmic! day. I had mapped out the standard EMH days a while back, but there's no telling what they will do with them with MNSSHP thrown in the mix.

For example, MK had been having AM EMH on Thursdays. But Oct. 1 is both a Thursday and a MNSSHP day. I wouldn't imagine they would keep that schedule, seeing as how not everyone has hoppers, but I see that it did happen a few times last year, so who knows. :confused3

As I speculated earlier, we'll probably end up in Epcot on our last night (Friday the 2nd), since Illuminations will be the only nighttime event happening. That is unless we decide to spring for another set of party tickets, but we are already planning on going on Tues the 29th. I haven't bought the tickets yet, just in case they throw something bizarre at us like Spectro or Fantasmic! only happening on that one day. :scared1: I don't really anticipate that, but you just never know, you know? :rotfl:

Where'sPiglet?

06-01-2009, 08:48 PM

Jamie, BREATHE!

jwhtewolfd

06-01-2009, 09:52 PM

Jamie, BREATHE!

I'm trying....wait, no, turning blue again...that's not right, is it?...ok...

....in.....

....out....

..uh, what's next? oh, yeah! in....

it's ok, this is what i do. high anxiety = imagining every possible senario. once they release the hours, the number of possibilities decrease exponentially and becomes much more finite. as do my anxiety attacks. ;)

jwhtewolfd

06-01-2009, 09:57 PM

And in case you were wondering, the answer is yes, post # 35 is what it's like inside my head. But an inner monologue is only dangerous when it becomes an inner dialogue. Right?

Where'sPiglet?

06-01-2009, 10:52 PM

And in case you were wondering, the answer is yes, post # 35 is what it's like inside my head. But an inner monologue is only dangerous when it becomes an inner dialogue. Right?

:lmao: You really are a HOT MESS! :lmao:

I do hope I get to meet you at some point...even though I'm not Chalmatian or Arabian. :rotfl:

disneygirlinnj

06-01-2009, 11:29 PM

Subbing! :) I'm going the same time as you are with my mom, can't wait! And I seriously have been trying to restrain myself from refreshing the calendar! I want park hours!!!!!

jwhtewolfd

06-01-2009, 11:48 PM

Subbing! :) I'm going the same time as you are with my mom, can't wait! And I seriously have been trying to restrain myself from refreshing the calendar! I want park hours!!!!!

:welcome: Hope I don't scare you away. As you can probably tell from my posts, and my ridiculous count down chain, I can be a little...obsessive? And I still haven't posted my packing list yet. :teeth:

jwhtewolfd

06-03-2009, 02:18 AM

The September 1st 90 day mark is here, but so far we only have Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach hours. Hm. Too bad I don't do water parks. :snooty: I just KNEW the hours wouldn't be released while I had time off. :rolleyes:

My newest anxiety:
My ADR date is a Friday. I can call at 6:00am central. I have to be at work at 8:30. Shouldn't be a problem, but reports of long hold times and disconnects are scary. IF I can't get ADRs accomplished by 8:30, I have two options:

1. Call after work. :headache: Though I can't guarantee I'll even be off before the dining line closes. Not to mention that's a heck of alot of people calling all day before me.

2. Have Tony do it. :scared1::scared:

Neither is very appealing. :rotfl: Oh, what will I think of next?

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
115 - Tomorrowland Indy Speedway cars can reach top speeds of 7.5 mph (to which Tony replied "Whee!" :rolleyes:)
114 - Disney's Animal Kingdom Park encompasses 500 acres (I, of course, felt the need to point out that's 400 more acres than the hundred-acre wood :thumbsup2)

jwhtewolfd

06-04-2009, 11:41 PM

:scared:Disney is really making us sweat with all this "no releasing of hours" business. The couple of projected hours sources that have been dug up are disheatening. Only 2 Fantasmic! showings and ONLY ONE SPECTROMAGIC!:sad1: What the heck are they thinking?? :sad2: I think I might cry. :sad:

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
113 - The Carousel of Progress was designed by Walt for the 1964 World's Fair
112 - The Mickey's PhilharMagic screen is 150 feet long and 28 feet high

jwhtewolfd

06-08-2009, 02:13 AM

GAH! Can you believe it is June 8th and Disney STILL hasn't posted all the official hours for September? And can you believe my baby brother turns 21 today? 21! He's not a baby anymore. :sad1:

IF you've been following the September hours thread, as I have, you know that there are some "sources" out there. Reliable? Official? Who knows. But it's better than what's up (or NOT up, as the case may be) on disney.com. So without further ado, I give you the first draft:

Mon - Tues: panic and pack. Wed: work and day dream.

Thurs, Sept 24
Drive from New Orleans to Orlando. Leave ~3am, arrive ~2pm. Stop at Cracker Barrel for breakfast (6am). Check in, unpack car, DTD, CS Earl of Sandwich, shop, make Scar and Shere Kahn shirts, maybe even Lady and the Tramp anniversary shirts?

Fri, Sept 25 (6 yr anniversary)
MK 9am - 7pm (MNSSHP tonight, not attending). TS Tony's Town Square, CS Columbia Harbor House or Cosmic Ray's. Scratch the previously planned carriage ride, we're hopping to HS for 8pm Fantasmic!

Sat, Sept 26
HS (AM EMH) 8am - 7pm. CS ? TS Mama Melrose if can get Le Cellier later in the week. If can't get Le Cellier, will have extra TS and will do Brown Derby. Hop to MK for 8pm Spectro and 9pm Wishes (ONLY Spectro scheduled for our length of stay! :scared1:)

Sun, Sept 27
AK 9am - 5pm. CS Pizzafari. TS Boma just after AK close. Hop to MK for 8 pm Wishes. Also MK PM EMH til 11pm if so desired.

Mon, Sept 28
EP 9am - 9pm and PM EMH til 12am if so desired. TS Coral Reef, as close to 11:30am opening as possible. CS ? Might just F&W fest for dinner. MUST try a grey goose slush. Illuminations at 9pm. Might have to have an orange slush too. Could try for dinner TS LeCellier today, but may have more luck later in stay.

Tues, Sept 29
AK 9am - 5pm. CS Flame Tree BBQ or Yak and Yeti. Hop to MK for MNSSHP 7pm - 12 am and TS Crystal Palace. Wear Shere Kahn and Scar shirts today.

Wed, Sept 30
EP 9am - 9pm. TS Garden Grill for dinner. TS LeCellier for lunch if I can get it. If not, then Brown Derby on Sat. and CS or F&W for lunch. Hop to MK for 9pm Wishes (last showing of Wishes while we're there - and HOPEFULLY they will add a Spectro tonight? Pleease?).

Thurs, Oct 1 (based on speculation)
HS 9am-7pm? CS ? Boat to EP for TS Tutto Italia dinner. If Fantamic! is showing, boat back to HS (sounds crazy, I know, but there aren't many places to eat in HS and we've never taken a boat before. It will be some much needed "off the feet" time) for Fantasmic! If no F!, stay in EP for Illuminations. (hoping for Ill today and F! tomorrow, but designed these two days so it could go either way)

Fri, Oct 2 (based on speculation)
MK 9am - 7pm (MNSSHP tonight, not attending). CS ? TS Kona at MK closing. If no F! last night, then hopefully F! tonight, so hop to HS for F! If no F! tonight, then hopefully there was F! last night, so hop to EP for Illuminations. (hoping for Ill yesterday and F! today, but designed these two days so it could go either way). Pack?

Sat, Oct 3
Sleep in. Pack? Load car. CS brunch/lunch Everything Pop food court. Drive from Orlando to New Orleans. Leave ~noon, arrive ~10pm.

Sun - Tues Sleep and recover. Back to work on Wed.

Special notes:
We plan on making rope drop every morning.
Hours listed are just park hours, not intended attended hours. I know I can't leave Epcot at 9pm and make it in time for Wishes at 9pm.
We are planning on using buses, monorails and boats for all this hopping, unless the hopping proves too tedious or problematic. I am prepared to use the car if need be, but I'm hoping value season will be kind to us, transportation-wise.
If you've been keeping up with projected dining options, we did give up The Wave, and Tony is willing to try Mama Melrose in lieu of Brown Derby if we can swing a LeCellier ADR. Oh, the sacrifices we make!

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
111 - Cinderella's Golden Carrousel was built in 1917!
110 - Japan's pagoda has 5 levels symbolizing the elements earth, water, fire, wind and sky
109 - The Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom is 145 feet tall

jwhtewolfd

06-16-2009, 07:45 PM

100 Days Left! Moving into double digits!:woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Just watched Wall-E to celebrate. Also have Bolt next in my Netflix queue.

I have come up with a contingency plan in case there is no Fantasmic! scheduled on Oct. 1st or 2nd. We would see F! on Tues. Sept 29 and go to MNSSHP on Thurs. Oct. 1st. It would be cool to go on our last night (Fri. Oct. 2), but I'm not willing to chance some bizarre weather on our last day and possibly miss the parade or fireworks. Which means I still haven't bought my MNSSHP tickets yet! I would have to switch some ADRs, but Tony says we must see F! more than once. And I tend to agree. Unfortunately, I won't know October's schedule until...well, who knows when? :headache:

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
108 - Walt Disney World Resort opened on October 1, 1971
107 - In 2009, Epcot will host the 14th annual Food and Wine Festival
106 - Spaceship Earth is covered by 11,324 triangular panels
105 - In January 2008 MGM Studios changed to Hollywood Studios
104 - Disney Hollywood Studios opened May 1, 1989 (as MGM Studios)
103 - The Magic Kingdom covers 107 acres and has 7 themed lands
102 - If Spaceship Earth was a golf ball, the golfer would be 1 mile tall
101 - Sorcerer Mickey's hat in Hollywood Studios is 122 feet tall
100 - Disney's Animal Kingdom opened April 22, 1998

racefanof88

06-19-2009, 01:51 AM

jwhtewolfd

06-19-2009, 11:26 PM

Hey Jamie, I'm coming over from Colleen's PTR. I love the pictures of your house, I know it took a lot of work to get it back into shape.

We will be at Pop at the same time. Our trip is Sept. 25 - Oct 3. We will be celebrating our anniversary while we are in Disney too. My DH and I will be married 22 years on October 3rd. We will be driving in from Mobile on the 25th and driving home on the 3rd.

:woohoo: We are now at double digits and I am counting the days to make my ADRs. Not sure yet if I am going to do the on line ressies or the old fashioned way and call.

Looking forward to your next update :surfweb:.

:welcome: What a small world of coincidences. We'll be passing Mobile at about 5 am on the 24th. Be sure to wave and we'll make sure they hold you a room with a good view at the resort. ;) I haven't decided on online or calling yet either. I might be attempting to book online while I'm holding on the phone! Whoever is faster - the CMs or the internet connection/Disney website - will win out. :thumbsup2 :lmao:

jwhtewolfd

06-20-2009, 01:33 AM

:woohoo::cheer2::dance3::woohoo:
Guess who's going to Magic Kingdom in January! Vet conference in Orlando January 16 - 20 and then...Magic Kingdom to ride the newly refurbed Space Mountain on January 21! :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Meanwhile....Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
99 - Magic Kingdom's Main Street , USA consists of only 4 buildings
98 - Each Test Track vehicle has three on-board computers
97 - Sorcerer Mickey's hat was added to the Studios in September, 2001

racefanof88

06-20-2009, 10:00 PM

:welcome: What a small world of coincidences. We'll be passing Mobile at about 5 am on the 24th. Be sure to wave and we'll make sure they hold you a room with a good view at the resort. ;) I haven't decided on online or calling yet either. I might be attempting to book online while I'm holding on the phone! Whoever is faster - the CMs or the internet connection/Disney website - will win out. :thumbsup2 :lmao:

:sad2: I am losing my mind :sad2:. We are actually leaving on the 26th, so you will be well into the Disney mode before I get there. I will be finishing up with last minute touches on the 24th. I have been playing around with the on line stuff and I may be holding the line too while booking on line.

:woohoo::cheer2::dance3::woohoo:
Guess who's going to Magic Kingdom in January! Vet conference in Orlando January 16 - 20 and then...Magic Kingdom to ride the newly refurbed Space Mountain on January 21! :woohoo::woohoo::woohoo:

Meanwhile....Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
99 - Magic Kingdom's Main Street , USA consists of only 4 buildings
98 - Each Test Track vehicle has three on-board computers
97 - Sorcerer Mickey's hat was added to the Studios in September, 2001

:cheer2: Congrats on the January trip :cheer2:. I can't decide when I want to go back next year. I really like going in February or March.

jwhtewolfd

06-26-2009, 06:56 AM

ADRs are DONE. :woohoo: Well, til I start to make changes anyway. I'm going back to bed for an hour. Will update with details after work.

jwhtewolfd

06-26-2009, 10:11 PM

I set my alarm for 4:45 am (that's central time). I woke up shivering...violently. Apparently my bedroom is extremely cold at 4am. It took everything I had in me to throw my lovely, comfy, warm, down blanket off, but eventually I was able to stumble to the other side of the house to the computer. I entered my phone # and reservation # and got to work.

First priority: Le Cellier. Nothing available. Nothing available. Nothing available. WTH!? Oh. No, I don't want JUNE 30. I want SEPTEMBER 30. It's 5am. Lots more available now. Go figure. It's 5am.

I found the online ADR system to work FAIRLY well. Other than my own oopsies, I didn't have any problems. It could be polished up a bit, but I think it went smoothly and quickly. It would have been even faster, but I was really firm on the times I needed for hopping purposes. That took a little more time for the system to search a few different times.

I admit, I did have to cheat twice and book a party of 3 in order to get the times I needed. I wanted Coral Reef as soon as it opened for lunch. It fits perfectly into our touring plan and they always seem to run late. I figure if you're first, they can't be behind yet. Right? The other cheat was Kona Cafe, on our 9th day, no less! I didn't know Kona was so popular. :confused3

At 5:45 - Mission Accomplished
The results:
Friday 9/25 - Tony's Town Square - 11:30 am
Sat 9/26 - Mama Melrose - 4:15 pm
Sun 9/27 - Boma - 5:45 pm
Mon 9/28 - Coral Reef - 11:40 am
Tues 9/29 - Crystal Palace - 5:45 pm
Wed 9/30 - Le Cellier - 12:30 pm
Wed 9/30 - Garden Grill - 5:35 pm
Thurs 10/1 - Tutto Italia - 7:00 pm
Fri 10/2 - Kona Cafe - 5:10 pm

Tony's was supposed to be dinner, but there was nothing early enough that I was comfortable with for us to make it to Fantasmic! by 8 pm. I asked Tony (who was still up playing computer games) if he REALLY wanted to eat there ON our anniversary, or if we could swap it with Crystal Palace or Kona. He REALLY wanted to eat there ON the 25th.

I said OK, but it would have to be for lunch, and there is no steak on the menu for lunch. He asked me if I had to have steak at EVERY meal....Um...Is that a trick question????

And it was a good thing I checked over them thoroughly before checking out. I had found a 4:40 pm spot for Mama Melrose (I wanted 5pm), but when I was double checking I realized I had forgotten to select the date and it defaulted to our arrival day - Thurs the 24th! Our driving day! Oops. I had to settle for the 4:15 spot on Sat. What do ya want? It was 5am!

Many of these are earlier than I WANT to eat. We don't usually eat dinner til, well, right now. I have my dinner plate in front of me while I type this at 8:45pm. (Smothered lemon chicken with scalloped cheese potatoes, if anyone's interested.) But since we'll be hopping around to make night time shows, I wanted to give us plenty of time to be seated, eat, hop, and position ourselves strategically for the night time spectacular of choice.

Countdown factoids will have to wait for the moment; I need to eat before it gets cold.

racefanof88

06-26-2009, 11:07 PM

jwhtewolfd

06-27-2009, 12:06 AM

Your ADRs look great :thumbsup2. It is good to know that it was easy to get the 90 + 10. I get to make mine Sunday morning and if we end up eating at the same places at the same time I will be sure to let you know. It would be great to meet you. We will be doing Tony's too but I want to try and get it on the day we do MNSSHP. I will be much more excited about the trip come Sunday after my ADRs are made.

That would be cool if we ended up in the same place. :thumbsup2 I feel so much better now that ADRs are done. As soon as I see if F! is on Friday Oct. 2 (keeping my fingers crossed) I'll buy my MNSSHP tickets for Tues Sept 29 and be all set. pirate:

Where'sPiglet?

06-27-2009, 06:23 AM

jwhtewolfd

06-27-2009, 05:30 PM

So the online ADRs can be made at 6 eastern but the phone ones at 7? :confused3

And yes, 4:45 am is not fun. Unless you get up at 4, then at least by 4:45 you are pretty much awake. :rolleyes:

You got some good ADRs. So only 90 days away! It's going to come fast!

Yep, the online system rolls over an hour earlier. :woohoo:

If I hadn't had to work, I'd've just stayed up til 4:45am. That's a whole lot easier for me than WAKING UP for 4:45am.

Yep, gonna come fast, but not as fast as 3 MORE DAYS!! Are you "AAGGHHHHH!!!!" :scared1: yet? Or have you reached "aahhhhh" :cloud9: already? :rotfl:

Where'sPiglet?

06-27-2009, 05:48 PM

Yep, the online system rolls over an hour earlier. :woohoo:

If I hadn't had to work, I'd've just stayed up til 4:45am. That's a whole lot easier for me than WAKING UP for 4:45am.

Yep, gonna come fast, but not as fast as 3 MORE DAYS!! Are you "AAGGHHHHH!!!!" :scared1: yet? Or have you reached "aahhhhh" :cloud9: already? :rotfl:

Still at AAAGGHHHHH! :scared1:

I think ahhhh :cloud9: will not come until the truck is unloaded at my new place. Even better ahhhhhhhh :goodvibes will be once things are unpacked.

I have a hard time waking up in the mornings too. One of my students gave me an alarm clock as an end of year gift yesterday. It's a nice clock and one of mine broke so it's a great gift. I had to laugh though with another teacher later that it's like it's hinting I was late a lot or something...which is funny because in the four years I worked there I was late ONE TIME (by 15 minutes...bad traffic in bad weather) and it was LAST school year. :rotfl:

racefanof88

06-27-2009, 11:04 PM

OK, so let me get this straight. I can make my ADRs at 5am our time? If so I may just try and stay up. I was thinking 6am is 7am in Orlando so that would be the right time. Am I wrong?

Where'sPiglet?

06-27-2009, 11:11 PM

OK, so let me get this straight. I can make my ADRs at 5am our time? If so I may just try and stay up. I was thinking 6am is 7am in Orlando so that would be the right time. Am I wrong?

If you are in Central Time, then yes you are an hour behind Eastern.

Central 4 = Eastern 5
Central 5 = Eastern 6
Central 6 = Eastern 7

I've gotten lots of practice with the Central/Eastern time zones this year. :rolleyes1

jwhtewolfd

06-27-2009, 11:11 PM

OK, so let me get this straight. I can make my ADRs at 5am our time? If so I may just try and stay up. I was thinking 6am is 7am in Orlando so that would be the right time. Am I wrong?

You are correct. :thumbsup2

jwhtewolfd

06-28-2009, 06:50 PM

I have GOT to stop reading Disney menus before dinner. :headache:

racefanof88

06-28-2009, 08:07 PM

I have GOT to stop reading Disney menus before dinner. :headache:

Isn't it hard to decide what to cook for dinner after reading all the menus?

jwhtewolfd

06-30-2009, 02:25 AM

Still waiting on those stinkin' October hours. When will Fantasmic! be???

Meanwhile I was productive today with the days I do know. I filled in my spreadsheet with ADRs and made up an "order of attractions" schedule. It's more just a "what to do next" than an actual minute by minute schedule, even though it looks that way. The mornings are pretty solid, but afternoons are very flexible. I just thought it would be a good idea to have an answer to the all-too-often-asked "what next?"

I figured out how to take screenshots, but not how to get the screenshot into photobucket to post here. So I took pictures instead. :lmao:

This is the trip in general. EMHs, park hours, show times (from Steve Soares, inaccurate atm of course), etc.
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/0172.jpg

This is the detailed day by day. It looks strict, but really I'm just estimating 30 minutes per attraction (worked well last year) and hoping to be more efficient by knowing where to head next. I tried my best to have some sort of flow through the parks and not criss cross and backtrack too much.
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/0162.jpg

And since I broke the camera out, here's the countdown chain. It's still a little long, but look how much progress we've made!
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/0182.jpg

Eep. Just realized I need a countdown to riding Space Mountain in January. I'll have to check the signature guidelines for number of images first. :headache:

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
96 - Walt Disney died Dec. 15, 1966, 5 years before WDW opened
95 - Main street uses forced perspective to appear larger than it is
94 - Each Test Track vehicle has 22 wheels, 4 of which are visible
93 - Mickey would need to be 350 feet tall to wear the giant Sorcerer Hat
92 - Walt Disney died of lung cancer (not a very fun fact, but I hoped it would make an impression on Tony, who is a smoker :sick:)
91 - The windows on Main Street have names of WDW designers on them
90 - Each Test Track vehicle has six braking systems
89 - Rock N' Roller Coaster opened in the Studios on July 30, 1999
88 - Roy O. Disney dies Dec. 20, 1971, 3 months after WDW opened
87 - Walt Disney built the Carolwood Pacific Railroad in his backyard

Where'sPiglet?

06-30-2009, 06:11 AM

jwhtewolfd

06-30-2009, 05:59 PM

OMG! :scared1::laughing: That is SOME spreadsheet!

I tried to find a picture of what I do, but can't right now...if I find it later I'll post it. :thumbsup2 My dad makes fun of me because he thinks it's overkill but it's got NOTHIN' on what you got going there! :lmao:

I would HOPE all of that is packed away. :goodvibes

Do you laminate yours? I do. ;)

Eh, I probably won't laminate. At this point I'll be lucky if I can even print it out. I just went to check the printer to tell Tony what kind of cartridge to get and there's NONE in there. :confused3

jwhtewolfd

07-02-2009, 12:44 AM

It was inevitable. Here come the ADR changes. The TA Oct hours have Fantasmic! on Thursday the 1st. (So what the heck was up with those Fridays in September?!?!) It just doesn't makes sense to brave DHS crowds on a F! day, just to waste 2 hours hopping for a meal in Epcot and come back to DHS for F!

ALSO: I cannot BELIEVE they still haven't added another Spectro between the 26th and the 3rd. Now I have to start contemplating whether to add another park day so we can see Spectro on the 24th or the 3rd. I guess we can decide when we get there. We're supposed to do DTD on the 24th, but who knows. If we make great time driving, we might do both. I did like DTD after dark though. UG. Why can't they just have Spectro on the 30th!? I really am trying to be reasonable and NOT do parks on the 3rd. It's just too dangerous to make the drive home that way (wake up at 7, parks til close and 10 hour drive home :scared1:).

So here's the old plans.......................................and the new plans:
Fri 9/25 Tony's Town Square 11:30 am..................same
Sat 9/26 Mama Melrose 4:15 pm...........................cancelled
Sun 9/27 Boma 5:45 pm......................................same
Mon 9/28 Coral Reef 11:40 am..............................same
Tue 9/29 Crystal Palace 5:45 pm..........................same
Wed 9/30 Le Cellier 12:30 pm...............................same
Wed 9/30 Garden Grill 5:35 pm..............................same
Thurs 10/1 Tutto Italia 7:00 pm............................Brown Derby 5:40pm
Fri 10/2 Kona Cafe 5:10 pm..................................Tutto 7:15pm

These are our 9 TS credits. We lost Kona, moved Tutto, lost Mama Melrose and picked up Brown Derby. Mama Melrose was a substitute for Brown Derby in the first place. The deal was that if I could get Le Cellier, we'd do MM for the 1TS instead of BD. But I sure was looking forward to the breads and spreads appy.

I still really want Kona for dinner. I'm willing to pay 1 TS OOP, probably for Crystal Palace or Garden Grill, if we can still do Kona, but atm I can't get a dinner time that will work with the nighttime shows. I'll keep trying to work it in with the online system.

The park plans and nighttime shows didn't change at all. And now I can finally buy my MNSSHP tickets. I'll still probably wait til the F! schedule is posted on disney.com - JUST in case. What? Me? No! I'm not paranoid. Not at all. nuh-uh. just overly careful. :guilty: :sad2::lmao:

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

Good thing I "preview post" first. I just edited out a WHOLE LOT of rambling. You would think I had typed this out at 4am. :laughing: I kid you not, it was bad. I gotta get a life. :rolleyes: :wizard: pirate:

Vallie

07-02-2009, 12:54 AM

jwhtewolfd

07-02-2009, 01:35 AM

just wanted to say hello!

love love love the countdown chain!

dbf and i are heading down to the world in august and staying at pop too! im excited!! we arent paying for the preferred room either so wondering where they will place us too! hehe

:wave2: Hello!

Thanks. The chain took about 3 evenings to do...unless you count the fact that I extended the last evening way too late b/c I wanted to finish it. ;)

Sure I love Lady and the Tramp, but it's really not a big deal where we stay. Actually last year we didn't even SEE past the lobby of ASMo until our 4th night. We were on the outer edge of the Mighty Ducks building. We used Music's buses b/c they were stupidly close. While it was horribly convenient, I felt like we missed out on seeing the theming. I will be happy no matter what, b/c we will be in Disney World! :woohoo:

jwhtewolfd

07-07-2009, 01:41 AM

Got KONA! :woohoo:

Ok, so it's not til 9:45pm. But I had to make it fit around the nighttime shows. So the plan now is Friday the 25th, our first day (and anniversary): Magic Kingdom, Tony's at 11:30, hop to Studios for Fantasmic! at 8pm, bus to Poly for Kona @ 9:45pm, monorail to MK (MNSSHP) to catch bus to Pop. Is this TOO crazy? I guess we'll find out.

Besides, we couldn't end our first night at 9pm. We'd go stir crazy in the room.

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
86 - Spaceship Earth would fit inside the aqaurium in the Seas pavillion
85 - Rock n' Roller Coaster launches from 0 - 60 mph in 2.8 seconds
84 - WDW is located in the cities of Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake
83 - The Tiki Room was the first attraction to use audio-animatronics
82 - Soarin' opened in the Land pavillion in Epcot on May 5, 2005
81 - The Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom took over 18 months to build
80 - Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened in the Studios in July 1994

jwhtewolfd

07-08-2009, 10:52 PM

Finished the itenerary!
Mornings are pretty much set, but afternoons are flexible. Each line is a workable chunk (at least in my head): order can be switched, shows worked in, skipped completely, etc.

Day 0: Thurs - 9/25, Drive, DTD, Earl of Sandwich, +/- Spectro/Wishes

Day 1: Fri - 9/25,MK, 9am - 7pm (Anniversary)
bus from Pop, arrive MK RD (9:00 am)
Thunder Mtn, Splash Mtn, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Tiki Room
Tony's Town Sq (11:30 am), Monster's Inc, Buzz Lightyear, TTA, CoP, Philharmagic
Haunted Mansion, Riverboat, Hall of Presidents, Philharmagic
Hop to HS, Fantasmic!
bus to Poly, Kona (9:45 pm), monorail to MK, bus to Pop

Day 2: Sat - 9/26, HS, 8am - 7pm
Toy Story FP, RnR Coaster FP, Great Movie Ride
Dis Animation, Little Mermaid, One Man Dream
Catalina Eddie, Beauty & Beast
LightsMotorAction, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Muppet 3-D, Backlot Tour
Counter Service, Hop to MK, Spectro (8:00), Wishes (9:00), bus to Pop

Day 3: Sun - 9/27, AK, 9am - 5pm
bus from Pop, arrive AK RD
Safari, Pangani Trail
Fest of Lion King, Discovery Trail, Pizzafari
Exp Everest FP, Flights of Wonder, Jungle Trek, Finding Nemo
Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, Tough 2B a Bug
bus to AKL, Boma (5:45 pm)
bus to MK, Wishes (9:00), Pirates, Thunder Mtn, Haunted Mansion, Philharmagic, Fantasyland, bus to Pop

Day 4: Mon - 9/28, EP, 9am - 12am
bus from Pop, arrive EP RD
Soarin' FP, Test Track, Mission: Space, Universe of Energy, Spaceship Earth
Coral Reef (11:40 am), Finding Nemo, Turtle Talk, Soarin', Living w/ Land, Imagination, HISTA
Innovations, World Showcase, Illuminations (9:00 pm), Soarin', bus to Pop

Day 5: Tues - 9/29, AK, 9am - 5pm
bus from Pop, arrive AK RD
Exp Everest, FP Safari
Wildlife Exp Train, Conserv. Station, Habitat Habitat, Wildlife Exp Train
Safari, Yak & Yeti CS, Flights of Wonder, Everest FP, Jungle Trek
Discovery Trail, Fest of Lion King, The Oasis
bus to MK, MNSSHP, Crystal Palace (5:45 pm)
Pirates, Thunder Mtn, Haunted Mansion, Philharmagic, Fantasyland
Fantasyland, HalloWishes, Villians Mix, Boo to You
Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, bus to Pop

Day 6: Wed - 9/30, EP, 9am - 9pm
bus from Pop, arrive EP RD
Soarin' FP, Test Track, Mission: Space, Spaceship Earth, The Seas, Soarin' +/-FP, Living w/ Land
Le Cellier (12:30 pm), World Showcase, Garden Grill (5:35 pm), Soarin'
Monorail to MK, Philharmagic, TTA, Wishes (9:00 pm), bus to Pop

Day 7: Thurs - 10/1, HS, 9am - 7pm
bus from Pop, arrive HS RD
Toy Story FP, RnR Coaster FP, Starring Rolls
Little Mermaid, Beauty & Beast, Dis Animation
Lights Motor Action, Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Backlot Tour
Great Movie Ride, Brown Derby (5:40 pm), Fantasmic! (8:00 pm), bus to Pop

Day 8: Fri - 10/2, MK, 9am - 7pm
bus from Pop, arrive MK RD
Dumbo, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Mad Tea Party, Snow White, Carousel
PhilharMagic, Small World, Haunted Mansion, Columbia Harbor
FP Thunder Mtn, Pirates, Celebrate Parade, Jungle Cruise, Thunder Mtn
RR to ToonTown, TTA, Buzz Lightyear, monorail to EP
Tutto Italia (7:15 pm), Illuminations (9:00 pm), bus to Pop

Day 9: sleep in, check out, Everything POP CS, drive home :sad1:

Vallie

07-08-2009, 11:56 PM

your day plans are just WOWOWOW! :worship::worship:

Where'sPiglet?

07-09-2009, 12:44 AM

Wow...I'm getting tired just reading your plans! Your trip sounds great!

jwhtewolfd

07-09-2009, 12:49 AM

your day plans are just WOWOWOW! :worship::worship:

Heh, thanks. They had to be. Last year I used Touring Plans' maps to make sure we hit everything important. Worked out so well that we had all this extra time in the afternoons. And once we finished "the plan" I was foolish enough to try to involve Tony in decision making. That made for alot of Jungle Book vulture moments. :headache:

I just hope we can fit in more visits to Philharmagic than the schedule shows. :3dglasses:lovestruc:wizard: Last year any time we found ourselves in MK with "nothing to do", we made a bee line for PhilharMagic. :thumbsup2

jwhtewolfd

07-09-2009, 01:22 AM

Wow...I'm getting tired just reading your plans! Your trip sounds great!

This is why I purposely schedule to have three days off when I get home instead of extending the vacation. ;) I'm starting to think that with this level of planning I won't even need to write a post-trip report. :laughing:

jwhtewolfd

07-09-2009, 11:15 PM

How bad is it? I just had a dream that I changed all my ADRs online and updated my PTR with the new times. :rotfl::scared::rolleyes1

Where'sPiglet?

07-09-2009, 11:30 PM

I just have nightmares lately. :headache:

jwhtewolfd

07-10-2009, 08:45 PM

I just have nightmares lately. :headache:

Flashbacks from NYC? Don't worry, you're safe now. :thumbsup2

jwhtewolfd

07-12-2009, 01:21 AM

Bought our MNSSHP tickets just now! party: :maleficen

We'll be there Tuesday, September 29, after adventuring through Animal Kingdom and feasting in the Crystal Palace. From what I can tell, we should see quite a few DISsers there. Great minds, and all that... :thumbsup2

It's our 75 day mark! :dance3:
- Part of me is :woohoo: that it's so close
- Part of me is :scared1: that it's so close
- Part of me is :sad: that it is so far away

Last year during the pre-trip planning phases I was lamenting having nothing to plan or look forward to once the trip was over. That was, of course, before booking a bounce back. That being the case, it's been 10 months of anticipatory and planning bliss. It's still not certain if we'll have the funds for a '10 trip, but at least I'll have my one Space Mountain day in January to look forward to.

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
79 - Walt Disney World property encompasses 25,000 acres
78 - EPCOT - Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow
77 - The Jungle Cruise boats reach top speeds of 3.2 feet per second
76 - The 5 large balloons in The Land represent Earth and the 4 seasons
75 - The Rock n Roller Coaster guitar is a Fender Stratocaster

jwhtewolfd

07-14-2009, 02:31 AM

I need to stop. Now I'm trying to figure out how to fit in sandwiches at The Plaza. :rotfl: Online ADRs is the best business decision Disney could make.

Depending on how tomorrow goes, I might do some Disney supplies shopping, but I really need to do some digging through the house to see what leftovers I can rustle up first. That means breaking out THE LIST:

driving directions
laptop
camera (p)
camera memory cards (p)
batteries AA and AAA (p)
ziplock bags (p)
money for tolls
rain ponchos (p)
umbrella
confirmation #s (p)
MYW package paperwork
snacks, drinks (cokes, diet cokes and gatorade)
meds (pepcid, advil, claritin, neosporin, gas-x, blistex) (p)
park bag (p)
extra socks
extra shoes
clothes, pajamas, underwear
cell phone and charger
hairbrush, tooth brush and paste, deodorant
eyedrops (p) and extra contacts
sunglasses (p)
sunscreen 50 spf (spray and cream)
watch/ring (p) (I have to remind myself to bring my ring b/c I don't wear it everyday to work)
scissors (p)
money (cash, credit, checks)
sharpie (p)
nail clippers
camera and laptop cables
moleskin (p)
band-aids (p)
hand-held fans (p)
misty fan (p - only as needed)
aloe vera gel
planning/autograph book (p)
power strip for all the electronics in the room

(p) = taking into parks

racefanof88

07-16-2009, 06:05 PM

Where'sPiglet?

07-16-2009, 06:10 PM

You do have a long list! So organized are you!

And what is the Sharpie for? :confused3

jwhtewolfd

07-16-2009, 08:28 PM

Wow you have a long list :eek:. I still have a lot of my stuff packed from the May and July trip. I always pack a huge medical bag and all of that is still packed. I can't pack clothes yet because we are wearing all of our summer clothes right now. I payed off my trip today so I am excited about that :banana:.

Yay! Congrats.

You do have a long list! So organized are you!

And what is the Sharpie for? :confused3

:scared1: What ISN'T the Sharpie for????

I almost always carry a Sharpie (especially at work). It's mostly for autographs at WDW, but you'd be surprised how often you need a Sharpie when you have one on hand.

I know the list looks long and intimidating, but all the park stuff (p) fits in one small backpack, and all the rest of the stuff fits in the trunk of my Nissan Sentra. So it's not as bad as it looks - I swear!

jwhtewolfd

07-20-2009, 01:23 AM

Pet Peeve - pictures of the castle with the top spire cut off. It's just wrong.

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation
74 - Tower of Terror, 199 feet tall, is the highest attraction at WDW
73 - The Magic Kingdom can hold 100,000 guests
72 - There are 557 fireworks firing cues during Wishes
71 - Pirates of the Caribbean opened in WDW December 15, 1973
70 - Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom can fit inside Epcot's Land pavilion
69 - Donald Duck's birthday is June 9, 1934
68 - Bay Lake is a natural lake; Seven Seas Lagoon is man made
67 - Tower of Terror "falls" faster than gravity by being pulled down

jwhtewolfd

07-28-2009, 02:40 PM

Tony went and braved the journey through the evil empire known as Wal Mart. He came away with rain ponchos, SPF 70 Coppertone Sunscreen spray, moleskin, new socks and ziplock bags. All we need are traveling snacks and we'll be ready to go. And we know better than to buy those until right before we go. Otherwise we'll just end up having to buy them again. :rolleyes1

I had located all the other leftover supplies from last year, and have subsequently misplaced them again. But we are planning massive house cleaning in the coming weeks, so they will re-surface. After that, we just have to chuck some clothes in the bag, and off we'll go.

We debated on using the shoulder sling/half backpack vs. the NWF backpack. I might bring the smaller one just in case, but the pros of the slightly bigger backpack won out.
1. bottle holder on the side for gatorade (we like the gatorade bottles for the wide mouth, easy to add ice water to once the gatorade is gone)
2. spare room for souvenirs

It should be better than the bulky messenger bag from last year. Here's the contents breakdown:
- ziplock with 8 AA batteries (enough for 4 battery changes)
- 2 rain ponchos
- ziplock with 2 doses each of advil, tylenol, pepcid and gas-x (12 pills total), neosporin to go spray, a sheet of moleskin, tiny fold up scissors, 5 band aids, small vial of eyedrops, and one spare contact for each eye
- 2 handheld fans
- trip book
- 1 bottle gotorade (in the outside holder)
- possibly the camera that Tony might use

So it's really not a bad load. I might even toss in an extra pair of socks if the pack looks too empty.

In my bag, which will be my normal small purse, I'll have:
-my camera
-all memory cards
-KTTW cards
-sharpie
-blistex
-maybe a credit card, haven't decided yet
-itenerary/ADRs/confirmation numbers

It's getting so close I can taste it! Oh wait, no. That's just me reading food porn before lunch. I've GOT to stop doing that. :headache:

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation
66 - The water flows upwards in the Imagination pavilion fountain
65 - Mickey Mouse's birthday is November 18, 1928
64 - Test Track is WDW's fastest attraction; top speed is 65 mph
63 - 2,000 acres are mowed 3 times a week - 450,000 miles a year (kinda lame that Tony can't keep up with our little lot)
62 - Donald Duck's first film was "The Wise Little Hen"
61 - Bay Lake, behind the Contemporary, is over 340 acres
60 - Walt Disney only attended one year of high school
59 - Epcot's Fountain of Nations can shoot water 150 feet into the air
58 - Epcot is twice the size of the Magic Kingdom

disneygirlinnj

07-28-2009, 09:09 PM

jwhtewolfd

07-28-2009, 10:07 PM

WHERE have I been!??!?!? This wasn't subscribed for some reason but I see on page 2 I said I subbed in! :( AHHH I missed so much! Awesome ADRs... we'll be at some of the same parks on some days (I know AK...and I think an Epcot day...I'm drawing a blank right now lol). I might also be doing MNSSHP so we'll see! :)

S'ok. Sometimes I just talk to myself. :upsidedow Looks like alot of us end of September-ers are picking the same parks on the same days. I can't wait for MNSSHP. When I look back at my trip notes last year we didn't "accomplish" much at the party, but just walking around and taking it all in was awesome.

jwhtewolfd

08-03-2009, 02:53 AM

Some thoughts from today's DIS board readings:

No Living with the Land! :sad1: I always thought of this as one of the most "Epcot-esque" rides. I had it in our itenerary twice. To me, Living with the Land is to Epcot what TTA is to Magic Kingdom. TTA is SUPPOSED to be up and running when we go, but at this rate I wouldn't be surprised if they have Space, TTA, Living with the Land and Soarin' all down for refurb! What is going on over there? :confused3

Word of a 2011 release of another Pirates of the Caribbean is floating around. How exciting! :love: Meanwhile, I'll be avoiding this Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version of Alice in Wonderland like the plague. :scared1: And I thought the animated version was scary! I just can't fathom putting this story with this director and slapping "Disney" on it. How will that work?? :confused3 I'm really baffled, but I'm in no hurry to find out.

A word on Tim Burton - It's complicated. Some of it I love; some I can't stand. Love, love, love Edward Scissorhands, Batman and Sleepy Hollow. Also ok was Beetlejuice, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Big Fish. Hate and cannot stand Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd. And in it's own separate category (and my college room mates agreed, so it's not just me) Mars Attacks was SO. SO. VERY. BAD., it is known as "The Movie Who's Name May Never Be Mentioned." This Alice monstrosity is sure to fall into one of the last two categories. Though I must admit I never thought there would be a movie worthy/bad-enough to join the movie who's name may never be mentioned.

A word on Alice in Wonderland - I kid you not, the animated Alice in Wonderland had me in tears when I was little. I think I watched it one time, and I've never been inclined to watch it since. Even now. I might be better able to appreciate the adult material now, but just thinking about it still makes me queasy. I can't even glance very long at the Queen of Hearts at MNSSHP! The weird thing - I couldn't really tell you what about the movie scared me so much. Probably all of it - the characters, the animation, the story. ::heebee jeebees:: But I was even scared of Sleeping Beauty when I was little. :confused3 What can I say? I was a scary kid.

And we know I love cats, but Cheshire Cat? NO THANK YOU. Freaky. Freaky disappearing. Freaky smile. Freaky standing on his head. Freaky riddles. Freaky, freaky, freaky. Just FREAKY. In fact, the whole thing weirded me out so much, that I was just lucky I never had to read "Through the Looking Glass" for school. Because I wouldn't have. I'd've simply had to fail that test. I kid you not. And I was the kid that had read all the books three grades ahead of me on the summer reading lists.

Now that I'm thinking about it, there was a show on the Disney Channel a while back called Adventures in Wonderland. Somehow that was ok for me. But I think it was loads less trippy than the movie. (Had to go look it up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8eyTkt-6Lk Still don't like Cheshire Cat, but MC Hammer Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee is :lmao:).

EGADS! That was almost 20 years ago! Am I really that old? Did I really just say "egads"? Did I really just write three paragraphs on how much I dislike Alice in Wonderland? Yes, yes, and yes. Perhaps it's time for bed.

... Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
57 - Donald Duck's voice was performed by Clarence "Ducky" Nash
56 - The monorail system is 14.7 miles long
55 - The WDW buses travel 18 million miles yearly
54 - Walt Disney was the original voice for Mickey Mouse
53 - The Lego sea serpent in DTD is made of over 1,000,000 Legos

Where'sPiglet?

08-03-2009, 07:52 AM

No Living with the Land! :sad1: I always thought of this as one of the most "Epcot-esque" rides. I had it in our itenerary twice. To me, Living with the Land is to Epcot what TTA is to Magic Kingdom. TTA is SUPPOSED to be up and running when we go, but at this rate I wouldn't be surprised if they have Space, TTA, Living with the Land and Soarin' all down for refurb! What is going on over there? :confused3

53 - The Lego sea serpent in DTD is made of over 1,000,000 Legos

WHAT? What are they doing to the Land? I had not heard of it being closed. :eek:

Your comments about Alice had me :lmao:.

That is a LOT of Legos! I like Legos. There were two big sets I thought were cool at the Lego store at DTD Disneyland but at $150 each, I passed on both. :scared: They were like 3 story city block scenes with a lot of detail.

disneygirlinnj

08-03-2009, 09:27 AM

racefanof88

08-03-2009, 09:58 AM

I too was freaked out by Alice. I think it was the whole little girl disappears into a hole into a strange world thingie. Kinda scary for little kids :scared1:.

jwhtewolfd

08-03-2009, 02:14 PM

WHAT? What are they doing to the Land? I had not heard of it being closed. :eek:

Your comments about Alice had me :lmao:.

That is a LOT of Legos! I like Legos. There were two big sets I thought were cool at the Lego store at DTD Disneyland but at $150 each, I passed on both. :scared: They were like 3 story city block scenes with a lot of detail.

I haven't read anymore today yet, but from what I gathered yesterday, it was something about bigger boats and they were having trouble making some of the turns.

I loved Legos when I was little. My aunt used to have a GIANT bucket of them that I'd play with when I slept over at her house. Those were the real little ones. We only had the big giant ones for babies at my house. :rolleyes: It was pretty crowded at DTD when we went last year on a Sunday, so we didn't actually go INSIDE the Lego store. I'm hoping going on a Thursday this year will have us seeing the nice light crowds we got use to having in the parks and we can make it inside more of the shops.

I'm crushed about Living with the Land too! :( I love the boat ride and cool stuff. Especially the Cinderella pumpkins! I wonder what they're doing.... I have to go browse the boards for news. I only saw the info over Twitter.

As for Alice... I'm kind of intrigued to see it. I'm not sure it will be kid friendly but I do like some stuff that Tim Burton does...especially with Johnny Depp and Helena.

I'm not sure what it is about Tim Burton, but like I said, I love it or hate it. I defintely don't like the claymation/stop action. I'm not sure what about it, but it just doesn't sit right with me. I probably would have like Sweeney Todd better if I had seen it in high school. That was my dark, disturbing movie phase. I try to avoid that kind of stuff now.

I too was freaked out by Alice. I think it was the whole little girl disappears into a hole into a strange world thingie. Kinda scary for little kids :scared1:.

Glad I'm not the only one. I mean, I know I'm a little off sometimes, but it couldn't be just me. Right? :rolleyes1

jwhtewolfd

08-11-2009, 06:30 PM

45 days left!

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/8-11-09.jpg

Ok, so I took this picture yesterday and there's really only 44 days left. Even Better.

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation
52 - The monorail has a maximum speed of of 50 mph
51 - Animal Kingdom toko 10 years and $800 million to design and build
50 - Epcot was the largest construction project in the US at the time
49 - Disney's Pop Century Resort opened December 14, 2003
48 - Walt Disney earned 32 Academy Awards
47 - The same company designed both the Barnstormer and RnR Coaster
46 - In 2008 the Magic Kingdom alone hosted 17 million visitors
45 - Walt earned his 1st live action film Oscar for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
44 - Donald's full name is Donald Fauntleroy Duck

jwhtewolfd

08-12-2009, 12:43 AM

:furious:

GRRRRRRRR!!!! Just read the all ears newsletter. I am SO MAD.

According to them, as of Oct. 27, ADRs go back to 180 days. GRRR! Why dump all that stress on all the people that have been agonizing over the 90 day limit all this time? Wasn't the excuse the economy and not wanting to set park hours so soon?? Has the economy made some sudden turn around I'm unaware of? Granted, it didn't mention anything about park hours, but come on! What was with the lame 90 days? I got up at 5 freakin' AM to make ADRs b/c of the increased competition at 90 days.

:furious:

Not only that, but now Flights of Wonder is going to be closed while we are there. WTH!! This is another attraction we were going to see multiple times. What the hell is going on over there? What can they possibly be refurbing for Flights of Wonder for a month and a half?? I don't understand.

:furious:

jwhtewolfd

08-12-2009, 01:01 AM

Pet Peeve: People who post threads wondering if their precious vacation will be RUINED by a hurricane. :furious:

Where'sPiglet?

08-12-2009, 07:48 PM

Pet Peeve: People who post threads wondering if their precious vacation will be RUINED by a hurricane. :furious:

:hug: That annoys me too....

disneygirlinnj

08-12-2009, 10:18 PM

Pet Peeve: People who post threads wondering if their precious vacation will be RUINED by a hurricane. :furious:

I hear ya!

My other pet peeve? People who have mental breakdowns if they don't get Le Cellier or insist their 4 year old will NEVER EVER EVER forgive them if they can't get CRT.

jwhtewolfd

08-23-2009, 10:36 PM

:hug: That annoys me too....

Yeah, and then when you point out what would be a real disaster and that airport delays and one day of park closures are just minor inconveniences, you get jumped on and told that "the OP has a right to worry." :headache: Yeah, you can worry. I worry too. I don't want it to happen either, but I'm not posting how disaterous it would be for a hurricane to ruin my vacation when I know good and well that at the same time it is probably destroying other people's homes and lives. :mad:

I hear ya!

My other pet peeve? People who have mental breakdowns if they don't get Le Cellier or insist their 4 year old will NEVER EVER EVER forgive them if they can't get CRT.

Yep. Sure, we all want the popular places. But your 4 year old won't forgive you? Your four year old doesn't even know what's going on most of the time. I doubt missing one meal in an overpriced restaurant is going to scar them for life. Maybe the little snot needs to learn to be grateful that she is IN WDW! :rolleyes:

Stroll with me down memory lane:

I can honestly say I don't remember anything from when my parents took me when I was 5. I know we went b/c I was told so, but I can't conjure up a vivid memory. I THINK I remember the plane ride, but that could be a manufactured memory from being told that's how we got there. My mom says she was pregnant at the time, but I really can't picture anything in my head.

We went again when I was 10 and my brother was 5. We stayed in the Contemporary. I mostly remember the monorail, napping in the room and I think we rented bikes one day. We went one more time when I graduated high school and we stayed off site. Of course I have more memories of that time - we rode Haunted Mansion first, I sat on a bench while everybody else rode TOT and RnR, I liked AK and I was in charge of the video camera. Oh, and I had put some gel inserts into my shoes upside down! And walked that way for a whole day! :headache: OUCH. Shows how wise you are once you graduate high school. :rolleyes:

Now I think I'll go flip through last year's pictures and get all excited for this one. :hyper:

... Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
43 - Down Town Disney was originally called Lake Buena Vista Village
42 - Peter Pan's Flight opened in October of 1971
41 - Mickey Mouse has over 175 outfits in his wardrobe
40 - It's A Small World debuted at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair
39 - No bricks were used in building the Castle, just steel and fiberglass
38 - Splash Mountain covers 9.2 acres
37 - The large red Torii gate in Japan symbolizes honor
36 - Space Mountain has (had??) two nearly identical tracks: Alpha and Omega
35 - The town of Marceline, Missouri inspired Main Street, USA's design
34 - There are 24 sub-woofers in each Rock N Roller Coaster limo
33 - The wishing star during Wishes is 100 feet higher than the Castle
32 - The Torii gate in Japan is modled after a shrine in Hiroshima Bay

jwhtewolfd

08-25-2009, 03:41 PM

Hmmm, lots of angry smilies in the last few updates...guess that means I need a vacation. ;)

I confirmed all our ADRs online yesterday. Everything seems to be oktogo. Still can't get anything at the Plaza except for in the middle of Spectro or Wishes, which, I'm sure, is the only reason those spots are still open. :headache:

I was trying to rework the itenerary without Flights of Wonder and Living with the Land. It's sad to see those crossed off. Now I'm thinking I'll just leave those spots for buffer time. I think a little extra slow time on days 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be nice for the feets.

I made some crowd consessions when planning park days, not realizing that HS was sacrificed both times. Our first HS day is AM EMH and UTG's park to avoid that day, with a crowd level of 7 (the highest of any day we're there). Our second HS day is a Fantasmic! day, but at least the crowd level is only a 4. Are you ready to see how my brain arrived here?

MK on first day is non-negotiable.
Didn't want to be in Epcot on opening weekend of F&W.
Visit each park once during the first half of the trip and once during the second half.
Didn't want to be in MK on a Monday or a Saturday .
For the most part, we're moving from an earlier park closing to a later night show each day.
AK has to be same day as MNSSHP (makes me feel like I'm not "missing" something).
MNSSHP had to be earlier in the week in case of bad weather so we could try again later.
Had to see each night time show at least twice - except for Spectro, which is only showing ONCE! :mad:
Add in a little shuffling for ADRs.

And I'm sure I looked at some other things that I'm forgetting now, but that's the plan and I'm stickin' to it. We mostly do shows at HS anyway. We'll do TSMM and RnR at rope drop, squeeze in GMR once and FP Star Tours (if there's even a line). The rest is all juggling show times. I don't really consider the Backlot Tour a "ride" and I'm leaving plenty of time for smoke breaks/Animation Academy. I'd also like to see Mulch Sweat and Shears play, but it's not a top priority.

I'm timidly optimistic. I expect the crowds will be "bigger," but hopefully not necessarily actually "big." Last year with a day and a half in HS we ran out of things to do (after 5 Animation Academy classes) and purposely decided to stand in a 50 minute line for TSMM to kill time. :laughing: And if we don't get to everything on the first day's plan, we'll just skip the repeats on the second day. See, I'm flexible like that.

Yeah, I know the spreadsheets suggest otherwise, but really it's just so we don't do the this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGTWmrnPdgk:rotfl:

Top Priorities:
Nighttime shows (Wishes, Illuminations, Fantasmic!)
Restaurants
MK - Pirates, BTMRR, Philharmagic, HM
EP - Soarin', F&W
HS - TSMM, RnR, Animation Academy, LMA!
AK - Safari, FoLK, animal trails, EE

The rest is gravy and the schedule is to keep us moving along. Last year on our last day we spent a good half hour in AK after Kali and lunch just drying our be-hinds on a hot bench while eating frozen Minutemaid lemonades. And this was on the path to Camp Minnie-Mickey, so not even too much people watching to do. But dang those frozen lemonades were good. I guess everything tastes better in Disney.

Which reminds me, I have some snack goals while we're there: funnel cake, big croissant, big chocolate muffin, frozen lemonde, frozen strawberry lemonade, the limone slushie in Epcot, chocolate milk, chocolate shake or soft serve (interchangable if done correctly), the chocolate wave at Coral Reef, the chocolate mousse at Coral Reef, egg rolls, popcorn (only b/c I know I'll want it once I smell it - can't help it, I'm addicted to salt), onion rings (also with salt), breadsticks, bugie from Tutto Italia...I need to go get some lunch now.

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
31 - The large fountain behind Spaceship Earth is called "The Fountain of Nations"
30 - The Universe of Energy pavilion generates solar powered electricity

disneygirlinnj

08-25-2009, 03:55 PM

Yep. Sure, we all want the popular places. But your 4 year old won't forgive you? Your four year old doesn't even know what's going on most of the time. I doubt missing one meal in an overpriced restaurant is going to scar them for life. Maybe the little snot needs to learn to be grateful that she is IN WDW! :rolleyes:

Stroll with me down memory lane:

I can honestly say I don't remember anything from when my parents took me when I was 5. I know we went b/c I was told so, but I can't conjure up a vivid memory. I THINK I remember the plane ride, but that could be a manufactured memory from being told that's how we got there. My mom says she was pregnant at the time, but I really can't picture anything in my head.

We went again when I was 10 and my brother was 5. We stayed in the Contemporary. I mostly remember the monorail, napping in the room and I think we rented bikes one day. We went one more time when I graduated high school and we stayed off site. Of course I have more memories of that time - we rode Haunted Mansion first, I sat on a bench while everybody else rode TOT and RnR, I liked AK and I was in charge of the video camera. Oh, and I had put some gel inserts into my shoes upside down! And walked that way for a whole day! :headache: OUCH. Shows how wise you are once you graduate high school. :rolleyes:

Haha I totally agree! If it wasn't for pictures and stories they tell me, I don't remember anything from being that young. Possibly sitting in the hotel room finger painting with my cousins. And also for some reason I remember a waitress spilling a whole tray of soda on me when we were at Chef Mickey, or whatever it was called back then. Do I remember the parks and stuff? Not really!

Are you ready to see how my brain arrived here?

MK on first day is non-negotiable.
Didn't want to be in Epcot on opening weekend of F&W.
Visit each park once during the first half of the trip and once during the second half.
Didn't want to be in MK on a Monday or a Saturday .
For the most part, we're moving from an earlier park closing to a later night show each day.
AK has to be same day as MNSSHP (makes me feel like I'm not "missing" something).
MNSSHP had to be earlier in the week in case of bad weather so we could try again later.
Had to see each night time show at least twice - except for Spectro, which is only showing ONCE! :mad:
Add in a little shuffling for ADRs.

haha, we're on the same page...we have almost the same requirements too :)

jwhtewolfd

08-26-2009, 01:00 AM

...I remember a waitress spilling a whole tray of soda on me when we were at Chef Mickey, or whatever it was called back then. Do I remember the parks and stuff? Not really!

That sucks. The fact that it happened is bad enough, but the fact that it's one of the few memories that stuck? :sad2::rotfl:

Oh, I forgot to mention lamb. I've never tried lamb before. I'm guessing my best chance to try it will be at Boma or F&W. I've had veal and venison. I wonder if it's like either of those.

disneygirlinnj

08-26-2009, 06:30 AM

lamb isn't like veal...it might be like venison though but I honestly don't remember! I love lamb and could probably eat it every day. :) I'm drawing a blank now as to what restaurants have lamb down in the World!

racefanof88

08-27-2009, 10:21 AM

jwhtewolfd

08-30-2009, 06:47 PM

I mostly avoided TV and news yesterday in hopes of missing all the "4 years since" nonsense. I don't need ceremonies and services to "remind" me. I'm reminded every day. Every single day. From the strange house I wake up in every morning with nothing from my childhood in it, to the empty street I drive down with only 5 occupied houses and ever increasing vacant lots, to the job I work that I found by going door to door to any business that was still open after being laid off. I am entrenched in remembering. Even my cat is a Katrina rescue.

But moving on to better things, 25 more days!
This time last year we were evacuating for Gustav. :sick: The tropics have, for the most part, behaved themselves so far this year. Let's hope it stays that way. (I'm not counting the fools swept out to sea during Bill. Darwinism at its best. Hurricanes are powerful forces of nature that can be marveled at from afar while keeping in mind the due respect for the destruction left in their wakes. They are NOT spectator sports.)

I ordered my Disney Visa Reward Card on Tuesday. I transferred 145 points. That should be just enough for most of the tips, to help make free dining as close to "free" as possible.
Got my paperwork in the mail on Thursday. It looks right. I've already attached one of the luggage tags to our park bag. Three more weekends to go.

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation
29 - The waterway in Frontierland is called "The Rivers of America"
28 - The Lego Sea Serpent in DTD is 30 feet long
27 - The Carousel of Progress was originally called GE's "Progressland"
26 - Actor Steve Martin once worked in a magic shop in Disneyland
25 - A model of Epcot can be seen on Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Where'sPiglet?

08-30-2009, 07:22 PM

You ladies are so right :thumbsup2. Living on the Gulf Coast we just roll with the flow when it comes to hurricanes. My only concern would be if one heads toward my home while I am in Orlando and I can't get back home. The hotels on Disney property are most likely above building code with hurricane ratings so that wouldn't be a concern.

I hope we can all meet up. I suggest a girls meet up :thumbsup2.

I am not at the "roll with the flow" stage yet; I'm not sure I ever will be. I just moved down here 2 months ago and I have never, not once, been in a hurricane. :scared:

I HAVE been in tropical storms. I had friends from the northeast calling me complaining during Bill's outer bands that they were getting wet because they were standing outside. Uh...duh? :headache:

I mostly avoided TV and news yesterday in hopes of missing all the "4 years since" nonsense. I don't need ceremonies and services to "remind" me. I'm reminded every day. Every single day. From the strange house I wake up in every morning with nothing from my childhood in it, to the empty street I drive down with only 5 occupied houses and ever increasing vacant lots, to the job I work that I found by going door to door to any business that was still open after being laid off. I am entrenched in remembering. Even my cat is a Katrina rescue.

But moving on to better things, 25 more days!
This time last year we were evacuating for Gustav. :sick: The tropics have, for the most part, behaved themselves so far this year. Let's hope it stays that way. (I'm not counting the fools swept out to sea during Bill. Darwinism at its best. Hurricanes are powerful forces of nature that can be marveled at from afar while keeping in mind the due respect for the destruction left in their wakes. They are NOT spectator sports.)

I ordered my Disney Visa Reward Card on Tuesday. I transferred 145 points. That should be just enough for most of the tips, to help make free dining as close to "free" as possible.
Got my paperwork in the mail on Thursday. It looks right. I've already attached one of the luggage tags to our park bag. Three more weekends to go.

:hug: Your area is hard to be in. It IS looking better, but the scars are still so obvious. I don't know how you do it...it's painful even for me to go out that way and I never saw it before the storm.

Shhhh....don't. say. a. word. about the tropics. They might hear you.

:woohoo: 145 points AND paperwork?!? :woohoo: And only 25 more days?!? :cool1:

Did you ever go get your plate? We went on Friday night to the other place across the street from the pottery place to do the canvas painting of Oak Alley. It was so much fun; we totally want to go again. Hopefully we can find a time you can come again also.

jwhtewolfd

08-31-2009, 02:52 AM

I am not at the "roll with the flow" stage yet; I'm not sure I ever will be. I just moved down here 2 months ago and I have never, not once, been in a hurricane. :scared:

I think "roll with the flow" just means trying not to panic more than necessary. Prepared, cautious, nervous, worried and even scared are all perfectly acceptable. But freaking out doesn't accomplish anything. Which is why I despise "the weather will RUIN my vacation! that would be a DISASTER! should I cancel?!" threads.

I HAVE been in tropical storms. I had friends from the northeast calling me complaining during Bill's outer bands that they were getting wet because they were standing outside. Uh...duh? :headache:

Duh, indeed. :sad2:

:hug: Your area is hard to be in. It IS looking better, but the scars are still so obvious. I don't know how you do it...it's painful even for me to go out that way and I never saw it before the storm.

Not to sound cliche', but it truly was surreal coming back. And not just the first few times. The ground was covered in grey, dried, cracked mud; it looked like Death Valley. Everything was brown or grey. There was complete silence. No cars, no birds, no bugs. Just an occasional helicopter. And that was besides the cars on roofs and boats in trees, etc. etc.

How we do it? I guess it's like any grieving process after a loss. Eventually you move on. Let me strain my brain all the way back to Intro Psych and the stages of grief:

Denial - well, there wasn't much room for that. We watched it happen on TV and had my Uncle call from St. Bernard and confirm the 20-some-odd feet of water. I think I regressed back to denial when we finally go back to LA. I refused to look for a job in Houma b/c I refused to accept that I would stay there and not go back to New Orleans.
Anger - yep. Plenty of that. Lots of fighting, yelling and arguing. The typical rules of "respect your parents" and "support your children" went right out the window.
Bargaining - I didn't do this stage b/c I don't believe in a higher power. Let me tell you, Katrina didn't help convince me otherwise.
Depression - yep. Plenty of that.
Acceptance - this is the new reality now. Like it or not. Try to see the good (we didn't personally lose anyone, I was able to afford a house, I have a job I love with a great boss), and try not to dwell on the bad and the loss. It doesn't always work though. Just the other day at work they were saying for our next meeting it might be fun to have everyone bring in a baby picture and try to guess who's in the picture. I had to point out that we don't have any baby pictures of me anymore. But I just had to shrug. Nothing I can do about it.

Shhhh....don't. say. a. word. about the tropics. They might hear you.

:duck:oops.

:woohoo: 145 points AND paperwork?!? :woohoo: And only 25 more days?!? :cool1:

:dance3:

Did you ever go get your plate? We went on Friday night to the other place across the street from the pottery place to do the canvas painting of Oak Alley. It was so much fun; we totally want to go again. Hopefully we can find a time you can come again also.

I did get my plate, and I will post pics as soon as I stop being lazy enough to take them and transfer them and upload them to photobucket. :rolleyes1 I would have LOVED to have been there for Oak Alley. :sad1:

jwhtewolfd

08-31-2009, 08:18 PM

Just called Disney Reservations to add room requests. They already had the king bed, and I added the request of either building 1 (Lady) or 3 (Tramp). The CM was really nice, but the automated system...:headache:

It was going strong for a while, but then it asked me to say and spell my last name. :sad2: Apparently I must not enunciate my letters very well. "D-I-F-A-T-T-A" became B-I-S-A-T-T-I-A and then, on the second try: C-I-C-A-T-M-I-A. WTH!?!

The "D" sounding like a "B" or a "C", I get. The "F" sounding like an "S", I get. But an extra I? And where the heck did an "M" come from??? And then it got condescending, telling me "say Smith S-M-I-T-H or Jones J-O-N-E-S".

Well, my name isn't Smith or Jones; it's Italian! So why not just let me key it in and be done with this nonsense?!

Last night I finished updating my trip book with all pertinent pre-trip info. I have package info, resort info, mapquest driving directions to and from Orlando, park days, nighttime show schedules, EMH schedules, ADR times and confirmation numbers, and transportation routes and times from Pop to parks, parks to Pop and park to park. All that's left is to start taking trip notes! :woohoo:

I got my Disney Visa statement today and had a mystery Bonus 25 reward points showing up. :woohoo: Cool! I guess it must be from the telecommunications promo. You had to pay three telecommunications bills with the card in a certain time frame, but I thought I read it had it had to be automatic payments. I do pay my cellphone bill online to save postage, so maybe that counted. :confused3 I won't argue!

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
24 - Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 3D glasses are called "safety goggles"

Where'sPiglet?

08-31-2009, 09:02 PM

:lmao: I HATE those automated systems that supposedly recognize voice.

"Please say your problem."
"Service issues."
"I believe you said I want a new phone. Is this correct?"
"NO."
"I'm sorry. I didn't get that. Please say your information again."
"Service issues."
"I'm sorry. I didn't get that. Would you like to speak with a person?"
"Of course."
"I THINK you said I have a horse. Is this correct?"
"NO"
"Hmmm. We seem to be having problems understanding each other. Let me transfer you to a representative...."

jwhtewolfd

08-31-2009, 10:33 PM

Bethany, that's exactly it! At first I said "room request" and it asked if I wanted to make a new reservation. I wish! I think companies do this on purpose now. By the time we get a human on the line we'll be so fed up with the automated system we won't care how incompetant the human is!

Where'sPiglet?

08-31-2009, 10:45 PM

Actually, I don't HATE them. I find them utterly fascinating and a cheap source of entertainment. My mom gets mad at me because I mess with them too much. Play with accents, longggg pauses, etc. The phone system can't handle it and I swear I hear the robot get exasperated! :lmao:

I think you're onto something with the fed up bit....lowering our expectations. :laughing:

It's great though...sometimes when I ask DH what is for dinner or whatever, and I don't like the answer, I just whip out the Automated Phone Voice and reply with "Hmmm....I think you said ____. Is this correct?" :rotfl2:

jwhtewolfd

09-04-2009, 01:27 AM

Spectro added on Sept. 30!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:cool1::cloud9::woohoo::yay::cheer2::hyper:

In case you were keeping track, yes, we are also seeing it on the 26th. And if they add a second Fantasmic! on the 1st we'll see it both times. That day. :teeth:

20 more days! It's so short now...almost too short. :rolleyes:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/IMG_0370.jpg

Here's the trip book, as mentioned previously:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/IMG_0389.jpg
My ultra-cool boss (who gave me a raise today :cheer2:) bought it for me on one of her business trips. She has a similar small one that she keeps at work and every time I see it I think of mine...and my Disney trip.

Same said boss (who is not a complete Disney geek/freak/nut, but "gets me" anyway - and doesn't give me the "look" when I start going on about Disney- you know the one - the wide eyes with a little bit of panic and disgust) also gave me the bestest birthday present earlier this year:
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/IMG_0387.jpg

And completely random and unrelated to my trip, but posting it anyway b/c I finally uploaded my pics: A client gave me this pretty cool blanket as thanks for taking care of her cat in her golden years. It's famous portraits, but with cats.
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/smaller%20images%20for%20sharing/IMG_0383.jpg

I know it seems kinda odd, but she knows I minored in art history, and I work with cats, so it makes sense. A unique item, for sure, but it found its niche...with a feline specialty vet tech who minored in art history. Probably a fairly small demographic? :confused3:rotfl:

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
23 - There are no audio-animatronics on Jungle Cruise - only hydraulics
22 - The Rock n Roller Coaster launch catapults you 200 feet
21 - Cinderella's Golden Carousel has 90 completely unique horses

jwhtewolfd

09-04-2009, 10:23 PM

I got my Disney reward card in the mail yesterday. It got here much faster than I thought it would. Free money!! :woohoo:

20 Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
The Haunted Mansion is home to 999 happy haunts, but there's room for one more...

jwhtewolfd

09-08-2009, 01:21 AM

My online class just opened up today (Diagnostic Parasitology). I have to read 100 pages, take 4 quizes and the mid-term before we leave. Yikes! :scared1: I better get on that, too, since I'll be in Baton Rouge all next weekend for a software seminar. Darn responsibilities. :headache:

Here's a weird one: I (who normally have Monday and Tuesday off) got asked if I would work the Mon and Tues before I leave, so the normal Mon and Tues person could have Mon and Tues off and work in my place while I'm away on Thurs and Fri. Ummm, doesn't that defeat the whole point of "vacation"? Not to mention that would put me working eight days in a row right before leaving. Had to turn them down on that little proposal. Am I being unrealistic? Does this happen to other people?

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation
19 - The Mad Tea Party is an original opening day attraction of WDW
18 - Mickey's Birthdayland (now ToonTown) opened in 1988 for Mickey's 60th birthday
17 - Main Street, USA is only 2 blocks long - but it sure seems longer on the way out after doing RD to close!

nolacindy

09-08-2009, 10:52 PM

jwhtewolfd

09-09-2009, 12:33 AM

:yay:Hey from across the lake! Wanted to see if I could join in.

DH and I are in the Hammond area and going to be a Allstar Sports 9/26-10/3. We're going to MNSSHP on 9/29 also, just look for two fools wearing made up super hero costumes!

Glad i'm not the only one who avoided the news coverage about "4 year anniversary". We lived in the Bywater up until the storm, now live in the boondocks of Tangipahoa Parish.

By the way your fur babies are adorable.

Hi and welcome! We will be making the trek to Hammond in November for ren fest.

I need to remember to send Tony to Home Depot for some LG Mickey heads. There are going to be so many DISsers there with us!

The cats ARE pretty cute, if I do say so myself. I make sure to tell them every day. They won't have any self-esteem issues!:rotfl:

jwhtewolfd

09-16-2009, 02:42 AM

Sheesh. I'm exhausted. Worked Wednesday and Thursday. Drove (well, car-pooled) an hour and a half to Baton Rouge Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning for software seminar. I had to get up at 5am! :scared1::faint: Wasn't getting home til 9 or 10 pm. We did get to eat at Cracher Barrel for lunch on Friday - chicken fried steak!

Had a dentist appointment Monday at noon (had to get my smile nice and shiny for Mickey) and foolishly agreed to go in to work after that to gelp get the software going. We all went out to eat afterwards at Drago's to celebrate our new doc's bday. Then I worked on documents at home til 3am.

The software guy said he'd need to update our server today after hours, but my boss was supposed to drive back to Baton Rouge for a different meeting, so I volunteered to go in this evening and just babysit him. My boss ended up running late and just conference called into the meeting, but we still ended up staying and working til 11:45pm. And I'm due to go in at 8:30am Wednesday and work my full schedule til Sunday!

I haven't read anything to get ahead in my class yet. I missed all my shows (I'm one of the last few stragglers without DVR). I barely slept. I did manage to sqeeze in enough time to do online check in for Pop :woohoo:, but other than that, all I've done since Friday is puzzle over software and pay bills.

I even managed to loose a few countdown chain links. Tony is finally cleaning up and several days have gone MIA in the chaos. I am stressed out. I'm am SO glad I told them I would not work this coming Mon and Tues. I've got tons of reading to do, not to mention all those last minute trip details. And packing. And last minute shopping. Sheesh.

OH! Almost forgot.
:dance3::cheer2::dance3::cheer2::dance3::cheer2:SI NGLE DIGIT DAY DANCE!!!:cheer2::dance3::cheer2::dance3::cheer2::d ance3:

...Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
12 - 4% of all amateur photographs are taken at Walt Disney World
11 - The Magic Kingdom is 107 acres, while its parking lot is 125 acres
10 - There are 18 towers and 13 gargoyles on Cinderella's Castle
9 - The Fabulous Five are Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto

jwhtewolfd

09-21-2009, 02:45 PM

I tried to update last night, but my report had been moved to Completed Trip Reports and I couldn't reply to my own post.

I managed to finish all my reading, quizzes and exam last night after watching the Saints kick some serious Eagle be-hind. :cheer2: So I am caught up and ahead in class.

Tony bought snacks and drinks last week. They have been sitting on the bedroom floor taunting me, but I've been good. Normally I tell him not to buy junk, but driving 10 hours is an extreme circumstance. I'm cracking open that box of swiss rolls as soon as we get in the car!

All that is left is to transfer some last minute Disney points, clean out the car and get the oil changed, make a trip to the bank, clean the floors and the kitchen, pack and show my mom how to give Louie his insulin injections. Oh, and get the garmin. Hopefully mom brings it tonight when she comes for the insulin demo.

I wrote out instructions and emergency info for the cats. I'll pack today or tomorrow, not sure yet. Maybe late tonight. I really want to tie up all the loose ends before Wednesday. My goal is get some sleep Wednesday night, but I don't know how realistic that is.

Being so busy with work the past 12 days has made the time fly. I'm not even super-excited yet b/c it feels like it can't possibly be this close. Another good thing that came from the extra time I put in (my time, I wasn't on the clock Mon or Tues) was that my boss thanked me by taking me out to eat at Outback on Sat night! :woohoo: Delishious! Will work for food. :rolleyes1 DDP, here we come!

...Days Left Until 2009 WDW Vacation
8 - Beauty & the Beast was the 1st animated film nominated for a best picture Oscar
7 - Disney launched the Fast Pass system in July 1999 (how did we ever survive before then!?)
6 - The Lion King is the highest grossing Disney film
5 - Expedition Everest has an 80 foot drop and cost $100 million to build
4 - Kilimanjaro Safari is larger than the Magic Kingdom
3 - Walt Disney first appeared on TV in 1954

Where'sPiglet?

09-21-2009, 07:16 PM

jwhtewolfd

09-22-2009, 01:59 PM

House is mostly clean. Computer room is still a wreck, but isn't it always?

Laundry is clean, though still in the dryer or strewn across the couch.

Other than clothes (which is the easy part for us), I got everything mostly packed last night. There are just those few things you still need until the last minute left.

Tony is doing last minute errands - oil change, haircut, bank trip, etc.

Taught my brother how to give insulin injections last night. He's going to practice to night under my supervision.

Today is my grandma's birthday, so I'll head over there for a little while tonight, and make a pit stop at my mom and dad's to pick up the garmin.

The tropics appear to be behaving. The 15 day forcast has toggled b/t rain everyday, to dry, back to rain. Right now it looks like rain the first part of the trip, dry toward the end, with some cooler night temps. I'm bring a light jacket b/c I don't do well with cool. We've got some medium quality ponchos, hopefully they'll hold up. Tony's ripped last year (a different brand), but we only had one afternoon of rain on our first day.

I have a brisket going in the slow cooker for dinner. Things seem to be going pretty smoothly. Just need to get through tomorrow at work...

2 Days Left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
Expedition Everest is the largest ride in WDW

nolacindy

09-23-2009, 08:37 PM

Hope you all have a smooth drive to orlando!

Maybe we'll see you Tuesday night at MNNSHP.

jwhtewolfd

09-23-2009, 11:14 PM

Didn't get off of work til 9pm. So much for an easy day before vacation. "You're not on vacation yet!" said the universe. And oh yeah, the parish started tearing up my driveway this morning! :headache:

Anyway.

Topped off the gas tank.
Deposited my last pay check.
Tony needs to clean out the car still :rolleyes:

Off to bed to what I'm sure will be a sleepless 5 hours. And then...Off we go!

1 Day left Until 2009 Walt Disney World Vacation!
WDW reached 100 million guests in October 1979

0 DAYS LEFT...THIS IS IT!
Animal Kingdom features 1,500 animals, representing 250 species

Where'sPiglet?

09-23-2009, 11:43 PM

And oh yeah, the parish started tearing up my driveway this morning! :headache:

Um...WHY?!? :confused3

Have a safe and GREAT trip! I am looking forward to hearing about it!

jwhtewolfd

10-03-2009, 10:25 PM

We're back. Going to get started on sorting through pictures and notes and try to get this report going. The laptop reports 2,859 files in the "WDW 09" pictures folder.

Quick summary:
WDW 5/5 - great, of course.
This trip 4/5 - good, not as great as last year. Not quite as excited this year, and took it easy. Feet and legs fared better, but didn't accomplish as much.
Food 3/5 - good, but not as good as last year.
Company 2/5 - questionable, at best. Could this be the end of the "Two Bunnies" series? We didn't book a bounceback...
Crowds 3.5/5 - crowds were surprisingly thick at times, but wait times were mostly managable.
Buses 4/5 - mostly punctual and reliable. Two or three 15 - 20 minute waits, but mostly had good luck. Of course long lines at park closings, but they kept coming one right after another, sometimes two at once.

jwhtewolfd

10-06-2009, 04:53 AM

I set the alarm for 3am, and sure enough it went off. We took a little longer to get ourselves together than last year, but the car was packed by 3:30am. Then the garmin gave me a heck of a time locating Pop Century. I guess we were too far away. I gave up after fifteen minutes and just pointed us toward Orlando. It finally found Pop once we were in Florida.

I took the first shift driving. I noted that Tony was not nearly as talkative or hyper this time around. We crossed into Mississippi an hour later. Another hour and we were in Alabama. At this point the sun was starting to rise and Tony insisted we had to stop at a Cracker Barrel at 6am, instead of just waiting until we passed the next one. I plugged it into the garmin and started to follow the directions to the nearest one. Suddenly I realized the sunrise was behind us. But we are supposed to be driving east. The stupid thing was turning us around. I reprogrammed for Orlando again and we decided we wouldn’t stop at or try to find a Cracker Barrel until we could see it from the interstate. After an hour and ten minutes, we passed into Florida. We ended up stopping at the same Cracker Barrel as last year, only an hour later at 7am.

We did the breakfast thing. Tony had a proper eggs, meats, etc. and I went for biscuits and white gravy with a side of bacon and chocolate milk. I let Tony take the wheel to the nearby gas station, and since he had ordered coffee, I relinquished the driver privileges and settled in for a fitful nap.

After “napping” for 2 hours, in which I probably actually slept for 30 minutes, I offered to take over driving, but Tony declined. We started to look for gas with a quarter tank left, but ended up on some stretch of I-10 that left us high and dry until we were almost on empty. When we finally found somewhere to stop, Tony asked if I wanted to drive. I said I didn’t, but I would if he needed me to. He said he was ok, so I stayed in the navigator’s seat.

I was determined to make better time this year by staying the course until I-75 and not going through all those back roads and towns the garmin took us through last year. You do make better time, but you pay the price in over five dollars in tolls! There are considerably fewer motorcycles on the road on Thursday on a main interstate than on a Sunday on the back roads, so I contented myself searching the clouds for hidden Mickeys. And there were lots of clouds. See:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009011.jpg

I thought for sure we were going to get drenched that evening, but we literally had 3 episodes of 10 second drizzles, and that was it. The Mickey search proved futile, but I did find a hidden Pluto!

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009012.jpg

Since I wasn’t driving this year, I had opportunity to snap all the exciting pictures:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009015.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009016.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009018.jpg

And the most magical moment, that we missed last year, when the welcome gate comes into view:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009022.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009023.jpg

Now I was snap happy as we followed the signs:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009026.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009028.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009030.jpg

It was NOT this windy that day. These trees just stay this way:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009031.jpg

And we continued to follow the signs:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009032.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009033.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009034.jpg

Um, seriously:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009037.jpg

Finally, at 3:15 pm (that’s Florida time now), the sign we’ve been looking for!
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009035.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009036.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009038.jpg

I had done the online check in, but the line didn’t seem any shorter, nor did it seem to move any faster. I had requested a king size bed when I booked the bounce back last September and I had called in a request for buildings one or three (Lady or Tramp) a few weeks ago. We got neither. We got 7138, Roger Rabbit at the furthest tip of the “T” from everything. Well, that’s a lie. It was the closest room to the parking lot. I asked if there was anything available in buildings one or three. The CM replied “Fifties?”, looked for a little while and then tried to put me in building TWO. Uh, no. Never mind. Obviously this is too difficult for you. We’ll keep the stupid 80’s room.

Tony, who has trouble following adult conversation, wanted to know “what my problem” was. I had to explain that we got a cruddy room because even though you request something a year ahead of time, it makes no difference. And you can’t make me believe that with all the families we saw there with school age kids that should have been in school, that there were no two-person-maximum-occupancy rooms available.

After the inexpedient online check in queue, we had to stand in a slow line yet again at the concierge desk to pick up the will call MNSSHP tickets. I had to ask for anniversary buttons there because the on-the-ball CM at check in didn’t give them to us.

We parked over in the eighties lot and were able to get nice and close to the room. Here’s the car from the room’s window with no zoom. It's the shiny blue one:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009043.jpg

And here’s Tony unpacking the car while I take pictures:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009044.jpg

Hey, someone had to take these snazzy shots of the room:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009040.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009041.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009045.jpg
http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009046.jpg

Dig the hidden Mickey in the bathroom wallpaper.

I unpacked the bags and called my mom to let her know we were alive, then it was dinner time. The daily bus walk consisted of walking up the length of our building, across the 80’s pool courtyard, across the length of the walkman building and cutting through the nineties parking lot to the front of Pop’s Classic Hall.

Next up: Chapter 2 and DTD

disneygirlinnj

10-06-2009, 03:47 PM

uhoh...I'm not liking that company rating!

jwhtewolfd

10-06-2009, 03:58 PM

This seems to be the theme of the trip, the theme at work, the theme of my life. That’s getting a little ahead of myself. Here’s a pic of the staircase we didn’t use - because we were on the first floor.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009050.jpg

We made the trek to the buses and a DTD bus pulled in shortly after. So far, so good. For some unknown reason, the Marketplace bus stop was not in use, so we were dropped off by Pleasure Island. Which kind of sucked because we were on our way to Earl of Sandwich first. At least we got to see the cool Lego sculptures:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009053.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009054.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009055.jpg

Then onward to the Earl. I ordered The Original: fresh roast beef and cheddar with horseradish sauce:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009062.jpg

And decided on chocolate pudding for dessert:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009060.jpg

I thought the Original was a little heavy on the horseradish sauce, but I love that the beef was still pink. My only other complaint was that the second half of my sandwich had cooled off by the time I finished the first half. The pudding was tasty enough, and I even ate the raspberry, but only once it was thoroughly covered with whip cream.

Tony had the Meatballs:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009061.jpg

And picked potato salad for a side (that’s that white, blobby-looking stuff in the picture next to my pudding). He said the meatballs themselves were very good, though the red gravy could be a little more flavorful. He thought the potato salad had way too much vinegar.

After eating, I made a bee-line for the Design-a-Tee store. Alas! No Scar. No Shere Kahn. Ultimate Fail. I can’t very well make feline villain shirts without clipart of feline villains. We resigned ourselves to walking through the shops and snapping pics.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009063.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009064.jpg

I tried my hand at some artsy shots:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009067.jpg http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009069.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009068.jpg

And took some of the standard, obligatory DTD shots:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009075.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009076.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009077.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009078.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009083.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009085.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009089.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009090.jpg

Tony liked the enormous mushroom by T-Rex and insisted on having his picture taken with it. See how proud he is of himself to be standing under a mushroom:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-24-09%20arrive%20and%20DTD/DisneyWorld2009071.jpg

Just a side note, in case you hadn’t picked up on it yet, we didn’t get along really well on this trip. We squabbled at least once daily, had two major tiffs, a big ordeal in the car on the way home, and a knock-down, drag-out, two-hour fight in DHS. Luckily I scheduled to have three days off to recover from my vacation. While I enjoyed WDW, the trip itself wasn’t relaxing or stress-relieving. I’m just passing this along to forewarn you that there will probably be a good bit of sarcasm and sniping throughout this report when it comes to my travel companion. No apologies, hugs or good thoughts are necessary. These were old issues that had been festering for a while, and they just couldn’t be ignored this go-round. We are at a point where major changes need to happen one way or another. And that’s all I’ll say about that for the time being.

My aunt had asked me to be on the lookout for a Tinkerbell car magnet she had seen in June. I found it first in the under-ten-dollar store and snapped it up. In World of Disney I found a Scar hot button that says “I’m surrounded by idiots.” You just can’t understand how much I needed to have this trinket. Also picked out some pens to bring back to work and a Baby Simba for my cousin. While I had been browsing, Tony decided to buy some standard black ears for his nephew. And when I say “buy” I mean he literally purchased them without consulting me first. The only problem is that he charged them to the room. The problem with that is that he KNOWS that I get a discount at this store when I use the Disney card.

Cue the first squabble. No, he won’t return them so I can purchase them with the rest of my items and get the discount. No, he won’t buy his niece the princess ears because - well, I don’t know why not. But you can’t buy one kid ears and one kid a toy. It just doesn’t work that way. They both get toys, or they both get shirts, or they both get ears. Whatever you decide to get, it has to be the same, otherwise it will cause a fight. I thought this was common knowledge, but this was a whole new concept to Tony, and one that he wasn’t willing to believe. It’s not like he grew up with a brother or anything (he did!). After an embarrassing display of him storming in and out of the check out line, he decided on the princess ears for his niece, because he still wasn’t brave enough to return the ears he had already bought for his nephew.

Apparently his issues with being “wrong” run so deep that he can’t even bring himself to return a purchase. Keep this in mind. There’s a quiz later on. No, there’s not. But it comes into play again.

We’re in Disney World, so I’m willing to forgive and forget, and we make our way back to the Pleasure Island bus stop. Bus magic is with us, because it’s a very short wait. Back at Pop, I set a wake up call for 6:45am. The beds are REALLY soft. At home I sleep on a sleep number bed set to 100. Despite impending bad-back-doom, I managed to sleep fairly well. Exhaustion probably helped.

Here’s the loot we took home from DTD:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DSCF0039.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DSCF0040.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DSCF0041.jpg

Up next: Chapter 3 and MK

jwhtewolfd

10-06-2009, 04:06 PM

uhoh...I'm not liking that company rating!

Hey, welcome back! Yeah, I was hoping he could behave himself for WDW, but I was wrong. He was quite belligerent this year. :confused3

Where'sPiglet?

10-06-2009, 05:44 PM

jwhtewolfd

10-06-2009, 06:49 PM

I know that Scar button! I LOVE IT! I was going to buy it last year in December but was too cheap. :rotfl2:

It described my old job perfectly. Fortunately I would have less use for it at my current job!

I know you don't want hugs and whatnot, but I do feel a bit bad for you that your trip was not all you wanted it to be (relating to the company and the room assignment).

I am looking forward to more of your report and pictures!

I usually am pretty cheap, but I hadn't seen the Scar button last year, then read about it on here and couldn't believe I had missed it. The moment I saw it I knew I had to have it. I checked the price, of course, but unless it was some outrageous $15 or something, price was not an issue for this purchase. (I just checked my receipt, it was only $4.95!) I'm glad you feel like you don't need it as much now!

I had mostly resigned myself to the fact that this trip was never going to measure up to last year. I mean come on. Last year had so much going for it: first vacation since Katrina, first Disney vacation in seven years, first vacation without parents, first vacation with Tony, excellent room location in relation to the buses (even though we cheated and used Music's buses while we were staying at Movies). That's a lot to live up to.

Overall it was a good trip. I could have done without some tantrum moments, and we did miss a few things in the name of "taking it easy." The room ended up being not so terribly bad. We were hardly ever in it anyway, so it really didn't matter which icon was out front. We wanted the king bed, but we ended up each taking one of the doubles, which was way more comfortable than trying to cram both of us into one like last year. Since we did "take it easy" there wasn't the same feeling of dreading each additional step at the end of the day, so the distance from the bus stop wasn't too awful. I was just a little miffed that we didn't get a single one of three requests. And I still hold to my idea that there was no way all the king rooms were requested. There were too many families of more than two and we encountered suprisingly few ECVs or wheelchairs at the bus stops.

More report and many, many more pics on the way. (I was nice and pared down my nearly 3k pics to just 600 for sharing with family and RL friends.)

portocall

10-06-2009, 08:45 PM

Just letting you know I made it thanks to Bethany's directions... now I am off to read!

portocall

10-06-2009, 09:22 PM

jwhtewolfd

10-06-2009, 10:01 PM

I am sorry you didn't get any of your room requests. When Sean and I went to Vegas to celebrate our 10th anniversary, we were both kinda grateful to see the two double beds.:rotfl2:

Also sorry about the company. That stinks, I was hoping it would be better for you. But I also hear what you are saying about the crossroads.

Did I read that right, did it take you 11 hours (with time change into Eastern) to drive to WDW? Just trying to time it out just right. Can't wait for the next installment!

Yeah, it's at the point where if it's gong to be two people in the house, we need two incomes. If it's going to be one income, it needs to be just one person, b/c he won't contribute to the upkeep of the house enough to actually keep it up, and I just can't trust his decision making with tight finances.

But anyway, yeah, about 11 hours. We started driving at 3:45am (Louisiana time - thanks to the garmin not wanting to find WDW), stopped once for breakfast and gas, one more time for gas and arrived 3:15pm (Florida time). To help you break it up, it takes about 3 hours to get into Florida, 4 east across Florida, and 4 south down through Florida. Last year I drove most of the way there and back. This year I drove the first 1/3 there and let Tony do the last 2/3 there. On the way back we switched up approximately every two to three hours.

Sometimes I'm fine driving for hours on end and it doesn't seem like any time has passed, but sometimes I need to switch up. I get that road hypnosis where I just start staring at the lines in the road ahead of me and it's hard to shake it and concentrate. I also have horrible vision during low light times of dawn and dusk. The sun's not strong enough, but still just bright enough to make the headlights useless. I HATE driving then. I'd rather drive at night in the dark than at dusk or dawn.

Oh, and don't forget toll money. I usually don't carry cash and was lucky to have some on me. But we were counting nickles and pennies from the ashtray at some points. The tolls are outrageous! I'd bring two dollars in quarters and 10 singles, just to be safe...Although last year when we were leaving, we blew through several toll areas, thinking the side booths were exits, and I never got any citations. We stopped and asked an attendant when we finally realized what was going on, and she told us you can go through like four in a month before they'll cite/fine you.

I'm on a roll today, so a third update is headed your way. It probably won't be til Sunday or Monday that I get another one in, depending on how badly things at work fell apart while I was gone. Hope ya'll like it.

jwhtewolfd

10-06-2009, 10:32 PM

Mickey and Stitch called right on time. The park bag was already packed and ready to go. We just needed to slather on the sunscreen (SPF 70, baby) and we were out the door. We got to the bus stop, with a bus waiting, at 7:45am and realized we forgot the Gatorade! Tony hoofed it back to the room while I waited. The waiting bus pulled off and another arrived. Before the second bus took off, a third bus pulled in behind it. Tony sprinted up with the Gatorade and we boarded the third bus.

Even with the Gatorade fiasco, we ended up first at one of the MK turnstiles on the left side. Since there was no need to high-tail it to Space Mountain, we settled into a shady seat on one of the big circular planters to wait for the Rope Drop show.

The obligatory Train Station pic:

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An empty train passed through:

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Celebrate Today! Notice how all the balloons are Mickey ears:

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Mk decked out in its fall finery:

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The show starts. The Mayor of Main Street welcomes us. We sing “Good Morning.” Mickey and the gang arrive on the train.

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It’s all strangely hokey, yet strangely touching. I admit to welling up a little and getting a rush of goosebumps. We count down from 10, some lucky family gets to litter the courtyard with oversized confetti, and we’re allowed to surge forward and flood into the Magic Kingdom. Here’s our first glimpse of The Castle:

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Of course it‘s blurry because we‘re on the move and don‘t dare stop for fear of being crushed by rabid early morning Dumbo riders. And the better, closer, more-in-focus picture taken at the end of Main Street:

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With Space Mountain out of commission, we head to Big Thunder Mountain. We spot Frontierland Donald en route, and stop for a picture:

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Tony was so excited to see Donald. He kept talking to him, even as we were walking away and the next group was trying to take their turn. He continued talking and ended up running into a queue rope, which finally turned his attention from the Duck. We continued on through Frontierland to Thunder Mountain. After riding the wildest ride in the west once around, the CM told us we could stay on for one more round, so we did. Since having tackled Space Mountain, Expedition Everest and Rock n’ Roller Coaster last year, Thunder Mountain didn’t seem quite so wild anymore. Consequently, I was actually able to pay attention to some of the theming during the ride and was delighted to see goats, mining equipment, possums, pigs, and I even spotted a security camera camouflaged in a distant rock. I’m still not confidant enough to break out the camera on a roller coaster, no matter how mild or wild, so you’ll just have to take my word for it!

Splash Mountain loomed above us next, and while the drop last year was not as scary as I had remembered it to be, I had little inclination to be soaking wet all day. I told Tony as much, and said I would ride it with him if he really wanted to ride it, but I’d be donning a stylish poncho. He decided we could skip it for now, so we pressed on to a much better, much drier water ride - Pirates of the Caribbean!

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We had our very own boat, but the CM still said no flash photography. I should have apologized later rather than ask permission first. This is a pirate ride, after all. I did take more “ride innards” pictures, but Davy Jones was all I could ever get to come out decent with no flash. That does happen to be my favorite part of the ride, so I take that as a small consolation. We didn’t linger as long in the gift shop as last year, but long enough to take a picture of this shirt that I would have bought if it hadn’t been black:

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Now don’t get me wrong. I love black t-shirts (in fact, I won't wear white t-shirts), just not in ninety-degree, high-humidity WDW weather. We also couldn’t find a single pair of the maroon pirate ears. Lots of pink girly pirate ears, but none of the nice ones that were everywhere last year. So we came away with no merchandise and moved on to the scarier waters of the Jungle Cruise.

Now we did Jungle Cruise quite a few times this trip, but there are only so many pics you can take before they start to get repetitive. So I’ll get most of them out of the way now, and only bore you with a few repeats later on:

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Do you know what kind of snake this is? I'll give you a hint. It starts with a "P":

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009043.jpg

They broke camp, all right:

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Speak. Louder. Spray the boat!:

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Doesn't this one look all "Pride Rock" with the sun rays?:

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They got the point...in the end:

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Careful, Ginger snaps:

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Speaking of boring, Tony did a lot more smoking on this trip, which left me sitting around a good bit fuming about wasting time. I made the best of it by snapping pics from whatever vantage point I had while waiting. This made for some interesting pics, very few worth sharing, but some, especially in Epcot, came out rather lovely. This was how I occupied myself in front of the Enchanted Tiki Room while Tony was off poisoning himself. I have some really zoomed in shots of the Magic Carpets, a nice, person-free shot of the totem poles across the way:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009058.jpg

And of course, this:

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I complain about the smoking because in general it does waste a good bit of time locating a designated smoking spot, backtracking to it or going off course to find one, and then just sitting there. But we actually made good time this morning. With all we’ve done already, it’s still only 9:55am. Finally, once inside the Enchanted Tiki Room, we found an obnoxious Iago:

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A wise Zazu:

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An angry Polynesian goddess:

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And a chandelier full of a flock of feathered females:

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To be continued in Part 2, due to reaching maximum picture quota for this post.

jwhtewolfd

10-07-2009, 12:08 AM

Iago not so politely asked us to leave The Enchanted Tiki Room once the show was over. My original itinerary had us in the Tiki Room at 11am and then heading straight on to our lunch ADR at 11:30. We had some time to kill so we headed for the mostest bestest 3-D show in the World, and probably the world, for that matter - Mickey’s PhilharMagic!

As I said, we had some time to kill, so along the way we decided to check out the Swiss Family Treehouse:

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While there are some nice views:

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let’s just say I don’t feel a need to ever do that again. Now that I think about it, all those stairs are probably why I had shin splints the next day. I couldn’t understand how my feet and legs could be faring so well otherwise, but I still ended up with shin splints on day two. It all makes sense now.

On the way through the hub to Fantasyland, the path through the Castle was roped off for the Dream Along with Mickey show. We never did get to walk through the Castle to see the murals. Every time I tried, it was roped off. Since we were already there, I figured we should stay and see the show. It was almost show time, so I only got off a couple of waiting pics:

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I took a ton of pics at this show last year, so I limited myself this time. Of course the pics I did get ended up not being as good:

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After our Dreams Came True, we had to backtrack through Liberty Square to get to Fantasyland. It was at this point on the bridge passing the Castle that Tony started asking about lunch. I told him he knew where we were having lunch today and he insisted he didn’t. I told him that he picked where we were having lunch today and he was still clueless. Once I reminded him that today was our anniversary he realized we’d be eating at Tony’s Town Square. Yep. Remember we had that whole conversation:

Me: I know you want Tony’s on our anniversary, but I can’t get us in for dinner that night because it‘s our first day and it‘s already booked up by the people arriving before us. I can only get lunch, but there’s no steak on the menu at lunch.
Him: Do you really need to have steak at every meal?
Me: Is that a trick question?

Yep. 11:00am and he’s just realizing it’s our anniversary. Never mind that we have the “Happy Anniversary” button pinned to the bag he’s been lugging around. At that point I changed the converstaion as we passed a little girl in a princess costume and I exclaimed, “Wow, we just saw her on stage! Hi, Princess!”

We finally made it around to Mickey’s PhilharMagic. The sad part about loving an attraction so much is that you start to know it too well and you know when the end is near. I still love it, love it, but it just seems too short and I always get sad anticipating that it’s almost over when Aladdin and Jasmine start singing “A Whole New World.” And I love that part with all the wind blowing on us. I also love the Lion King section, and the champagne bottles popping during “Be Our Guest” always make me jump. I’m only sorry that I can’t watch it for the first time again.

Finally it’s time to head to Tony’s for lunch. We checked in and got our pager. We sat down and it went off a few minutes later. So we stood up and brought it to the front, where the CM told us that they didn’t page us, they were just activating it. Huh? Uh, ok. So we sat back down. And let me tell you, those Victorian chairs in the waiting area of Tony’s are deep and treacherous to get out of! (Please ignore the fact that I ended that with a preposition.) Both Tony and I fell back when we first tried to stand up from them. A few minutes later we were called, but I was disappointed. The other hosts were in character, calling out “Attenzione! Attenzione! Tony’s has a lovely table ready for the fill-in-the-blank party!” Our hostess just called out my name meekly and poorly pronounced. And our pager never did go off.

We were seated in the sun room (but not outside on the porch), which has considerably less ambiance than the inside dining room with the beautiful fountain and movie pictures on the walls. Especially with the sun beating in from all sides. This was all there was as far as Lady and the Tramp theme in the sun room:

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They did at least sprinkle the table with confetti for our anniversary:

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I had a pink lemonade (they only had pink available) and Tony had ice tea. We amused ourselves by chucking fistfuls of confetti at each other while we waited on the slow service.

We decided the split the Bianca Flatbread - mozzarella, garlic and basil - as an appetizer. It had a nice flavor; I think the amount of garlic was just right. I forgot to take a picture before we busted in:

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I actually forgot to take pictures a couple of times, so I have some halfway-through and some after-eaten pics. I’ve seen before-and-after food pics posted before, so I’m guessing/hoping it shouldn’t gross anybody out.

I had the Chicken Parmigiana:

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And Tony had Spaghetti with Meatballs:

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Tony said the spaghetti had good flavor, but he would have preferred angel hair pasta. That’s my influence on him. I don’t like thick spaghetti and made him start using angel hair at home, and now he loves it. The chicken parm wasn’t bad. I’ve been on a kick where I just don’t care for red gravy much, but the chicken itself was very good. The breadsticks were REALLY toasted until hard and almost impossible to bite.

For dessert I had tried the tiramisu last year and was unimpressed. This year I tried the Green Apple Sorbet:

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It was nice and light, as sorbet should be, but it had tiny pieces of apple mixed in and it gave it a gritty texture that I just couldn’t deal with. The flavor was good, but I just couldn’t get past the texture, and was only able to take a few bites.

Tony ordered the Lemon Walnut Layer Cake, which he said was good:

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It must’ve been good, because he finished it. I didn’t try it; I was too absorbed in getting over gritty sorbet.

After lunch we ducked into the Emporium to look for the pirate Mickey ears for Tony and a hat for me. No ears or acceptable hats to be found. I did find some stuff I wanted, but my better common sense said to take a picture and leave it on the shelf:

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After a test of willpower in the Emporium, we headed into Tomorrowland:

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And in case you never bothered to look back, here's a pic of the Castle as you enter Tomorrowland:

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First stop was to pick up some Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear. I think the line was only 15 minutes, but why wait 15 minutes in a line when the Fast Pass will be good to go in 30 minutes and you can do something else in the meantime? Something like TTA! Twice in a row without getting off. Here’s some pics from onboard TTA:

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Coincidently, I just read today that a new spiel was installed for TTA on 10/2. Also coincidently, we were in MK on 10/2, but didn’t ride TTA because…well, I don’t know why. We should have. We could have. I wanted to. We just didn’t. And we were supposed to be taking it easy. What could be more taking-it-easy than TTA?!? Sigh. I feel like I missed so much on this trip. With Space Mountain, Living With the Land and Flights of Wonder all closed, it was much easier to schedule to take it slower. But somehow I still missed Conservation Station and didn’t get to do a single Animation Academy class. We never did do Splash Mountain, we walked away with a set of Fast Passes for Thunder Mountain, Test Track and Soarin’ (and that doesn’t include the one set of Thunder Mountain FP Tony gave away on our last day). Even with the MNSSHP, we only met 7 characters, and 3 were a repeat of the ones we met at Crystal Palace. I feel like I need a do-over! At least I got more than my fair share of pictures, because I have to end here again for lack of picture space.

I guess the previous update could be considered Magic Kingdom West. This installment was mostly about the middle of MK (PhilharMagic in Fantasyland and Main Street), so next up: Chapter 3: Day 1, Part 3 - MK East.

jwhtewolfd

10-12-2009, 03:09 AM

We went around on TTA twice. I thought we were having a nice, relaxing time…until we got to Buzz. The line was non-existent now, so we walked on without using our FP. Tony won this first match. I wasted too much time looking around trying to remember all the high scoring targets I had read about, in the meantime forgetting to hold down the trigger.

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What the heck am I looking at? We walked around for a second Spin, still with no need for FP. The ride briefly stopped twice this time, allowing me to locate my targets and rack up a whopping 831,500 points to Tony’s 450,000. When Tony doesn’t win it’s always because his shooter wasn’t working properly. Looks like it worked to me, well enough to get 450k points anyway, but that’s beside the point. The point is that Disney knowingly keeps faulty shooters in the ride rotation just to foil Tony’s game. And they somehow know exactly where he is going to sit, even though we swapped places this time.

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We used the FPs to go around one more time. Usually Tony is not a multiple ride kind of guy, but we couldn’t walk away with him losing. Like a fool, I played to the best of my ability, and even though I didn’t beat my last score, I still beat Tony’s score. Which he took very personally and very badly. And not in a joking way. He truly got thoroughly P-Oed, complete with mini-tantrum. He really is such a baby when it comes to his pride. And I swear on all that is swiss-cheese-holey, I was not talking any smack or rubbing it in. He really just can’t take it. Can I help it if he refused to listen to my ride tips when I was researching and planning this trip months ago?

Last year I had learned better than to try to dispute his “broken shooter” claim/tirade, so I diverted his attention to Stitch’s meet and greet in front of Carousel of Progress. As we walked up, he said something to about Stitch always causing trouble, and as we walked away he told Stitch to behave. Stitch acted embarrassed, covering his eyes and shaking his head. Tony’s seemingly-witty “repartee” boosted his ego a bit, and he started behaving himself a little better.

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Seeing as how we were already there, it just made sense to stop and see the Carousel of Progress.

I tried as best I could to minimize the number of steps taken this trip. I can still vividly remember looking up at Expedition Everest on our second day of our ’08 trip and thinking “no way, my body hurts too much.” (That, and Tony had totally chickened out on me with riding RnR the night before so I was not wasting precious rope drop time on a roller coaster he wasn’t going to ride.) To that end, I scheduled less criss-crossing and backtracking across the parks for this year. We missed a few things here and there, but I definitely felt the difference in my legs and feet. I also did some preventative mole-skinning each morning and had a brand new pair of cushioned socks for each day. Yes, I bought a brand new pack of socks just for WDW. Thick socks make all the difference.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Already in front of CoP. Might as well ride it.

Valentine’s Day at the turn of the century:

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Fourth of July in the ‘20’s:

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Halloween in the ‘40’s:

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Christmas in the near future:

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Is it me, or is that dog really old? Must be the pixie dust keeping him going.

After CoP, we made our way out of Tomorrowland and headed toward the hub for the three o’clock parade. Guess what time it was. Hehe. I saw a photo pass photographer standing on the bridge between Tomorrowland and the hub with no one in line and figured we’d better get a pic in front the Castle. We managed not to get one last year. As I started veering us toward the photographer, Tony wanted to know where we were going. I said we were getting our pic in front of the Castle, and then he wanted to know “why?” Um, seriously? I dared not dignify that with a response, or it would have been one ugly picture.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009148.jpg

He cut off our feet just below the knees, which is a little bit of an odd composition, but at least he didn’t cut off the top spire of the Castle. That’s a pet peeve of mine, and, yes, I checked the pic before we walked away so he could retake it if needed. I know. I know.

We continued on to the hub and got a spot on the curb right in front of the Castle. We didn’t sit because, well, the ground burned my be-hind. Obviously it was hot. So hot that I have to complain about the losers standing under the little canopy over the nearby water fountains. Now I certainly understand if you want to stand in the shade, but you can’t stand in front the water fountain and not let anyone by. After both of us standing on the curb for several minutes, making it quite clear that we were staking out parade turf, I turned and approached the water fountain, intent on taking a drink. Well this wasn’t cue enough for the doofus standing in front of it. I had to excuse myself, not once, but twice, just to get him to begrudgingly step aside so I could take a drink. Outrageous. It’s not as if his back was turned and he didn’t see me approach or hear me. I excused myself right to his face. Do I really look like such a rude person that I would excuse myself just to make you step aside so I could steal your two inches of shade? And I don’t think this was just a case of my being hot and cranky. I’m pretty sure this guy is just a bonafide jerk. I watched him park his large, EMPTY stroller in the shade where two more people COULD have been in the shade, IF he had not been so inconsiderate. People completely baffle me. This is why I work with animals. They’re more civilized.

Anyway, back to the curb. We ended up standing next to a lady from Belgium who makes the trip three times a year. (Jealous!) She looked like an interesting lady to talk to because she was decked out literally head to toe in Chip and Dale merchandise. All the way down to her hand painted Chip and Dale Converse sneakers. Gotta admire someone who knows what they like!

Last year with the re-release of Sleeping Beauty, we had a Sleeping Beauty pre-parade, so naturally, this year, with the re-realease of Snow White, we had a Snow White pre-parade.

I love the horse with all his Disney gear. And is it just me, or is that Elton John holding the reins?

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009151.jpg

That’s a pretty seedy looking Prince. Just look at those squinty eyes. Or it could just be the glare.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009152.jpg

From left to right: Happy, Sneezy, Doc, Sleepy and Grumpy. I guess Bashful was hiding?

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009154.jpg

And Dopey. Don’t understand why he is so popular all of a sudden. Don’t we have enough dopey in the world?

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009155.jpg

I must have seen something in these clouds when I took this pic. I think it’s a genie lamp.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009156.jpg

Here comes the three o’clock parade! Guess what time it is. (My camera says it was 3:16.)

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009159.jpg

Chip and Dale

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009160.jpg

And Dale and Chip

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009161.jpg

And Chip and…well, just a bunch of characters milling about. This shot courtesy of Tony.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DSCF0089.jpg

And Pluto

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009162.jpg

The head mice. I actually liked this float better when it was painted to look like reels of film, but the colors are nice too.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009164.jpg

Blurry shots are now deemed “action shots,” rather than failed photography.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009167.jpg

This shot also courtesy of Tony. Check out the cape action.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DSCF0091.jpg

Pinocchio and everyone’s favorite cricket. Look what time it is!

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009168.jpg

Can someone explain to me why Pinocchio and Gepetto have Italian names, but the story is set in Germany with cuckcoo clocks and lederhosen?

A decent shot of Jafar, courtesy of Tony. I think that’s my hand in the lower left corner.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DSCF0094.jpg

The glare is still killing me. Aladdin should wish for some sun glasses.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009172.jpg

Mary has the right idea. Keep the sun and glare under wraps.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009174.jpg

Speaking of wraps, that wraps of this chapter‘s picture allotment. Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade to be continued in Part 3.1

skyshelder

10-12-2009, 03:22 AM

Thank you so much for your posts, thoroughly enjoyed them! Made me wish I was there...maybe one day

jwhtewolfd

10-12-2009, 04:08 AM

Thank you so much for your posts, thoroughly enjoyed them! Made me wish I was there...maybe one day

Glad you are enjoying them.

It can actually be more affordable than you may think. For the two of us, staying nine nights in a value resort, with the free dining plan, eight day park hopper tickets, going during September, driving from New Orleans, gas, souvenirs, extra food and tips, and MNSSHP tickets, we spent just under $3,000. That was EVERYTHING.

You could do it even cheaper staying off site, no park hoppers, less days, eating cheaper and limiting yourself to one or two souvenirs. I don't know where you'd be traveling from; that might be the only thing that significantly changes the total cost. We only spent $100 in gas round trip.

jwhtewolfd

10-12-2009, 10:12 PM

Capatin Hook beats the sun with this snazzy wide brimmed hat:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009175.jpg

I hope they’re wearing sunscreen. SPF 70, baby! I got home and looked like I’d been locked in a dark closet for two weeks. I should try out to play Snow White.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009177.jpg

I hope they got sunburned. Meanies:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009180.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009181.jpg

Here come the princesses:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009182.jpg

Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009183.jpg

Cinderella and her Prince Charming:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009184.jpg

I wonder if Cinderella was upset to see us squatting on her property to watch the parade. Too bad if she was. She should know better. If she were a New Orleanian she would have barricaded off her front yard.

Beauty and the Beast. I just love this arch. It’s hard to see with the glare, but I promise, it really is beautiful. And look at the ENORMOUS dragonfly in the upper right corner. I think it escaped from the Dinosaur attraction in AK.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009185.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009186.jpg

Ariel and Prince Eric:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009187.jpg

Celebrate Today!

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009190.jpg

This is my best shot of King Louie. I never much liked King Louie, not being a big fan of primates in general. But our cat Louie’s original name was Louis Prima, who was, of course, the voice of King Louie. Thrilled as I was with the Disney refernece, this wasn’t going to fly in our house. His official name became “Lucifer” (notice, also a Disney reference), but we stuck with calling him Louie so he’d still recognize his name. We even made “I Wanna Be Like You” his official theme song, but we change the “you” to “Lou” and the “talk like Lou” to “whine like Lou” because he always gives a big, loud whine when he enters a room to announce his presence. Anyway, that was a roundabout way of saying I dislike King Louie a little less because of the cat connection. Therefore, I tried to get a few pics of him throughout our stay.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009191.jpg

Here’s Baloo. I like Baloo. I have no problem with bears. “Bear Necessities” is a great song, too.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009192.jpg

This last pic was taken at 3:25, just in case you were keeping track.

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We tried to follow the parade into Liberty Square, but were stopped at a rope on the bridge and were held up until some silly VIPs cleared off the benches on the bridge. Once the VIPs cleared out, I rushed us over to Sleepy Hollow. Unfortunately not for funnel cake. That was one snack goal I did not accomplish. I somehow also managed not to get any popcorn (I KNOW! How??) , breadsticks (unless you count the weird ones at Le Cellier) and Bugie (discontinued at Tutto - HELLO!? How do you just discontinue a Signature dessert?? But more on that later). Nope. I needed a serious caffine fix. I used a snack, which meant Tony felt like he needed to use a snack; he’s such a child that way. So we got a coke, a diet coke and a cup of ice. Make that a tiny cup of ice. Stingy good-for-nothings. The cup of ice went into the long-ago-emptied Gatorade bottle. We get Gatorade just for the fact that the mouth of the bottle is wide enough to dump ice into, unlike other water bottles.

Withdrawal symptoms subsiding, the first stop would have been the Liberty Belle, but she was out of commission today. I think they were painting, because it most distinctively smelled of paint when we rode a week later. We were actually headed into Hall of Presidents, but they wouldn’t let us in with our newly purchased snacks. They can pry my diet coke from my cold, dead hands, so we pressed on to Haunted Mansion, where they let you travel with your vices. I have in my notes an excited notation that they removed the tiny turnstiles just before the Doom Buggies, but when I posted as much on the Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies board, I was told there never was a set of turnstiles inside the building. I’m still waiting on a more definitive and authoritative confirmation on that one, because I can vividly picture them in my mind. Someone of small or average size may never have paid much attention, but someone of, um, sizable size would most certainly have noticed, and despised, them.

We decided not to make a permanent reservation in the Haunted Mansion and ::gulp:: backtracked (!) to the Hall of Presidents. I could hear my feet taunting “you’ll be sorry!” Here’s the liberty tree in front of the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square, which I managed to completely miss last year.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009195.jpg

I also managed to miss getting a picture of the Liberty Bell this year, though I did get some pictures of the Liberty Belle, which I also neglected last year…what was I saying? Oh, yes. Hall of Presidents. Like the stories, like the pictures, like the new Lincoln bit. There was some spattering of applause and “whooping” for the new president, which I found a little obnoxious. If I had voiced what I felt about the new president I’d’ve been thought of as classless and rude. Well same to the applauders. Keep it to yourself. It’s still rude. I never saw the appeal of applauding when there are no live performers, but if you feel the need, do so at the END of the presentation, not right smack in the middle of it so you can’t even hear what your precious poster boy is saying.

As polarizing as the last election was, I pretty much expected some form of opinion to come from the audience. Mine was in the silent minority, but if you leave out the unsolicited audience participation, the refurb is very good. It’s a very good show. A little glossy, sure, but how deep can you really expect to get in 20 minutes? Moving on to one show I WOULD consider applauding, even with no live performers: Mickey’s PhilharMagic! Overall, we didn’t get to see this show nearly as many times as I wish we could have (only 5 times, not much better than just 4 times last year, considering I had it on the itinerary at least 6 times). I could wax poetic, but suffice it to say that we enjoyed it again.

By this point the National Wildlife Federation backpack that my grandma had given me (which she received for free for making a donation) had started to fall apart. The little handle at the top was completely gone, both shoulder straps were ripping at the top and both straps at the bottom were unraveling. It was the first time the bag was ever used, but what do you want from a free bag? We stopped in at the Emporium to peruse the options. Tony refused to carry a tote bag (can’t say I blame him), so we settled on what was really the only backpack option that would hold the amount of stuff we were toting around. It says Walt Disney World and “Disney” is spelled out in letters that represent different characters. I do like the design idea.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DSCF0038.jpg

It’s a drawstring cinch with a Velcro top closure (which turns out is a really bad design if you’d like to keep your drawstings in tact - we saw lots of people with fuzzy, frizzy drawstrings because of that darn Velcro). I wasn’t thrilled with the closures. I prefer a nice, secure zipper to a drawsting. I’m not too keen on Velcro either. A snap would have been nice, but I can see the logistic problems, because you really need to be able to brace the back of the snap in order for it to, well, snap; and a buckle would be far too cumbersome and time consuming. We added a little more peace of mind by tying the drawstring once it was pulled closed. It was only $30, which isn’t much more than most of the t-shirts. I was pleasantly surprised. I expected to pay $40 or even $50 for such a hot commodity. I also held on to the receipt just in case it started falling apart. I was fully intending to return it if it didn’t hold up for the length of our trip. It would just be flat out wrong to sell a backpack for use in WDW that couldn’t stand up to standard WDW use/abuse.

It was a MNSSHP night, so we needed to be heading out before the mass exodus at 7:00pm. After we exited the MK turnstiles, I stopped in at the little souvenir shop out front in a last ditch effort to find a hat. I really wanted a hat so I wouldn’t have to be concerned about how messy my hair looked. The frizz can be ferocious. Well guess what I finally found in the tiniest of MK shops - the pirate ears we’d been searching for all day. Eureka! Since I was making the purchase, I decided on a fairly simple black ’09 hat with some characters on it. Not a great hat, by any means, but I was getting desparate. I don’t even have any pictures of it or of me in it, but it sufficed for a day.

With the victory of finding the pirate ears fresh in our hearts, we made our way to the monorail to the TTC and caught a quick bus to Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic! We arrived in enough time that they hadn’t opened the gates yet and people were still sitting by the roped off opening on Sunset Blvd. After being let in and forced to now stand in line, I thought a frozen strawberry lemonade might help. It wasn’t really frozen anymore. It was more just pink goo. It still tasted ok, but it turns out they’ve switched from Minute Maid brand to Nestle brand frozen lemonades. Not a good decision, IMHO. The Minute Maid brand was much “cripser” and lighter and more icy. The Nestle brand is more gooey and almost yogurt-esque, and not as refreshing.

Finally they started herding us in. They tried to funnel us all into the Mickey section, which was almost full and would have had us sitting at the top of the theater. Thanks, but no. I didn’t just wait in line for 45 minutes to be forced into cruddy seats. They opened up the Scar section, just to the right, about 10 people after we passed it. I don’t think so! We, along with a good chunk of the herd, stepped over the bleachers and backtracked to the section where we could actually get close enough to see what was going on, much to the dismay of the CMs directing everyone to not step over the bleachers. Well, I wouldn’t have to if you hadn’t been blocking the stairs I was trying to use! Sorry lady, but I’m not wasting all this time standing in line for a bad seat because you want to fill up one section at a time. The whole point of getting there early is to get the best seats, not the nosebleed section because it’s more convenient for you. Normally I follow the rules really well and won’t cause any commotion, but you are not messing with my Fantasmic! show! We went all the way down and sat nine rows from the front.

Here’s the big cheese:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009198.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009199.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009201.jpg

Just Can’t Wait to Be King:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009204.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009206.jpg

Floats. Get it? “Floats.” Hehe…never mind.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009209.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009210.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009211.jpg

Uh, oh! The Evil Queen:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009213.jpg

What kind of nightmarish mischief is she up to? To be continued in Part 4

jwhtewolfd

10-13-2009, 02:57 PM

“Magic mirror on the wall…”

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009214.jpg

“All the forces of evil I call!”

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009220.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009222.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009226.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009228.jpg

Mickey saves the day!

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009229.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009230.jpg

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http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009232.jpg

Celebrate!

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009236.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009237.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009238.jpg

Sorcerer Mickey!

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009241.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009242.jpg

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009243.jpg

These courtesy of Tony:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DSCF0031.jpg

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http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DSCF0033.jpg

Some imagination, huh?

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009244.jpg

After MOOving to the exit, we lined up for a bus to the Polynesian. Fantasmic! let out at 8:30 and we checked in to Kona Café at the Polynesian at 9:25. Oh my, wow, what a place! Seeing the Poly at night for the first time, lit up by the tiki torches - I think I’m in love. Unfortunately, I was too tired and awestruck to remember to take any pictures while we waited ten minutes to be seated. The first word I have written in my notes for Kona is “rich.” Everything is loaded with flavor.

We were tucked back in a corner off to the right, so that helped with the atmosphere a bit. The first thing to the table was this big hunk of bread.

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009245.jpg

It looked a little blah at first, but then I picked it up and tried to break it. At which point I found I didn’t need to break it; it was SO soft, it just pulled apart. There was some kind of special flavored butter, but I couldn’t bring myself to put it on the bread, it was already so good. In fact, it was so good that I asked for another loaf to bring back to the room. I tore a chunk off each morning for “breakfast.” My one complaint about Kona is that they rushed out the app and entrée, and then took their sweet time with dessert and the check.

I’ve been reading people singing the praises of these sticky wings for over a year, so there was no question about it for me. Tony, however, was concerned about the “mustard drizzle” description on the menu. There he goes, suddenly trying to have an opinion after a year’s worth of asking him to pay just a teensy bit of attention to the planning. Objection overruled. We’re having sticky wings:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009246.jpg

Slightly tangy, a little sweet, delicious. And rich.

The teriyaki New York strip is supposed to be the most popular dish, but due to an unfortunate incident with some teriyaki chicken, I can’t eat teriyaki anything without getting sick. That made choosing the ginger crusted rib eye easy. And I was glad I did. Just look at this:

http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff355/jdifatta/Disney%20World%202009/9-25-09%20MK%20and%20Fantasmic/DisneyWorld2009247.jpg

Medium rare, cooked perfectly on the inside, seared on the outside, juicy, tender. Great, real mashed potatoes.

Tony went with the pomegranite barbequed pork chop:

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He ordered it well, so I thought it was a little dry, but he raved and raved about it. He said he tasted like you hoped it would. The roasted potatoes were good enough to steal a few, too.

Time to order dessert and I was so full of rich food I could barely see straight. Before they seat you, they walk you in front of the desserts, and I had seen some kind of chocolate cake up there. I pointed to the first thing that I saw with the word “chocolate” in it on the menu. It ended up being the chocolate fondue.

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But that was ok because I was too full to eat cake anyway. I ended up only eating the strawberries. There were some kind of coconut things behind that tall brittle pieces, but I don’t like coconut and the brittle piece was too sweet.

Tony had smelled the waffle cones when we first walked in and had been going on and on about wanting to get the Kona Cone for the waffle cone, but then suddenly changed his mind and went with the banana chocolate crème brulee.

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He must have liked it, because as full as he claimed to be, he almost finished it.

MNSSHP was still going on, so we were able to monorail back to MK and catch a bus to Pop from there. The trip took about 45 minutes. Not too bad, considering it’s a 15-20 minute drive from MK to Pop and we had to catch two monorails and a bus. Which brings us to the end of Day 1. Up next: Day 2 - HS, Spectro, a diluted Wishes and Lake Magic Kingdom.

jwhtewolfd

10-15-2009, 12:46 AM

We got back to the room and I tried icing my shins, because I could feel shin splints starting, probably from that dreadful Treehouse. Luckily I had packed several empty Ziploc bags that came in handy for just such an occasion. I fell asleep with the bags of ice in the bed, which were bags of water by morning. But they didn’t leak. Except for the shin splints, my legs and feet were faring pretty well, especially compared to last year on day two.

Morning EMH means Stitch wakes you up at 6:10am. Yeah, 6:10. I get every last minute of sleep possible. We’re going to ride Rock n Roller Coaster today, so we decide to wear out matching Metallica shirts, because we are, indeed, ready to rock. Bus magic is with us, because there is a bus waiting for us at the bus stop.

There was not as much magic at the turnstiles, however. We were first at the turnstiles toward the left. Not the last ones all the way to the left, but on the left side. I would have to say we stood there a good 15 minutes, with several CMs passing by us, until one CM walked over and asked if we had a breakfast reservation. Um, no. And then proceeds to give us some bull story about this line is only for breakfast reservations. Well, there are no signs and none of the other CMs seemed to think that was the case, not to mention the fact that we’ve been standing here for 15 minutes while all the other lines continue to grow.

I responded with a simple “You’re kidding, right?“ He just gave me some dumb look like he couldn’t possibly see what the problem was in making us move. The jerk still made us move anyway, behind all the people that had been arriving after us. Real nice, moron. Way to spread the Disney magic. I left him with some choice words under my breath. Oh yeah, I was mad. And I was 95% sure the jerk really had no idea what he was talking about. Yeah, I got out of bed at 6am to stand BEHIND a bunch of people at the front gate. Or not.

They finally opened up the turnstiles and our early morning appearance was a complete bust as hundreds streamed through before us while we sat behind the 30 fools who can’t figure out how to use turnstiles. It’s really simple people: card, finger, green light, go. I don’t get the hold up. There was no rope drop show, so we were able to jockey for semi-decent position as people stopped paying attention, about 4 - 5 people back from the rope. Then the race was on.

We went for the Toy Story Fast Passes first. I ended up last in line before the line started turning at the machine furthest to the left, which means there were maybe 10 people in front of me? They finally turned on the machines and wouldn’t you just know it, the clueless lady that was at the front of our line apparently had absolutely no idea what to do. The rest of the lines were flowing, and we were at a dead stop. Not even for three full minutes, but long enough that you start to crane your neck and try to figure out what the heck is going on up there. The guy behind her must’ve said something, because when clueless lady finally made her way through the exit, she was spouting off something about being rude and waiting a minute. The lady in front of me looked at me, and I gave her a knowing glance and a nod. She said (to me, the troublemaker lady was gone at this point) “if you can’t handle the heat, get out the line!” I agreed and said “That’s right, you can’t be messing with people’s plans like that.” We both had a light chuckle and our line started rocketing forward with people who knew what the heck they were doing.

Which brings me to this little rant: please! if you’re joining the morning crowds, please! know what the heck you are doing. It’s just sheer dumb luck if you end up in front of the people that have been planning for this moment all year. If you are in charge of getting FPs for your party, there are some simple rules to follow:

1. For the love of all that is swiss-cheese-holey, don’t shuffle you KTTW cards! Put one in, take it out, set it aside. Rinse, repeat. These machines are SLOW, you should be able to work faster than them.

2. You do NOT need to take out each FP before inserting the next card. Leave it alone! It’s not going anywhere. Just put the next ticket in. Take them all at the same time once all the tickets have been run through.

3. If for some reason something’s not working right, don’t just stand there looking puzzled and trying the same thing over and over again. Get the CM’s attention. That’s what they’re there for!

Ok, we can get on the ride now. The standby sign says 30 minutes, but it took us closer to 10 because the line was still moving the whole time. I won this round, and I guess Tony was still half asleep, because he didn’t throw a tantrum. He might have just been too excited for what was up next. Oh, I snapped this after we got off:

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That’s a 40 minute wait at 8:35 in the morning. Yikes. I think we did ourselves a disservice by coming a week later this year. I thought it might be a little cooler coming the last week of September and into the first week of October, but it was even hotter this year than last year. We never even got a cool night. It wasn’t desperately horrible (by my New Orleans standards) but it wasn’t the nice mild weather we had most of the time a week earlier the year before. Also, I think the crowds came in for Food and Wine Festival. Last year’s pictures have very few people in the streets, this year there were a LOT more people to manuver around. Wait times weren’t terrible, if you knew what you were doing, but I saw a few lines that could really throw things off if you didn’t know any better. So, where were we? Oh yeah, on the way to RnR.

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Snapped this while in line for RnR:

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And, no, we didn’t ride it this year. By choice.

I wasn’t contemplating backing out, but for some reason I was REALLY nervous to ride RnR again. I’d already done it last year and liked it. I don’t know what my problem was. But we rode it, and it was fun. I think I’ll ALWAYS need to buy something in this store after riding RnR. I think it’s the adrenelin still rushing, so I throw financial caution to the wind. I bought this shirt and black fuzzy Mickey dice for the car:

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Tony bought a sleeveless red shirt, that I’m sure I have a picture of him wearing at some point, and he snuck in a pair of sunglasses while I wasn’t looking. A disaster waiting to happen! To top it off, he decided to change into his new sleeveless shirt. This really didn’t sit right with me for two reasons. Number one, he had no sunscreen on his shoulders. He was wearing a short-sleeve shirt in the morning when we applied sunscreen, so I could just hear the whining I’d have to put up with after he got sunburned. Number two, we had agreed that morning to wear our Metallica shirts together, so we’d match, and now I’m stuck wearing a hot black shirt for the rest of the day for no reason.

He, of course, pulled this stunt when he went in the bathroom without consulting me first. So he comes out and I’m looking for a dark shirt, not a red shirt. That irritated me too. Then he has to go smoke. Another PITA. Not only will he not wait until we pass a smoking section, he decides to just start walking off to the ToT smoking section because he remembers one being “right there” last year.

Well, let me tell you, “right there” has a whole different meaning depending on if you smoke or not. “Right there” for Tony kept being completely out of the way in the total opposite direction than we needed to go. And frankly I refused to waste all those extra steps to sit around getting second hand lung cancer. Not to mention all the wasted time. Oh, and don’t forget that it’s more efficient to just start walking off to a smoking section you’ve used before than to actually consult the map and find the CLOSEST one that may actually be in the right direction. This was a MAJOR annoyance all trip long. He smoked way more this year than he did last year. And we won’t even talk about how embarrassing it is to end Every. Single. Meal. sitting Alone. while the check comes because he has to go off and smoke.

At any rate, while Tony trekked off to the smoking section that was NOT “right there” (but try telling him that), I waited on the bench by the bathrooms across from RnR. While I was waiting, the cutest little boy with a Scottish (?) accent runs up to the elderly lady sitting next to me. He, his dad and his grandpa had all just ridden ToT, and runs up shouting “I didn’t even scream!” It was so cute. He was so proud of himself. And I just throught to myself “I sure the heck screamed my head off and I’m never riding that crazy thing again.”

Next on the agenda was Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We tried several times to see it last year, and never did, so I was making sure not to miss it this time. I cheated a little and stood in line while I sent Tony to go get us another set of FP for Toy Story. But it turned out ok, because no one had gotten in line behind me by the time he got back. (For anyone interested, he got the FPs at 9:40am and the return time was for 2:35pm. When we approached the ride at 2:20pm, FP were gone for the day.)

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It’s a really cute show. I like the lasers and the rain and how they incorporated the movie clips into the show. I think too often they stray away from the original animation. I think that’s a mistake; it’s the animation that people love. That’s what they bring into their homes and watch again and again. I’m so glad to see the return of the hand drawn animation. You just don’t get the same feeling from the computer animation.

And speaking of animation, next we head over to the Magic of Disney Animation. Tony started a to-do in line, insisting that he wasn’t going to do the animation academy because he didn’t want to sit there and “make a fool of himself.” HA! You will come to see just how ridiculous this statement really is later on. He truly has a warped sense of what constitutes “making a fool of himself.” At any rate, we sat through the Mushu bit, but when we came out the Animation Academy waiting area was already at capacity. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to wait for the next one and still make the 11:30am showing of Beauty and the Beast. It was still early in the day and we still had another day planned, so I didn’t think much of it. Tony, of course, had already scurried away to smoke, so I had to locate him before being able to head off to the Theater of the Stars.

Here’s some ambiance shots taken on the way to B&B:

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And I popped in to the increasingly disappointing Villains in Vogue just to take this:

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I wanted to make sure to get good seats for Beauty and the Beast because I know from experience it’s not something Tony is willing to repeat once we’ve seen it once that trip. We sat just in front of the “electronics pit.” Just going to mention now how uncomfortable those bleachers are. I don’t mind a bench seat, but they decided to put a back across the bleacher seat and, well, let’s just say if you have any kind of backside, they didn’t leave enough room for it to fit on the bench. Pictures aplenty for this show; the closeups are from me; the far away ones are from Tony:

Here in town there’s only she / who’s as beautiful as me

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Be Our Guest:

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There’s something there that wasn’t there before:

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Kill the beast:

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Beauty and the Beast:

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I promise, I really did try to be selective with the pictures. We have over 25 of this show alone. At least we’re doing better, as we almost made it to lunch before running out of room this time. Next up: Chapter 4: Day 2, Part 2 - lunch and HS west

jwhtewolfd

10-20-2009, 02:00 PM

Sorry for the delay. As of this weekend, Tony and I are no longer "Tony and I." It was inevitable, it was just a matter of when, but it's still rough after six years. I haven't been ready to go back to the notes and pictures of our trip yet; hopefully next weekend. Thanks for being patient.

UPDATE:

It's just Bugging me that this sits undone. Therefore, I give you the quick, pic-free version of the rest of the trip:

Lunch at Catalina Eddie's was unimpressive. LMA! I thought was cool, but the scenes went on too long for my taste (as action and chase scenes usually do). TSMM x2 w/FP (yours truly won both times). Uneventful Backlot Tour, followed by walk on Star Tours, Indy and GMR. Hop to MK - dinner from Columbia Harbor House on the curb, fighting off the rabid spot-stealers for Spectro. Heavy rain drove the crowds out, but didn't stop Wishes. And didn't stop Tony from rambling on with some stranger during the whole damn show.

Sunday - AK - gotta start with the Safari, and first showing of FotLK, then some shopping - leopard print ears and matching hat = awesome combo. Delicious lunch at Flame Tree BBQ. Meet Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger, grab EE FP and get in line for Nemo. Too much nasty rain and too much back and forth seeking shelter - head out for AKL and Boma. Getting off at the wrong stop sets off a Tony-tantrum. AKL - neat. Boma - don't need to do again. Back to Pop, but decide to skip Wishes after arguing about smoking in the bathroom. Pop pics ensue.

Monday - EPCOT - long wait for the bus, but knock out Soarin', Test Track, Mission: Space, and Spaceship Earth before lunch at Coral Reef. Next door to Nemo and Turtle Talk - too cute! Soarin' again, then Figment and Innovations west. Tony put himself in a video game and we reached our savings goal in the piggy bank game. Explored the area after Spaceship Earth for a bit, brief stop in Mouse Gears, then on to World Showcase. FOOD AND WINE! Breeze past Mexico again. Considerable amount of time in China - acrobats, 360 degree movie, shopping. Illuminations, and who knew they closed the F&W booths during EMH?! Stayed for American Adventure just b/c it was the only thing to do. Wouldn't have seen it otherwise, but turned out to be pretty good - esp. Voices of Liberty before it. Quick late dinner at Electric Umbrella on the way out since we spent so much F&W time in China.

Tuesday - AK - we **gasp** SLEPT IN! Got to AK just in time to eat lunch at Yak and Yeti CS. Walked the Jungle Trek and the TTBAB queue to get Tree of Life pics. FotLK giraffe section, followed by Pangani Trail and the most awesome parade - coming and going! Time to head off - ferry from TTC to MK entrance. Seated late at Crystal Palace, but got to ask Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet if they were going to the party that night. Told Eeyore to have fun and Piglet to be brave. MNSSHP exploits - Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Small World, PhilharMagic, HalloWishes, Villain stage show, Boo-to-you parade (which triggered ANOTHER argument), m&g Baloo and Timon, Peter Pan, Dumbo, Snow White and a very last minute Winnie the Pooh, in which I spent way too much in the gift shop out of guilt for browsing while they were trying to close for the night.

Wednesday - EPCOT - 1st ride of the day on Soarin'! and ride stand-by again, b/c that's how we roll. Nemo and Turtle Talk finishes us Future World for today. French bakery = mega-drool. LeCellier = NOT overrated! Martin Short showed us around Canada, but drawn back to France - must have that grey goose limone slush! Mild exploring, then time for Garden Grill - ye gods, more food??! Overdid it with the food and alcohol, but pressed on for Spectro and Wishes. Great spot for Spectro at the last minute, and then felt fine. Even called to check in at work!

Thursday - HS - no wake up call sets us back big time, but we managed to have a lovely morning despite the plans-out-the-window issue. TSMM FP, Starring rolls breakfast, Mulch Sweat and Shears x 2, lots of pictures and shopping...until...lunch...and... the Hat. Cue three hour fight. One Man's Dream is a great way to ignore the person you are with. Brown Derby dinner was less than fabulous, but it could have just been the company. Even Fantasmic! x 2 couldn't salvage the night. And I never got to do an Animation Academy. :(

Friday - MK - Buzz x 2. To make peace, I point out the high-score targets to Tony. I still win both times. He's still mad about it. Some serious magic and playing pretend is in order to get through this day. The cure-all: Winnie the Pooh, Carrousel, Sword in the Stone and top it off with PhilharMagic x 2 and a crazy spin on the Tea Cups. Rail road from ToonTown all the way around and back to Main Street to meander up to the Plaza for lunch. Chocolate shake = !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Digest with a bit of meandering and avoiding crowds: Pirates, Jungle Cruise x 2, Liberty Belle, Country Bear Jamboree (why?), and more Pirates. 3:00pm parade at 3:00pm, then off to Epcot. Spaceship Earth, Turtle Talk, F&W, Japanese drummers, and Tutto Italia. Veal Ravioli! Chocolate Torte! Lemon sorbet! Illuminations! Things are finally good again.

Saturday - departure day :( pack and hit up Earl of Sandwich for lunch and car snacks. Lots of fighting in the car :( Overall - the destination was great; the company was terrible.