Diary of a Disney Hostage: The Trip Report (Last Edited: 8/27)

[danceintherain]

Hey all!
This trip report is very late in coming as we returned from our Honeymoon almost 4 months ago, but things have been crazy.
I graduate next month, so I've been working on that, and we found out that DH can graduate at the end of the summer which means we might get to move away from here sooner.

Anyways, a little bit about myself and other important characters, especially for all non-Snowbirds and others who may have not read my poor excuse for a pre-trip report.

I'm Becca, and a few years ago I decided that when I got married I wanted to go to Disney World on my Honeymoon:lovestruc. My boyfriend at the time Logan, who is my DH now was a bit skeptical, but as with most things I told him I knew more about it than he did and he would LOVE IT!
This is us:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeozLWl_HCI/AAAAAAAAAk0/tTQda59-sMU/s512/IMG_1367.JPG

The planning began over a year before the wedding, and before I had done any wedding planning, or he had proposed. I was going to Disney.

I planned on getting married in January, which happens to be one of the best crowd times at Disney.
A wedding in January - in Kansas - had a few requirements for me.
1. A cape and boots
2. Hot chocolate at the reception

Both of which I got, and became basically obselete because it was beautiful the whole week around my wedding.
We got snow less than a month ago, but clear skies and warmth the first week of January. Go figure!

I loved my cape, boots, and hot chocolate though, so it was ok.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeozUVu9n1I/AAAAAAAAAnw/cWUBU2Oho0c/s512/IMG_1393.JPG

Our trip was 10 days staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in a Pool View Room. My dream was a Savannah View room, but it was a little too pricey, so it was either Pool View or downgrade to a Moderate. I'm reasonable when I have to be.

Arrival and Settling In (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=31404676#post31404676)
Under the Sea and Riders in the Sky (page 1) (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=31517886#post31517886)
When I See an Elephant Fly (page 2) (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=31820196#post31820196)
We're Gonna Make You a Star (page 2) (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=32333056#post32333056)
The Studios & EPCOT (page 3) (http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=32548782#post32548782)
A Whole New World (page 3) (http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=33335968#post33335968)

[danceintherain]

I scheduled our plane flight for as early in the day as possible, but it still didn't have us getting in until 3pm. However, our departing flight was at 9am, which meant getting to the airport by 7:30. The Kansas City airport usually doesn't have long lines, otherwise we would have had to get there even earlier.

We got on our plane, and were excited to begin our Disney adventure.

When we arrived at the Orlando airport and headed straight to the food court for a bit to eat. We hadn't eaten anything since breakfast that morning and it was already very late in the afternoon. We didn't have much time during our layover in Atlanta, so we didn't get a chance to grab something there.
We then stopped in the Earport to see about getting me an Annual Pass voucher. They said they didn't sell them...oh well.

We headed downstairs to check-in for Magical Express. The line was very short and we were on our bus in a matter of minutes. I was thrilled!

We stopped at Pop Century first, and I was interested to see the outside of the resort. Then, we were off to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. However, we didn't enter and check in immediately.
We were staying at the Lodge on an Annual Passholder discount and I had yet to obtain an Annual Pass.
We first tried the bus to the Animal Kingdom. The driver said the park was closing, so we'd have better luck going somewhere else. He didn't know why we were going to a park, and I didn't clarify. I probably should have considering later on we found out that the bus to the Animal Kingdom to maybe 5 minutes. Also, the hours I had for the parks said the Animal Kingdom was open until 6 that night, and it was only 5.

We instead took the bus to EPCOT and bought our tickets from a very pleasant and helpful CM. She was thrilled that we were on our Honeymoon and that it was Logan's first trip, and hooked us up with all the appropriate buttons.
Logan ended up with 4 buttons by the end of the week as they gave us the 2008 ones at first, then gave us the 2009 style. He LOVED his buttons.

We then hopped right back on the bus back to the Lodge. We could have wandered in to EPCOT for a little while, but we both had packed waaay too much in our carryons and didn't feel like lugging them around anymore.

We checked in and were given all our documents. They didn't even ask for my Annual Pass. Oh well!
We were in room 4430 which was down the Zebra Trail. It was very convenient to the elevator. We only used it when going down to the Pool Level. Otherwise, it was faster to walk down the Hall toward the Lobby and take the stairs.
I just now realized that a Savannah View room would have been less convenient, because there would have been the possibility of being really far down one of the trails.
I had been hoping for a complimentary upgrade, but I knew it was unlikely since we were staying so long, and no Savannah View availability came up when I searched our dates.
I was perfectly satisfied with our view though. The animals would have been nice, but we still saw a few in the viewing areas.

Here are a few pictures from our room (I thought I had taken one of the view, but apparently it didn't make it):


http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seor867c_rI/AAAAAAAAAEw/_vyZsrRWSgk/s640/SANY0666.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seor9_pFJzI/AAAAAAAAAE4/fTavLze_jz0/s640/SANY0667.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosDS0cRUI/AAAAAAAAAvc/srDz6vW5rp4/s512/SANY0668.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosFyKsMtI/AAAAAAAAAvk/N4Ge8dSIzEE/s512/SANY0671.JPG

After we had spent a little time in our room, it was time for our ADR at Jikos...

[heaven2dc]

Congratulations on your wedding! Your cape is beautiful :lovestruc I haven't been to Kansas in years - I lived in Hays until I was 4 years old then went back a couple times to visit relatives.

How exciting to spend your honeymoon in WDW and stay at AKL! I wish they had automatically upgraded you. Can't wait to hear about the rest of the trip :banana:

[danceintherain]

Congratulations on your wedding! Your cape is beautiful :lovestruc I haven't been to Kansas in years - I lived in Hays until I was 4 years old then went back a couple times to visit relatives.

How exciting to spend your honeymoon in WDW and stay at AKL! I wish they had automatically upgraded you. Can't wait to hear about the rest of the trip :banana:


I wish they had too, but it occurred to me a few months before we got there that it was very unlikely (I know it's always unlikely) because of the length of our stay.
One day I'll get to stay in a Savannah view, but this trip was more about riding EVERYTHING, which we just about did.

[GBShorts]

I can't wait to read about your honeymoon at Disney! I wanted to do that but was too chicken to ask because my husband wasn't/isn't much of a Disney buff...Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

[danceintherain]

I can't wait to read about your honeymoon at Disney! I wanted to do that but was too chicken to ask because my husband wasn't/isn't much of a Disney buff...Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

I was a bit worried about my DH not being into it. He's more of the fishing and hunting type, but he loved our trip. I think I've succeeded in making a Disney lifer out of him. He wants to go back for a second honeymoon.

[mickeystoontown]

Wonderful trip report so far. Signin' on to read more!

[danceintherain]

I apologize for not taking any pictures at Jikos. I think the camera was just about dead after we got to the hotel.

Overall, the meal was good. However, this was the only place we had trouble with being on the DDP. When the hostess had asked when we checked in if we'd be using the DDP I just assumed that she would pass the information along to our server. Apparently she did not, or he didn't remember, because a few things happened at the end of our meal that were a bit confusing. But let's talk about things in order...

From looking at our receipts I can tell you our server's name was Ron. Before we ordered he brought us a selection of African breads and butters. They were all very tasty, and probably my favorite thing about this meal.

I ordered the Chermoula Tanglewood Chicken and Logan had the Oak Grilled Filet Mignon.

I enjoyed my meal, but it was a little spicy for my taste. Also, I ate through all the dark meat before I realized there was a whole portion of white meat, and by then I was at the point where I needed to leave room for dessert.

Logan enjoyed his meal as well. I think I remember trying it, and thinking I should have ordered what he did instead.

Now for our first DDP confusion...Ron brought us a complimentary Celebration Creme Brulee. It was VERY good. Logan was so impressed that he decided to order Creme Brulee during at least one other meal, though I believe the Jikos Creme Brulee was his favorite.
Well after we had eaten our Creme Brulee, we proceeded to order our DDP desserts, and we both chose what was most likely the richest dessert on the menu: The Chocolate Cheesecake.
We probably should have just gotten one and split it, but we both got our own, and since we were simply heading back to the hotel afterwards, I believe we both made significant progress on our Cheesecakes before giving up.

After that Ron gave us our check, so we gave him a room card for our credits. This is when the confusion occurred, he charged our room instead of redeeming credits. We explained this when he got back, and he made the necessary adjustments, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

We only had one other problem with Dining Plan credits at EPCOT later in our trip.

Afterwards, we headed back to our room as I had an early day planned in the morning.

[MiaBella05]

popcorn:: subbing, can't wait to read about it!! popcorn::

[MEK]

Lovely start to your trip report. Congratulations on your wedding and disneymoon. Looking forward to reading more.

[danceintherain]

In all my Disney planning I chose EPCOT as our first park. As a little overview, I planned two days in every park with one as a "Rope Drop" day and one as a "Sleep-in" day. It was also convenient because we got to split the major attractions between two days, and didn't have to hurry to get to the attractions we had planned.

Today was a "Sleep In" day, mostly because I didn't want to upset my husband by dragging him out of bed at the crack of dawn for our first Disney day, especially since we had gotten up super early the morning before to make our flight.
Even though this was a sleep in day, I was ready to go relatively early, and after I gave Logan a minute I dragged him down to the buses.
Here's us on the bus:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosJt9yhFI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/dw3cd1fapPs/s640/SANY0672.JPG
and Logan sporting his very first Disney park map
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosKQ5JclI/AAAAAAAAAvs/iKv0XFz60X4/s512/SANY0673.JPG
My guess is that we arrived between 10 and 11, though I'm not quite sure.
My major goal for today was Soarin', so as soon as we entered the park we headed towards the Land complex to obtain FastPasses. I'm not sure what the wait was, but it was long enough that we didn't have time wait in line for it.
We did, however, have time for the Circle of Life presentation.
It was a little preachy for my taste, especially since I had just spent a semester in an Environmental Sociology class. It was cute though, and I love me some Timon and Pumbaa.

After that we headed over to The Living Seas, and rode the Nemo rode. This was a first for me, as we skipped it during our last Disney trip. It was fun...I love the "Clammobiles", they were cozy.

Then came Turtle Talk with Crush... this was one of my favorite things from my last trip. It was still highly amusing.
Then we had to ask a CM where the Coral Reef restaurant was, because I had no idea. She gave us instructions, and we headed over. It was a little early, but we were both extra hungry, because we had skipped breakfast since we had slept in a little, and I didn't want us to be full for our lunch.

They gave us our beeper and we went to sit out in the sun while we waited.
We didn't get seated near the tank, which was slightly disappointing, but we still had a decent view.

Our server was nice. She seemed much more well versed in the Dining Plan than our Jikos server, and proceeded to tell us all the things our meal included.
Logan ordered the Blackened Catfish, and I had the New York Strip steak. For drinks I had the Sour Apple Freeze and we can't seem to remember what Logan had. My Sour Apple Freeze was good, but didn't go very well with my steak.
Logan really liked his fish... my steak was fine. Not the best I had ever had, but not the worst either.

Then for dessert....
Logan was so impressed by his Creme Brulee that he ordered another one for dessert. I had the Tropical Fruit Mango Sorbet, and hey, I remembered to take a picture
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosLhf4OkI/AAAAAAAAAFg/yBRS9JXKjXo/s640/SANY0674.JPG
I thought the Sea Horse cracker was a nice touch, but it didn't taste very good.
We both enjoyed our desserts, but I remember mine was really cold which made it more difficult to consume rapidly. The fruit was really good though.

NEXT: Figment and Botan Rice Candies

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Hi, there! Congratulations on being a new bride! Your wedding photo was lovely. And congrats on converting your new DH to being a Disneylover. Not an easy task as my DH has been twice and even opted out on our recent March trip. Bummer. :confused3 I haven't given up all hope yet, tho.

Love your TR so far. And taking pics of the curtains was a great idea! I'd have never thought to do that. Gotta love those Disney "touches". They make the trip so magical, don't they? :wizard:

Can't wait to hear more!

[danceintherain]

After we filled our bellies and exited the Coral Reef it was off to Imagination!

To start off... I am not a huge fan of most of Disney's 3D shows... I don't like the smells, or the fact that they like to blow stuff on you (with the exception of Philharmagic) but since it was Logan's first trip I wanted to give him the opportunity to do and see everything, so we did Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, and I promptly covered my face during the dog part.

Then, on to Figment...as much as I dislike the 3D shows, Logan disliked Figment. I think it had something to do with the bright colors and crazy music.
I enjoyed it, and held my breath during the "smell" part. I probably was nice and warned Logan about it as well...

Then, we had Fast Passes to use, so back to The Land Pavillion to complete the attractions there.
We hopped on Living with the Land, which we both liked so much we went on it again later. I just love the fresh smell of the garden area.

Then Soarin'...Logan was a little nervous about this ride, because he has a small fear of heights, but he thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Me a little less so, mostly because we ended up at the top, and on the end, so I could see the black screen around the edges. I tried to ignore it, but was unsuccessful.

Then, as we had saved the rides on the other side of the park for our second EPCOT day, we began to tour the World Showcase.
and hey look, we took some pictures!
Canada
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosPFZ_3LI/AAAAAAAAAF0/-ZpxHx5YfSg/s640/SANY0676.JPG
I'm pretty sure Logan had never seen a Seagull before...
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosPgoJnCI/AAAAAAAAAv0/nKIOim_Ka9k/s512/SANY0677.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosRwqpwrI/AAAAAAAAAwc/yr4tAtXR3O0/s512/SANY0678.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosUyitgpI/AAAAAAAAAGU/VGnhEGbZfQ4/s640/SANY0680.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosVzOlUVI/AAAAAAAAAGc/xMvMHLDe7Yw/s640/SANY0681.JPG
France
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosXr1LyTI/AAAAAAAAAGk/_K2otigon-M/s640/SANY0682.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosdwEGVKI/AAAAAAAAAGs/Tdnwj3FYiNc/s640/SANY0683.JPG

Morocco
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosfQ2Yy3I/AAAAAAAAAG0/-b9P8GVg0HU/s640/SANY0684.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoshqohreI/AAAAAAAAAHE/TqWy9kYUCao/s640/SANY0686.JPG

Japan
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosijwJD3I/AAAAAAAAAyM/NelqTJeQeWY/s512/SANY0687.JPG
Upon arrival in Japan I had a task ahead of me... We walked through every store in search of Botan Rice Candies!

These candies were one of the only things I remember from when we lived in Orlando, so I was very attached to them. The thing I remembered most about them was the fact that you eat the wrappers. (well the second wrapper)

When I mentioned them to my family a while back, none of them remembered them, and thought I was making them up, but upon perusal of these boards I found that they do exist, and that they were and are still sold in the Japan Pavilion

I found them and was satisfied. They were the only souvenir, other than my Bride ears that I bought while at Disney. They're not quite as citrusy as I remember them, but that's ok.

After I had secured my candies... we headed back towards the exit, because Logan was a bit tired out from his first Disney day.

I was trying to stall, because I was supposed to bump into Soleil that day, but alas my stalling didn't quite work well enough.
We did however, stop to watch the waiters do their show... I'm disappointed we didn't take any pictures, but Logan was worried about drawing any attention to ourselves...He was not anxious to be part of the show.

We exited the park, and headed back to the room, so Logan could get a nap.
We had been planning on going to MG --- Disney Studios for extra magic hours and maybe a showing of Fantasmic?, but after Logan had napped for a while, and we had gotten something to eat from the Mara it was already pushing 8 and we waited for the bus for probably 45 minutes, before we gave up and went back the room. The Disney Studios buses were the only ones we had problems with the whole trip.

However... I did find this lovely picture...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seosm57aJnI/AAAAAAAAAH4/6p5DAf62Px8/s640/SANY0692.JPG
A night time picture of our lovely view...charming isn't it?

Then, off to bed, because we had our first early Disney day in the morning to the Magic Kingdom...

NEXT: Logan gets to take a ride with his favorite Disney character of all time
Any guesses?

[tink1957]

:cool1:Nice pics, I like your view. Just found your TR today & can't wait to read more.

Congrats on your wedding. Hope you have many happy years visiting WDW together.

I'm guessing the Mad Hatter.

[Sleeping*Beauty]

I'm guessing Mickey Mouse.

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Buzz Lightyear????? :confused3

[stacikristine]

Hey!! I found your TR... Great job so far! :thumbsup2 I love the night time view from your room. It makes me even more excited to be at AKL! I can't wait to hear more!!

[Monny2AE]

Congrats on spending your honeymoon in Disney! That's where we went for ours too. :cloud9:

[danceintherain]

Ok...so maybe I was a bit misleading.

He didn't actually get to ride WITH a character. He got to ride ON his favorite character.

As a little background, when I went to Disney World with my parents a few years ago, about a year after Logan and I started dating, I wanted to get him a special present.

I asked him who his favorite character was and he said Dumbo and 'Mater.
Now, looking at Logan you could guess 'Mater... He's a tow truck all covered in rust, but lovable on the inside.
However, Dumbo...is a bit more of a stretch...
For example...here's a few pictures of Logan in his element...

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SgxBmzpuTwI/AAAAAAAAA1o/rDW2mJjpAd0/dress%20blues.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SgxBnJo320I/AAAAAAAAA1w/rYkIl20lSPk/tractor.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SgxCMBZUMcI/AAAAAAAAA10/mm1jYY3mM8M/fish.jpg

I specifically picked pictures where he wasn't smiling, because he never smiled in pictures until he met me.

His attachment to Dumbo comes from much further back...
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SgxCrTR7ePI/AAAAAAAAA14/wSFp7cFcq1Y/s512/cowboy.jpg

When Logan was little... his favorite Disney movie was Dumbo. I also think Dumbo was where he got his fear.... I mean "dislike" of clowns.

I did attempt to find a plush 'Mater, but I was unsuccessful. I did find a wind up one that would have been on, but less cuddly, and in my opinion less practical. My search for Dumbo wasn't doing so well either, until late one night at the Magic Kingdom.
My youngest brother collects things... and he had wanted to get a coin necklace from all four parks. He had successfully found suitable souvenirs at all the parks, except the Magic Kingdom. However, nobody wanted to take him to look anymore.
I, being the kind sister that I am, volunteered to take him to probably the last store he hadn't looked in... the County Bounty... in Mickey's Toontown Fair.
We were all the way over in Adventureland area, and I was not as familiar with Disney, so I didn't realize we could take the train, so I escorted him by foot all the way across Disney.
Now...this was Disney the week between Christmas and New Year's, so when we got to County Bounty the shelves were practically bear, but as we entered through the doors my eye was drawn to the back corner of a bottom shelf.
There was a suitably sized stuffed Dumbo. I snatched it up, and brought it home to my future husband.
He LOVED it!

Then, while planning for our trip, I mentioned to Logan that we would probably skip the Dumbo ride, because the line was usually ridiculous for a minute long ride.
He was adamant that we ride it, so being the loving fiance that I was, I incorporated it into our plans.
Now, if I was going to appease this particular wish, I made it clear that we would have to get there before the park opened.

On this one day...we managed to make it in time for Rope Drop.
I immediately grabbed Logan's hand and ushered him through the crowd of people, and down Main Street towards Fantasyland.
We made it in time for the Fantasyland ropes to be dropping as we got there, and I directed Logan towards Dumbo.

I don't think we were first in line, but we were on the first rotation of the ride.
In further attempt to appease his wishes I let him choose what color Dumbo he wanted. He picked GREEN!

This is us on the ride...
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeospDLXBEI/AAAAAAAAAII/-_3ktHslYmU/s640/SANY0694.JPG

You couldn't even tell from that picture what we were riding... so I took this one, just of Logan.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosptEfCyI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/hFZej6ED9hc/s640/SANY0695.JPG

This was a very successful ride for Logan. It was even better when I showed him how to adjust the height by moving the lever.
You see... Logan had not only never been to Disney... he had rarely gotten to go to any kind of amusement park, so even the carnival type rides were new to him. No one he grew up to be so surly!
Here are a few more from after our ride...
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeossfuqKEI/AAAAAAAAAIY/kqoM45rSIfY/s640/SANY0696.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seoss97xI8I/AAAAAAAAAIg/XYAslexFKcA/s512/SANY0697.JPG

After Dumbo, Logan was hungry, so we may have gone to get food before riding anything else. I think this was most likely considering our receipt from the Main Street Bakery says 9:17am, which means we may have ridden one ride, but probably not.
We used some snack credits for breakfast.
Logan got a Cinnamon Roll and I got a Croissant. Both were tasty, and filled us up enough to go on to other things.

I think this was when we returned to play in Fantasyland. However, we did stop to get our first PhotoPass pictures taken.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyKX-a6NI/AAAAAAAAAZg/LYeTvWmvYBk/s512/image155.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyODEVEzI/AAAAAAAAAaY/dIpW2x8uxks/s512/image162.jpg

and again...
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyO-uLj2I/AAAAAAAAAag/VKqoXAlSNd8/s512/image163.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyPjJwLeI/AAAAAAAAAao/PakxGM8RoPU/s512/image164.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoySnnm1PI/AAAAAAAAAbA/J-Gk7Z7Nmj4/s512/image167.jpg

After we got some pictures taken... I'm pretty sure we went back to Fantasyland to finish the attractions (if not...this picture belongs after the Dumbo pictures)
Here's Logan waiting for Mickey's Philharmagic - Opery glasses on and ready to go...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeosvYqUWRI/AAAAAAAAAIo/mpZRi-TM-Ig/s512/SANY0698.JPG
This is the only 3D show at Disney that doesn't bother me. Actually... I love it. Logan did too, so much it was his favorite attraction for the rest of the day.
We also did Snow White, Peter Pan, Winnie-the-Pooh, and It's a Small World.
For It's a Small World, the CM even gave us our own boat. That was extra special fun.
Logan felt the same way about Winnie-the-Pooh as he did about Figment... they're a bit too trippy for him.

After this we headed over to Toontown. I decided that even though we'd have to wait in line... I wanted pictures with Mickey and Minnie in their classic attire. It was totally worth it.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyTOYQcoI/AAAAAAAAAbI/ChL0vbk3Fqc/s720/image168.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyT-9efRI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/kBt84iJBZRc/s512/image169.jpg
We also got a few pictures around Toontown. I love cartoon like scenery; it looks great in pictures.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoswJeQyiI/AAAAAAAAAIw/TFzVd2MkWMQ/s640/SANY0699.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoszekwFBI/AAAAAAAAAI4/O28gaNFJufo/s640/SANY0700.JPG
Someone even offered to take a picture of us together
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seos04ktKxI/AAAAAAAAAJI/1cc530gQP48/s640/SANY0702.JPG

After our fun in Toontown we took the train to Frontierland to Pecos Bill's for lunch. Don't ask me how we got all the way over there. I think I probably asked Logan want he wanted and he said Tacos. (this may have actually been before Toontown which would mean we didn't take the train...this may have been more likely since our receipt said 11:34am)

At Pecos Bill's I got the Chicken Wrap with Fries, Sprite, and Pudding for Dessert. Logan got the Taco Salad with Fries and Pudding for Dessert.
I particularly enjoyed the method Pecos Bill's uses for taking your order.
You get to input it yourself on a computer. It helped us to know what we got on the Dining Plan. I'm the type of person that would rather figure things out myself than ask somebody to help me, so this was right up my alley.

After wards we may have ridden a few other attractions, but I'm pretty sure we were out of the park by 1pm.
Logan, once again, needed a nap.

NEXT: Dinner in the Castle

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Hot Diggity Dog, an update!

Love the photos, too, so cute. :thumbsup2 Can't wait to hear more about the Castle Dinner.

Naps? Who naps at Disney? Oh yeah, your husband and mine! ARGGHH! :headache:

[MEK]

Excited to see an update. Lovely pictures. What a nice morning you had.

[danceintherain]

After enjoying our time in Toontown, we headed back to AKL for some rest.
I think this was the day we decided to try the pool. We didn't stay out there for very long. It was a bit cold to actually really enjoy it. Though we did try the water slide, and I only had a bit of time to be sad that my youngest siblings weren't there to enjoy it.
Also, for the past few years every time I go swimming I get water in my ear, and it usually stays there for a few days before I have any relief. Therefore, I couldn't enjoy the pool as much as I should have, because I didn't want to cause myself any irritation for the rest of the week.

Then, it was time to head back to the Magic Kingdom for our greatly anticipated dinner in the Castle. It was a bit earlier than I would have liked. I really wanted a late dinner, but oh well.
We wandered around Fantasyland for a while, as I got us there a while before they would let us check in.

Logan tried his hand at the Sword in the Stone, though he wouldn't get into it as much as I had wanted him too.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seos10gSqDI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/RX6osuWwvUo/s512/SANY0703.JPG

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seos342I5JI/AAAAAAAAAJY/Jgv4qJZzI_k/s512/SANY0704.JPG

I also attempted the feat, but Logan didn't get a picture of me, and there were a few boys that were anxious for their turn.

Look at this charming photo of the castle Logan got... I'm sure he took it, because I had very poor luck with his camera the whole trip.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seos4xEKSsI/AAAAAAAAAJg/uZGgw7L9clA/s640/SANY0705.JPG

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seos61K5PYI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/QRX1nAnetSQ/s640/SANY0707.JPG

I think I did take these pictures though, because Cinderella's Castle just happens to sport a replica of one of my favorite things in Prague:
The Astronomical Clock!
The Disney version:
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seos9eTD8GI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/Pthq1BlAJGU/s640/SANY0708.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seos-7tvhDI/AAAAAAAAAyk/kD8OwI8UH6k/s512/SANY0709.JPG
The Prague original:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v731/moremengrl86/dsc_0241.jpg
Like most Czech stories, the story surrounding this clock is rather morbid. The rumor is that the Czech gouged out the eyes of the clockmaker in order to keep him from reproducing it in another country.

Then, we were ushered into the castle, and our picture taken with Cinderella. I haven't scanned that picture in yet, but once I do, I'll share it.
Then, we were taken up a winding staircase and into the Dining Room. We were lead to a table in the middle of the room, sprinkled with Castle confetti.
Here's a picture of the ceiling directly above our heads...
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotBPqVMMI/AAAAAAAAAKM/M7OARu6CxWk/s640/SANY0710.JPG

Hey look! What's Mickey doing here?
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotCYUp_7I/AAAAAAAAAKU/YCkWG_a_zvk/s640/SANY0711.JPG

Now for one of my favorite pictures of the entire trip!
As you can see, Logan got the ribs!
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotIbMSWqI/AAAAAAAAAKc/cRA4hYbu_74/s640/SANY0712.JPG
Logan was very mad at me for taking that picture, but I thought it was too fun to pass up.

Some pictures with the characters
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotJYPB9CI/AAAAAAAAAKk/AXL-9BWjO0g/s640/SANY0713.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotNQT1EbI/AAAAAAAAAK0/P43OZCuBnSo/s640/SANY0715.JPG
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotRqStsII/AAAAAAAAAK8/pZpZ4pxETRY/s640/SANY0716.JPG

When the Fairy Godmother came out singing I sang right along with her. Logan has always been impressed with my Disney knowledge and my music lyrics knowledge, and Disney lyrics just happen to be my specialty.

This was definitely the most entertaining of all our meals with 1900 Park Fare coming up a close second.

As you saw in the picture above, Logan very much enjoyed his ribs, and I got the Lemon Lavender Chicken which I enjoyed very much. For dessert we both got the Chocolate Cream Cheese Buckle. The food was very tasty, and the entertainment divine, so overall it was a very pleasant meal.

After exiting the Castle, it was about time for the Fireworks to start.
I was a little confused on this point, as the last time I was at the Magic Kingdom for Fireworks it was New Year's Eve, so there was a stage show directly preceding them.
Thus, we were right up close to the stage. We should have gone further away, as near the castle is a bad place to view the fireworks, but oh well. I'll know better for next time.
After the Fireworks we decided to wait a little for the crowds to thin out, so we set off towards Tomorrowland.
I took a picture of the outside of the folder our pictures were in, while we waited.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotU_zQWbI/AAAAAAAAALM/HDnSB6CYPwg/s512/SANY0722.JPG
It didn't come out very well, since it was dark out, and I had to use the flash.

Then, we headed back towards Main Street, though we didn't wait quite long enough.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyWZsQWNI/AAAAAAAAAbw/v7hKAOh8fv0/s512/image208.jpg
As you can see there were still quite a few people in the park...I'm pretty sure our wait for the bus was a bit long this time.

Overall, we had a very enjoyable evening.

[floridascgirl]

I'm enjoying your trip report because we are heading to the AKL in December. I love reading anything that has to do with the lodge (good, of course) because it adds to my pre-trip excitement! :banana: Thanks for reporting...I'm staying tuned for more. :surfweb: Do you have more AKL photos?

[danceintherain]

Unfortunately, we didn't take as many pictures at the Lodge as we should have. We usually didn't take our camera with us when we were just wandering around the hotel, and were in a hurry to get to the buses or back to our room at most other times.

The staff at AKL were very nice though. They even let Logan use the internet to look up a phone number that he needed from back home.

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Another great update...:surfweb:

[MEK]

I'm a little slow to read your latest update, but I really enjoyed it. Sounds like you had a lovely meal in the castle. I am thoroughly enjoying all your pictures.

[stacikristine]

Great updates! I'm so glad you enjoyed your meal in the Castle! I've eaten bfast there, and it was so, so good. All of your pictures are just too cute :thumbsup2

[danceintherain]

After we returned to AKL from the Magic Kingdom, we went down to the Mara to grab something to eat. For some reason I can’t seem to find the receipts, but I know I got the infamous Zebra Domes, and I’m sure I got some fries. Disney fries became one of my favorite things on our trip. My other guess would be that Logan got a Double Bacon Cheeseburger, because that’s what he got pretty much every time we went to the Mara. I think he also got some cheesecake.
We decided to save our desserts for breakfast the next morning.

I woke up pretty much every morning before the alarm went off. This morning was no different. I did however let Logan sleep until the alarm while I began to get ready. However, once the alarm went off I started coaxing him out of bed.
The goal this morning was to make it to MGM… I mean Disney Studios before Rope Drop. I think we did a decent job… they started letting people in pretty much as soon as we made it to the gate.

I brought my Zebra Domes with me to eat, but after one bite I realized they were a bit rich for breakfast, especially for my stomach, and with no milk. From that one bite I thought they were tasty. Logan had downed his cheesecake before we left the hotel.

My goal for our first MGM day was to do the whole right half of the park. This way we could do Tower of Terror and Rockin’ Rollercoaster which would leave only Toy Story Mania as a major attraction for our second day.

We did stop on our way in for a few pictures….
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyXSqwNvI/AAAAAAAAAcE/WvgwAgNbjBI/s400/image210.jpg


Including my favorite Photopass picture from the whole trip.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyYlE4ToI/AAAAAAAAAcU/Utwpf46T1gc/s400/image212.jpg


As you can see we finally got our Newlywed ears… we looked for our first couple of days, and ended up finding them in a shop on our way out of the Magic Kingdom the night before. We also got the updated Celebration buttons. Logan LOVED his buttons… he wore three the whole trip. Two Newlywed ones and his First Visit one.

This was the one day that Logan and I argued slightly about which rides to go on. Logan was probably the most excited about MGM simply because he was most attracted by the prevalent themes. Star Wars… Indiana Jones…etc… Unfortunately, I hadn’t planned those attractions until our second day, which was a major oversight on my part.

As soon as we got to the park I steered Logan off to the right to get to the Tower of Terror and the Rockin’ Rollercoaster. We got Fastpasses for the RnRC then went to wait in the Standby line for the Tower of Terror.

Well… Logan did not enjoy the Tower of Terror at all. Apparently he didn’t feel his seatbelt was very safe, and the multiple drops irritated him a little bit. Actually… after we went on it he was very upset with me, and just about refused to go on the RnRC.

We argued a bit. I told him it was completely different from the ToT and I really wanted him to go on it. I did tell him that I didn’t want to make him go on anything he really didn’t want to go on, but I really wanted to go on it, because it was one of my favorite.
So…Logan being the more considerate of us agreed to go on it, but he was NOT very happy about it, and had a very surly attitude the whole time we were waiting in line.
Even though we had Fastpasses, our return time wasn’t for another 30 minutes, but the Standby wait time was only 30 minutes, so I figured we could wait in the Standby line, then us the Fastpasses if Logan wanted to… I wasn’t going to make him go on it a second time if he didn’t really want to, but the first time was important to me.

Well… he LOVED IT!
It became his favorite ride of the whole trip.
We met a Photopass photographer on the way out
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyY239D_I/AAAAAAAAAcc/wrfuopa_Z7Q/s400/image213.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyanZYBtI/AAAAAAAAAc0/6LshiWq9u4o/s400/image216.jpg



After our first ride we got to use our Fastpasses. This time Logan was not at all sulky while we were waiting in line.

However, in my desire to convince Logan that he should ride the RnRC I promised him that we could ride Star Tours that day instead of waiting.
We did stop to see Beauty and the Beast on the way, but then we made a beeline for Star Tours. I love the Beauty & the Beast show. Its just soo much fun to watch! Logan was even impressed by the disappearing and transformation of the Beast.

The posted wait for Star Tours was 30 minutes. (I’m pretty sure it was the longest wait of our entire trip) I groaned a little on the inside, but since I had practically tortured my husband by making him ride the ToT I agreed to wait. Logan was thrilled by the queuing area. He took lots of pictures while we waited.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotX-apiEI/AAAAAAAAALk/_HT-uH9X-NA/s512/SANY0728.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotbJ0gFmI/AAAAAAAAAL0/o3Go94uMGWs/s512/SANY0730.JPG
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotgoJH-pI/AAAAAAAAAL8/9YKqzxJDlPE/s512/SANY0731.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotqaeHBdI/AAAAAAAAAMI/hHEdUHkVA4Q/s512/SANY0732.JPG
(One of these days I'm gonna have to take Logan to Disney during Star Wars weekends)


We finally boarded our ship… Logan was less than impressed with the whole simulation. It was a bit too jerky, and he gets motion sick sometimes. When we exited the ride the gift shop was packed. I was shocked and irritated. There were people everywhere, and of course blocking the exit. Logan did spend some time looking at the awesome Star Wars stuff, but I try to avoid crowds as much as possible, so I tried to usher him out the door.

That’s when I found out the reason for the crowd: It was pouring!
Well as some of you know I met my husband outside in a rainstorm, so rain doesn’t bother me. It was nice to be out in the open for a while. It was around noon, so I decided to go check on our ADR.

The day before they had let us check in 30 minutes early at Coral Reef, but no such luck at Sci Fi Dine In. It probably didn't help that it was raining, so more people considered a restaurant a nice place to hide from the rain. We took a few pictures while we waited as the rain had let up a bit.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeotyM7-UrI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/zr0FGehThQQ/s512/SANY0733.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seot-EkiteI/AAAAAAAAAMY/ycRax57Gx24/s512/SANY0734.JPG


A nice man saw us taking our self-portrait and offered to take a picture of us together.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeouAhYB8mI/AAAAAAAAAMg/npml7Nbsank/s512/SANY0735.JPG

After we were wetted, and allowed to check-in. We were taken in to be seated. Sadly our car was off to the side, and far in the back, but it was still an enjoyable experience, except for the fact that AC and wetness don’t mix well, so I was freezing the whole time.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeouDnCmTrI/AAAAAAAAAMw/TdpWAysUyDk/s512/SANY0737.JPG


I got the Grilled Chicken Sandwich and a Chocolate Shake. The Shake was great, but the chicken was a bit dry. I managed to eat my fill on fries though.
Logan got the Ribs and a Strawberry Shake. I’m pretty sure he enjoyed his meal, but he always finishes everything, so that doesn’t surprise me.
I got the Peanut Butter Chocolate cake for dessert, and Logan got a Hot Fudge Sundae. They were both very good, but I definitely didn’t finish mine, because I was already very full.
After lunch we decided to head back to the resort for a break. Logan stopped to see…
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeouGxXxR9I/AAAAAAAAANA/Vup7S80c05k/s512/SANY0739.JPGDarth Vader on the way out.

This was the only day we didn’t follow my plan, and the only day we got less done than I had expected.
We did manage to make up for it slightly when we returned after our break...

[stacikristine]

I'm glad RNRC made up for ToT! :thumbsup2 It would have been so sad if he was disappointed the whole day! I have a feeling DHS will be my hubby's favorite park--it was when he went when he was 10... :upsidedow I love seeing you pictures!!

[danceintherain]

I'm glad RNRC made up for ToT! :thumbsup2 It would have been so sad if he was disappointed the whole day! I have a feeling DHS will be my hubby's favorite park--it was when he went when he was 10... :upsidedow I love seeing you pictures!!

It's definitely Logan's favorite, and he's even considering trying ToT again in a couple of weeks. We'll see if he does. I probably won't go on it if he doesn't want to.

[danceintherain]

After we took our afternoon break we headed back to MGM to take in a few more attractions. I was on a mission to find the “special” Photopass photographers, but alas they were nowhere to be found.

It was totally the wrong time of day (early evening instead of around 3pm)…

…and I was looking in the wrong part of the park (Streets of America instead of Hollywood Blvd), but I didn’t know that.

After searching for a little while I took Logan to see a show put on by some of his favorite characters.
The MUPPETS! They, unlike the droids in a galaxy far far away, did not let us down.

They were charming as always. Many laughs and knee slaps later we made our way down to hang out with Indiana Jones.
Unfortunately, when I went to jump up and scream to get pulled out of the audience my DH did not seem keen on joining me, and as I didn’t want to go up there all alone I just let the other good people in the audience get chosen. The theatre was shockingly only half full, and I like to play to a much larger crowd.
Actually I just didn’t jump up fast enough… I wanted to convince Logan to do it with me later in our trip, but our second day at MGM didn’t go much better than the first. It seems that our MGM days were the most jumbled.

After Indy we wandered over to Toy Story Mania… I’m pretty sure we used FPs we had gotten earlier in the day, because I seriously doubt I would have waited in THAT line without a FastPass.
We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves… Logan of course beat me, which I was ok with, because he has much more training in launching strange objects at targets.

At this point the park was getting very close to closing, but we managed to sneak in to the Great Movie Ride! I don’t remember this ride very well from my previous trips, but it was great fun, so I’m sure I’ll include it in all future adventures.

Ok… now here’s where a little more Disney fuzz comes in, which reiterates the fact that I should have taken more pictures. I know we rode the Great Movie Ride close to closing with very little line on our first MGM day… However, I also know that we went to EPCOT that evening, but I can’t remember how we got there. It’s possible that we took the Ferry, but I only remember riding that particular Ferry after Fantasmic the night before we came home.
Anyways… we went to EPCOT to enjoy the World Showcase a little more.
We were also searching for something to eat, and while I adore MGM… the food is a bit lacking, especially the counter service.
We began a counterclockwise tour of the World Showcase and Logan found something to eat immediately. He stopped at the UK for some Fish and Chips, which he absolutely loved.

I took a couple of bites, but I’m not a fishy sort of girl. I thought about stopping in France for some pastries, but the line was a bit long, and I wasn’t that hungry yet.

Then I got to Norway, La Kringla Bakeri Og Cafe and it seemed a bit more like my kind of place. NO LINE!
This is where our only major problem with the Dining Plan came in.
I asked a few questions about it as I ordered my food to make sure what I was getting was included in a single meal. I ordered a Chicken Salad Sandwich, a Sprite and a Cloudberry Horn, and they rang it up as 2 Snack Credits and 1 Counter Service credit. (that’s like $20 for a $15 meal!)
Now, normally I am not a confrontational person, but I am pretty darn good at Math, so I took a deep breath and calmly said “this should only be 1 counter service credit, it’s an entrée, drink, and dessert.” The girl ringing me up tried to argue with me, but I knew that I would be losing quite a bit of value in the Counter Service credit alone by using it only to redeem a sandwich. So I tried to explain the problem, but they kept telling me it was already rung up and there was nothing they could do.

At this point I knew I was being a nuisance which upset me just a little (not angry upset, but potentially crying upset). A line was forming behind me. Ultimately they had to call a more important manager to actually fix the problem. It took him a little while to get over there…(from the time stamps on the receipts it was about 8 minutes) I’m pretty sure he supervises more than just that one restaurant.
I explained the problem to him, and he immediately not only fixed the problem, but refunded all the credits to our account. I made sure to grab the receipts, because I thought I knew what he was doing, but I wasn’t sure.

I thanked him profusely! I felt really bad though, I hate causing problems. I tried to convince Logan that I should eat at a table really far away, but he made me sit down, and I ate. The whole meal was very good, even though my stomach was still in knots over my ordeal. The bread was precisely how I like it: crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. Logan had to finish most of it off though, because I couldn’t. After our meal I made sure to clean up really well, so they wouldn’t have to clean up after me.

We didn’t end up staying for Illuminations. We just wandered around the World Showcase for a little while, then left, but we did get these lovely pictures taken on the way out.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoycWvGo2I/AAAAAAAAAdM/4xBQ8r9MCws/s400/image243.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyeLPmekI/AAAAAAAAAdc/2rvZ4Ewa0ig/s400/image245.jpg

[stacikristine]

I'm so sorry about the mixup at the bakeri! I know exactly what you mean. I get all upset over things like that too. I don't want anyone to think I'm a bad person. But I'm glad Logan made you sit down and eat it! And I'm sure it taught the people running the register how to ring it up from now on--so hopefully no one else had troubles! I love those pictures, btw! :goodvibes

[danceintherain]

I let Logan sleep in, even though our second EPCOT day was supposed to be a Rope Drop day. We also went down to Mara in the morning before we left for the Park. This was one of our Dinner days, so I couldn’t convince Logan that we just needed snacks to hold us over.

Logan got a Breakfast Platter, Apple Slices, and Apple Juice. I got a Chocolate Croissant and a Chocolate Milk. We used 1 Counter Service credit and 2 Snack credits. At this point I started walking up and stating what credits we were using, that way they could inform us of discrepancies in advance.

My general plan for this day was to take on the left half of Future World, and then continue our exploration of the World Showcase.

Thus, upon entrance into the park we headed off towards the Test Track. We obtained Fast Passes, and then waited in the Standby line.

The line was pretty consistently moving, and I thought Logan would enjoy this queuing area as much as Star Tours, but I was wrong. I think we waited for around 30 minutes before we were ushered into our vehicle. The second line was much shorter as we utilized our Fastpasses.
One of the fun things about the Test Track is they let you redeem your Ride pictures on your Photopass cards.
This is from our first ride:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seoye6OekCI/AAAAAAAAAds/V_qzQ7TS6mA/s576/image247.jpg

This is from the second…it would have been better, but Logan decided to put his sunglasses back on halfway through the picture

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyfbCrmtI/AAAAAAAAAd0/4eRWthkDsLE/s576/image248.jpg

Then we were off to Mission:SPACE. I was excited, but a little nervous about this ride, because I had never been on it before.
We chose the Orange Team (that’s the one without the spinning right?) Since Logan gets motion sick sometimes I didn’t want to risk him getting sick.

The ride broke down for a few minutes while we were waiting, but it still only took around 30 minutes. Logan was very underwhelmed by this ride. He was upset that we weren’t actually controlling the shuttle. I, however, am easily fooled, so I didn’t notice that we weren’t actually controlling anything until he told me. Kind of like when you give a little kid an extra controller so they can “play” too.

After exiting the ride, we stopped to play the game they have set up outside. I’m pretty sure our team won, because we’re awesome.

Then we decided to explore Innovations East for a little while. We did the hurricane simulation. I enjoyed it as much as I can enjoy things where they pretend to hurl stuff at me. There were a bunch of cute little kids in the room with us though. They kept making funny comments.

We wandered a little more; we then went back up to the front of the park where we experienced no wait for Spaceship Earth. I hadn’t ridden this ride in a very long time, so it was extra enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the part where they send you backwards down the hill. Oh the small joys in life.

Then we were off to the World Showcase again.

First we stopped in Mexico and chilled in the indoor market, and embarked on an adventure with our favorite ducks & Los Caballeros. I don’t remember ever having ridden this before, so it was rather enjoyable.

Then it was past Norway again, so of course the Maelstrom. I don’t remember this ride from previous trips either, but it was enjoyable. I love folktales. It was also nice to sit down and watch the show afterwards.
I found this lovely gentleman outside waiting for his picture to be taken. I wanted a picture of MY warrior with this warrior, but he didn’t go along with it.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeougBWrMsI/AAAAAAAAANw/s_GyBI4Ug4k/s400/SANY0747.JPG

Next we were planning on watching the Reflections of China video, but we decided not to… we were both getting a little tired and agitated at this point. I think we actually walked into the theatre and realized we would have to sit on uncushioned benches, and turned straight around. We had an ADR at Le Cellier that evening, and even though I hadn’t forced rope drop that morning we were still getting tired.
We did take some time to enjoy the scenery though.
Logan was particularly impressed with how well these guys stayed in line.
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeouiOPk55I/AAAAAAAAAN4/q7ky3WeFaRc/s512/SANY0748.JPG

Then… I saw some people that I couldn’t resist. I whined and begged a little. After all we hadn’t stopped for any of the other characters, and these two didn’t have a line at all, and if we waited too long then others would notice their linelessness. It would only take a couple minutes, then we could move on…

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyhJ0EaoI/AAAAAAAAAeE/RIW8uRu8Dqs/s576/image269.jpg

I'm very happy that I got this picture, because I've heard that Mushu is no longer available for Meet & Greets.

I was absolutely thrilled. You see Mulan has a very special place in my heart because the movie came out when I was 11, and my Daddy took me to see it. When I was younger my parents had “date night” with us. Once a month or so we got to pick a parent, and they’d take us out on a “date.”

Then…Logan expressed his frustration with me…mostly for making him take pictures with characters.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seouq0oLm3I/AAAAAAAAAOM/MEIoPT5S0uM/s400/SANY0750.JPG

We found this lovely rock on our travels…
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/Seouw1CTrII/AAAAAAAAAOU/t_S4qYzZcr0/s512/SANY0751.JPG
Obviously it doesn’t have the best lighting for pictures.

We continued around the World Showcase, and around 3 we opted to split a Fish & Chips to hold us over until our Le Cellier dinner. (Logan’s choice)
I’m pretty sure Logan ate most of the fish, and I ate the chips part.

At this point I think we decided to head back for a little rest, but I’m sure I made Logan promise it would only be a short one, because we had Le Cellier at 7:55pm. As an Army guy though… Logan does pretty well on short power naps.
During his power naps the first part of the trip, I flipped through the TV channels. By the end I was tired too, and succumbed to a little rest.

I really really should have taken pictures at Le Cellier. It was by far our favorite meal. We tried to check in a little early, but they were behind, so we wandered through Canada for a while. We sat down in the waiting area for the O, Canada show, but opted against it, because they didn’t open the doors until too close to our meal time.

I ordered the Filet Mignon and the Chocolate Moose for dessert. I thought about ordering from the Chef’s Selection Menu, and getting the Cheddar Cheese Soup, but I really wanted that Filet.
I loved my entrée. It was so tender and tasty. The risotto was mouth watering. I enjoyed every minute of it.
However, since I enjoyed my entrée so much, I didn’t have too much room for my dessert. I ate a bit of it.

Logan ordered the Spice Crusted Pork Chop, I think. (I don’t have my receipts with me right now, and I didn’t manage to take pictures of many of our meals)
He’s not picky, so I’m sure he loved whatever he got.
He also continued his Crème Brulee fetish by ordering the Maple Crème Brulee for dessert.

The service was wonderful. Our server did a nice job, and our food came quickly.

The most adorable little family was sitting next to us during our meal. It was a man and two kids. It was fun to listen and watch them eat their meal.

Sadly, since it took so long for us to finish our meal, Illuminations was over when we came out. I had been planning on it this evening, so I was slightly disappointed. I would have rather had an earlier or later time so we had gotten out to see Illuminations, or after a lot of the crowds had already vacated the parks.

We slowly wandered out of the park, and waited in line for our bus.

[Monny2AE]

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FLgZ6fPiaF8/SeoyODEVEzI/AAAAAAAAAaY/dIpW2x8uxks/s512/image162.jpg




That is such a sweet picture! :love:

[danceintherain]

That is such a sweet picture! :love:

Thanks! We were really impressed with our PhotoPass pictures.