18 nights, 7 parks, and 1 family -6th full day complete- LIVE 8/6 -8/25

[MelanieC]

Welcome to our LIVE trip report:


The crew:

Melanie - Total Disney Nut. I grew up in Vegas and our vacations consisted of lots of Disneyland trips.

Bill - Loves Disney and our vacations BUT refuses to admit he is a Disney Nut!! His first trip was with me in 1995!

Taryn - 17 Loves Disney, but hates my taking pictures. Her first Disney trip was in 1994 to Disneyland. Then in 1995 she took her first WDW trip. I think I have her trained for life now.

Ryan - 11 Loves Disney, and tolerates my picture taking. His first trip was in 1999.



We left Pennsyvlania yesterday on 8/6/09 after I got off work at 3:30pm. When I got in the car, they had an Honest Tea and a bag of Muncho's to snack on. We left a little earlier than we orginally anticipated to get on the other side of Philly and Willmington DE to avoid rush hour. It worked, we got all the way past Washington DC without much traffic and we only hit heavier traffic outside of Washington in Virginia (which is very normal for this area).

It looks like I need to fix the pictures because they are showing 8/5 as a date, and we left yesterday and not Wednesday.

Bill:
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Ryan:
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Taryn hiding from the camera:

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We stopped in Virginia and had dinner at Taco Bell.

We had originally hoped we would make it to North Carolina before getting tired around midnight. I'm pleased that we made it to Souuth (original wrote North -just editing- it was South Carolina) Carolina. I think the town was called Dillon. I had fell asleep by the time we stopped at 12:30am, and DH had stopped at a Super 8 Motel. I would not have chosen a super 8, but it served it's purpose and was pretty cheap.

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We got up and were on the road by 8:30am. The hotel had a continental breakfast that I really thought was worthless. Bill and Taryn had cereal and Ryan had a couple of tiny donuts. I decided to pass and wait for lunch.

Me and Ryan before we left:

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Traffic was great today. We stopped for lunch around 11am at Kentucky Fried Chicken in Georgia. We also stopped and got gas and then got back on the road. Finally we reached the border of Florida. Now the countdown to Disney is on.

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We stopped at the Florida Welcome Center and me and Ryan got some yummy Florida Orange juice.

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Once we got into Orlando, the rush hour traffic was in full swing and was a bit backed up, but it still moved and wasn't too bad. Finally we see the signs to where we need to turn off and then the ever loving WELCOME to WDW arch. We arrived at the at the Pop Century around 4:30pm.


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I had checked in online and faxed the hotel requests for 4th floor or highest floor available, 60's first choice (2nd 50's, 3rd 70's) and lake view with specific room #'s. The guy pulled up my package that was predone with the room circled on it already. I got 3rd floor, 60's, with a lake view in one of the rooms I had suggested. Perfect!!

We went and bought some mugs - we were so thirsty!

We went and parked and Bill unloaded everything on the ground. I had a ton of stuff over my shoulder and in my hands and asked Bill if he could get the rest of the stuff on the ground since the kids were pulling the suitcases. Taryn and I started walking towards the hotel (remember this part later when I discuss the lost and found).



We unloaded everything and went to the Super Walmart that the front desk had given us directions too. The directions were perfect and it was easy to get there. We bought a bunch of plastic hangers, breakfast bars, and some chips.

We went back to the room and unpacked. We then went to the foodcourt and had dinner. We were starved by this time. I'm not a huge fan of the foodcourts, but tonight's dinner was super good. The chicken alfredo and breadstick was super yummy. Bill and I both wished we had gotten our own. The Chicken Ceasar was good too, but the alfredo was just beyond tasty. Ryan loved his, but couldn't finish it all and Taryn liked hers too but left a piece of chicken. Taryn did say the fries were way too salty.


Bill and I split a Chicken Alfredo and a Chicken Caesar Salad:

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Taryn had chicken fingers and fries:

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Ryan had a Chicken Caesar salad:

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I had created a scavenger hunt for Pop Century (check it out -there is a link on the first page of the Pop Faq thread). We then broke off in two teams. Bill & Taryn and Me & Ryan and went off and did the scavenger hunt. We set a time limit and met back up at 9pm. We all split a Tie Dye cheesecake and headed back to the room.

Once back I was going to start this report and realized my laptop wasn't in the room. I couldn't find it anywhere. I went to the car and it wasn't there. I looked horrible because I had just taken a shower and my hair was still wet and I didn't get a chance to get my mascara off, so I had some serious racoon eyes going on. I went to the front desk and explained to the same kid who checked me in about my laptop. Even my aircard was in there. Luckily he came back with it - Whew! Bill still says it wasn't his fault, that he didn't leave anything there- but I know I asked him to grab the stuff that was left. How he left without picking everything up I have no idea, but we did have a lot of stuff and it was hot and chaotic. Luckily some nice soul brought it to the front desk!!



Tomorrow is Magic Kingdom!! We have ressies at Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch and the Plaza for dinner. See ya real soon :)

Tommorrow, I'll try to download something to change the pictures that are sideways on this computer.

[SunnieRN]

Woo hoo!!! Great start!! Looking forward to more!

Glad you got your computer back!

18 days!! That sounds heavenly. Hopefully it will get you all rested up for your long drive back home too!! Hope you are having a fabulous time at the MK!

[kmartin555]

Can't wait! Live reports are the BEST! popcorn::

[Toy Story]

Glad you found your laptop. I look forward to reading your report. 18 days phew.

[ibouncetoo]

Glad you made the drive safe and sound! So glad someone turned in your laptop.

I can't wait to read about your adventures....as I'm about four weeks behind you for my trip! :thumbsup2

.

[mikamah]

Hey Melanie, I'm so excited to find your trip report. We are going in 3 months, so it is the time to spend endless hours dreaming and planning on the dis, and I'll be looking forward to enjoying your trip with you.

The scavenger hunt sounds so fun. I might have to copy that for our trip.

Can't wait to hear more. Gee, it's about 9 pm, maybe you're watching wishes or spectromagic right now!! Have fun!

[jstack]

It sounds like you are off to a great vacation. :cool1:

[MelanieC]

Hey everyone!!!

Today was an absolutely perfect fun and tiring day!

I awoke this morning to a horrid bell. Looks like the alarm was set to a bell instead of a buzzer. I hit snooze and then about 5 minutes later Mickey and Stitch were doing the same old wake up call. Seriously, we could use some new wake up calls. But.....I'm at Disney and the MK is calling me.

Getting everyone up was difficult, and it only gets worse as the trip goes on. Finally we were all up, dressed and out the door by around 8:15am.


Here is a view from right outside our door building 4 60's Lake view:

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We drove over to the MK and took the tram to the TTC.

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We had purchased 3 5 day Military companion tickets and DH had his free Military 5 day pass. The lines were a little long, but we saw one that was just opening and we were in the right place at the right time. This was super easy, he just had to show his military ID and she typed in his name and information and scanned the tickets and we were off.

Taryn is a little freaked out about the monorails after the accident, and was trying to get us not to take it........but we won!!

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When we got to MK we missed rope drop and it looked super crowded. Even Taryn was saying that it looks like it's going to be so crowed, but luckily it was not crowded till the evening and we used FP's to our advantage.

The weather was great too. They had said a 30% chance of rain and there was some sprinkles and very black sky - but unless it rained while we were in the Hall of Presidents it never did anything. It was hot in the morning, but with the overcast sky it wasn't hot. Especially after we had lunch and then before we warmed up we went indoors again. Taryn and I were actually cold the whole afternoon - go figure.

We had very little waits for anything all day. I think that we waited the longest for Mickey's Philharmagic, Buzz and the Indy Cars. We saved all of our fast passes for later in the day because there were no real waits for anything.

We stopped and got a picture on Main Street:

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And then headed towards Adventurland to get FP's to BTMR & SM, but saw a 0 minute wait for Aladdins Carpet Ride. We decided to hop on since this is always a long loading ride.

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Next we got FP's for Splash Mountain. We walked on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with no wait.

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We walked on Splash Mountain with a 10 minute wait.

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We got FP's for Big Thunder Mountain and then walked towards POTC. We saw Wendy and Peter Pan and got our pictures.


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We rode Pirates of the Caribbean with no wait..........no matter how many times you ride this it's always so much fun!!

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We saw this CM who was signing and he was SO in character. He was great. I don't think I got a picure, but I did get a video. I'll have to post the video on U-tube once I get home.


We walked towards Haunted Mansion and only waited about 2-3 minutes before walking in. Next we headed to the Jungle Cruise. It had a 10 minute wait posted, but we got on the next boat.

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[MelanieC]

On our way to lunch we got FP's for BTMR again. Our lunch ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern was for 11:35am, but we got there a little early at 11:15am and we were seated about 11:20am.

Bill got the pot roast and he devoured it and said it was so tasty!!


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Taryn got the kids turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, fruit and a salad. She could not finish the salad and part of the fruit because she was stuffed. She loves turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy. She got extra gravy and said it was really good.

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Ryan got the kids mac and cheese, chicken noodle soup and a sundae. He did not like the soup, but did like the mac and cheese and sundae.

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I got the Declaration Salad. OMG - this was such a good salad and I can't believe in all these years I've never tried this. I loved it so much I wish I could get it again. The smoked cheese and all the other ingredients just worked so well together. I highly recommend this salad.

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After lunch I was freezing. We were sitting right next to a air duct, and with all the iced tea I drank I was so cold.


We walked to Fantasyland and got FP's for Peter Pan and went in to Mickey's Philharmagic. We had to wait to be let in and I would say we waited 2 shows. Not bad, but our only wait so far.

Goofing off in line:

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Goofing off with the Opra Glasses:

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Ryan trying to pull the sword out of the stone:

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Taryn getting Pixie dust:

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Ryan getting Pixie dust:

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Me getting Pixie dust - and of course Bill is too manly to do it!!

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Wild Animals:

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As we headed to Tomorrowland, we got 2 smoothies. Ryan and I got the cappucino and Bill and Taryn got the Strawberry banana.

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Now that we were once again freezing we went on Buzz. It was a 20 minute posted wait, but when we got into the building the line stopped for both the FP and Standby line. Finally it moved again. This was one of our longer waits of the day, but still manageable.

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My score:

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Taryn's Score:

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Next was Stitch, Carousel of Progress with absolutely no wait. We walked right in. We walked into the Laugh floor and only had to wait till the next show started. No matter how many times I see the laugh floor- I laugh super hard, even though the jokes are pretty much the same each time. It's sort of like Turtle Talk with Crush. The technology is just so cool.

Carousel of Progress:


It was starting to rain after this so we headed over to Hall of Presidents. We stopped and got these pictures first.

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After Hall of President's - it didn't look like it had rained even though the sky was very black. The sky looked pretty decent now. We went and got a Pooh FP and rode Peter Pan. Next we rode Splash Mountain and me and Taryn were a little wet, but not too bad.

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[MelanieC]

It was getting close to our 6:30pm dinner ADR's at the Plaza so we took the Train over to Main Street and walked down to the Plaza.

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Ryan got the kids grilled cheese with tomato soup and a sundae:

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Taryn got the Cheese Steak and fries- she was much more hungier now than at lunch and ate all of the sandwich. She said it was really good:

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Bill got the Reuben and fries:

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I got the Vegetarian Sandwich with Broccoli slaw and a side of chips. I love the chips here but I heard great things about the broccoli slaw and wanted both. Mine was very tasty. Luckily my Veggie sandwich was better than the last time I had it back in March.


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After dinner the kids wanted to shop on Main Street. Taryn and I were freezing. I was so cold I seriously contemplated buying a hoodie. I can't believe how cold I have been all afternoon, goosebumps and all. We rode Indy Cars next. Night is the best time to ride them. It's way to hot during the day. Our side went slow, I think the people loading them were slower than the other side.

We then used the rest of our fast passes for Pooh, Peter Pan and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Bill and I wanted to watch wishes and the kids wanted to go back to the hotel. They headed back on a Pop bus while Bill and I watched WISHES and took the monorail and tram back to the car. The kids finished the day at the gift shop in the hotel.

My pictures of WISHES didn't really come out great.

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Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom. We have ADR's at Yak & Yeti and Jiko. Taryn is balking because she is dying for the hot Italian sandwich at Pizzafari for lunch. We will see what tomorrow brings.

[mrskckitty]

Great trip report and pictures! Keep up the good work! WOW - 18 nights at WDW - I'm so jealous. I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation and I can't wait to read more about it.

[tinawv]

What a great start. I can't believe how uncrowded MK was on an August day. Like your daughter, I also love the Itailian Sandwich at AK, and get it on every trip. ;)

[MrsSpratt]

What a beautiful Family!

Loving the live report!

Mrs. Spratt.

PS - please thank your husband for all that he does for our country. We really appreciate it!

[jstack]

The pictures are great. It looks like your family is having a great time. I am jealous 18 days at WDW. WOW

[onejellyshelly]

Wow! 18 days. What fun. My family will be at the Pop the last of Sept. How is the resort so far???

[Goofy'sFriend]

Loving your LIVE report....so much fun to read. Your pics are GREAT....thanks for sharing.

Looking forward to your Jiko report....will be there soon myself. Keep having fun!!:wizard:

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Loving the live report!!! Pictures are awesome!!! Can't wait for the next installment!!! Getting so excited, we are staying at POP in alittle over a month! Enjoy your trip!

[MelanieC]

Great trip report and pictures! Keep up the good work! WOW - 18 nights at WDW - I'm so jealous. I hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation and I can't wait to read more about it.

Thanks - we had another great day!!!


What a great start. I can't believe how uncrowded MK was on an August day. Like your daughter, I also love the Itailian Sandwich at AK, and get it on every trip. ;)

MK yesterday looked scary at first, but thank goodness my strategy usually pays off. DD was whinning this afternoon about not having the sandwich today, lol.


What a beautiful Family!

Loving the live report!

Mrs. Spratt.

PS - please thank your husband for all that he does for our country. We really appreciate it!

Thank you- we are really enjoying this trip since last year we didn't get to go because he was in Afghanistan. We are so happy they had such a great deal for those in the military.

The pictures are great. It looks like your family is having a great time. I am jealous 18 days at WDW. WOW

Thanks - we are having so much fun so far.

Wow! 18 days. What fun. My family will be at the Pop the last of Sept. How is the resort so far???

The resort is great. We love POP. This is our 4th stay so far and it just feels like home. Our kids have always said that even given the chance to stay somewhere else, they would rather stay at POP.

Loving your LIVE report....so much fun to read. Your pics are GREAT....thanks for sharing.

Looking forward to your Jiko report....will be there soon myself. Keep having fun!!:wizard:

Jiko was so good - my tummy is still thanking me!!

Loving the live report!!! Pictures are awesome!!! Can't wait for the next installment!!! Getting so excited, we are staying at POP in alittle over a month! Enjoy your trip!

It will go fast, it seems like yesterday I was waiting for park hours and now we are here.

[Michelle2]

I have only 25 days until we go, so I love hearing how things are going. I know it will go by fast and will be here before I know it. Reading your live report helps us get super excited! Thanks for taking the time to share!

[MelanieC]

Ok -this is the 3rd time I'm starting this. I keep accidentally making it disappear.

Sunday August 9, 2009

Today's weather was absolutlely beautiful. No rain in site, although it was hotter than heck!!! Plus AK feels hotter than the other parks anyway! Also another perfect day of no or minimal waits. I really work hard to come up with a plan that minimizes wait. I usually do well on a two week vacation of planning perfectly for most of the trip. 2 years ago, all but one Wednesday at MK was like the last two days have been. We don't do early entry for the most part, we don't do late EMH's either. We don't park hop and we don't go back in the middle of the day. We like to pick a park and stay put ALL day long, except sometimes leave for dinner.

We were out the door by 8:15am this morning. Yesterday we realized that parking in the 50's or 60's parking lot was way too far away, so we parked in front of Classic Hall last night. What a difference! Now we just have to walk past the Hippy Dippy pool and through Classic Hall. As a bonus, we can fill up our mugs both morning and night!!

We arrived at Animal Kingdom and parked in the Unicorn section. We pretty much never take the tram here unless it is waiting to be boarded and no wait. It wasn't waiting so we walked to the entrance. I'm always amazed that this park looks so crowded in the morning. The paths are so narrow that all of the people jam the paths until they reach the different sections and disperse. Finally we were able to head towards Asia and Bill grabbed us FP's for Expedition Everest. Once he had the FP's we rode EE and waited for the front car which only took a few minutes.

Next we went over to Dinoland and rode Primeval Whirl. This was our longest wait of the day, but was only about 15 minutes.


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Next we rode Triceratop spin with no wait.

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We were hot already, so we walked through the gift shop on the way to Dinosaur. Thank goodness there are a few rides you can get a blast of air conditioning and this is a great one. Inside the ride really gives you a blast of cool air as your being jossled back and forth. A few of these pictures didn't come out the best, but thought I'd include them anyway.

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Us messing around in the Dinosaur gift shop:

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Bill went to go get a FP for Kilamajaro Safarai and we told him we would meet him at the gift shop accross from It's tough to be a bug.

Here is a statue the kids and I saw on our way to the gift shop. We also stopped and did a few pin trades.

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Ryan measured his handprint to a dinosaur's:

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After we met up with Bill we headed over to It's Tough to be a bug and I almost fell over when I saw that there were FP machines for EE, Dinosaur, Kilamajaro Safari and Kali River Rapids next to ITTBAB!! Bill almost cried that he just went all the way back to Kilamajaro Safari when the machine was right here. I didn't take a picture now, but I did later. Here it is at the end of the day with most of the machines done for the day. The guy I talked to said it was a protype (and I had even thought it might have been when I saw it in the morning). He thinks it will be around to stay because everyone is loving it. I've always said they need to have them at the front of the parks so you wouldn't have to run around the parks and then back to another area. THis is so exciting.


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It's Tough to be a bug had no wait, we just waited for the show before to let outl. I had to laugh when we had a family cut in front of us. There isn't a line and everyone ends up in the same area together filling in all available space.


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[DisneycrazedX6]

We just got back on Thursday the 6th. I also did a live trip report. We got alot of rain, and so far you have missed it, lucky you. Glad you are walking on alot of attractions. That only happened for us first thing in the morning. Good luck touring and have fun!! Make a stop at Goofys for me, I never quite made it and rice krispie treats are my fave!!

[MelanieC]

Next we headed to Yak and Yeti for lunch.


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Here is the view out of our window.

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Ryan and Taryn split the Sweet and Sour Pork. The kids both loved it. Taryn said it was the best she ever had. Bill even tried some and wished he would have ordered the Sweet and sour instead of the Crispy honey chicken he ordered.

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Bill got the Crispy Honey Chicken - He did not like it at all.

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I got the Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp. I subbed in the coconut ginger rice instead of the jasmine rice. The rice grew on me. At first I wasn't sure, because I really couldn't taste the coconut and the ginger was strong. In the end I really enjoyed the rice. The shrimp was good but the steak was great. I ordered it medium rare and the flavor was so good. The kids tried it and both loved it.

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The restaurant was really beautiful.

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After lunch we got a FP for Kali River Rapids. Taryn, Ryan and me went into a gift shop and Ryan put this on:

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We then walked over to use our FP's for Kiliamajaro Safari. On the way we saw Flik and got pictures:


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Bill and Ryan played on the drums:

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Took a few pictures:

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Stopped and saw a dance at Tusker House:

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Finally we got to Kilamajaro Safari.

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[dizmom2mwjk]

Lovin the live reports!:lovestruc Keep them coming...way jealous that you get so much time at WDW. The most I ever get is 4 days!

[MelanieC]

Today was so much hotter than yesterday. I can't believe that Taryn and I were freezing yesterday and thinking seriously about buying a sweatshirt. Today, I was so hot I seriously told Bill we should go back to the hotel and swim, shower and then go to dinner. He said no he didn't want to give up an Animal Kingdom day. It's funny how our perspective is so skewed. You'd think with 3 full AK days, and the fact that we had almost done everything at this point would have made us say - Let's go!

On our way to Kali River Rapids (we really wanted to do this as early as possible in the day so we could dry by dinner) we stopped at another gift shop (can you tell my kids love them):

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We stopped and got pictures with Turk. I think she was a little hug happy and honestly after hugging her - I couldn't imagine wearing that outfit. I was hot just hugging her.

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We stopped and got another family picture with this view:

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Stopped in the gift shop we were at when Ryan got the picture with the hat. He bought a chinese character "Year of the Ox" necklace.

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And then.........we all did this:

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And finally:

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Check out this cool plant in the Kali River line.

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Aren't FP's just the best. I love walking on with only a few minute wait.

Bill told Taryn he would buy her a Jack Skellington pin if she got soaked. Me and Taryn got the most wet, but we were not soaked. No pin for Taryn.

Trying to get other people wet:

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What's Next???

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How about more family photo's?

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And some of Mount Everest?

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This one looks like a post card doesn't it:

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Why does it feel 10 x hotter in AK than other parks? Even a CM said the same thing as well as I heard other guests saying it. It really does feel hotter here. We were dying and so one of our favorite Disney treats were in order........a frozen Chai drink from Andupur Tea Company.

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[MelanieC]

And now we were headed to the 2:30pm Festival of the Lion King. On the way - we get a FP for Dinosaur and we use the one at the front of the park. Did I say how much I love this???

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And now on with the show:

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We thought about seeing some of the characters but with everyone coming out of the show we decided against it. Koda was out and there were only two people ahead of us. He really was a great character and really played with the kids.

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And then on our way out we see Pocohantas with one family. Ryan would not pose with her.

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It was now time for our 2nd Kilimajaro Safari FP's so we head back to ride this one more time.

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We decided to see the 4:45pm Finding Nemo show. I think everyone was getting tired by this time. We were all a little grumpier than usual.

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Use our Dinosaur FP's - although they were NOT needed!

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We left after riding Dinosaur because we had 6:20pm ADR's at Jiko and had to go back to the hotel for me and Taryn to change.

[Lil Bo Peep]

popcorn::

[MelanieC]

Dinner at Jiko:

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I forgot to take a picture of the bread. We had it eaten so quickly - I think the heat made us hungry.

We split the BBQ Chicken Flatbread for an appetizer.

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For entrees me, Bill and Ryan got what we ordered the last time. Taryn had the kids mac and cheese last time, but instead ordered the kids steak and got mac and cheese instead of the mashed potatoes. I forgot to take a picture, but did at the end after the steak and mac & cheese was gone. Her's also had fried onions on it. I also realized when looking at the Bill later that he didn't charge us for drinks (just regular iced teas and soda).

Ryan had the kids Macaroni and Cheese - which he absolutely loved.

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Bill got the Oak Grilled Filet Mignon. He loved his. Bill thought mine was larger than his and said we should trade. Get your hands off my plate BOY!!

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I also got the Oak Grilled Filet Mignon and mine was as smooth as butter. We both ordered ours medium rare- yumm!

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Here is Taryn's steak and mac & cheese - with the steak and mac and cheese eaten. I hope no one thinks it's too gross since she has already eaten so much of it.

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We were too stuffed for dessert. After dinner we went out to take a look at the animals.


Taryn's favorite animal:

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Bill messing playing in the gift shop at the AKL:

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We got back to our room around 8:20pm. Taryn and I watched the rest of Big Brother and then Bill, Taryn and Ryan went swimming. After showers, the kids went to the arcade and gift shop.

When everyone was at the pool I heard the fireworks at Epcot. Here is the smoke at the end, but it shows you where you could see them from the building 4 lake view.

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See everyone tomorrow. We are at Epcot and have ADR's at Coral Reef for lunch and Teppan Edo for dinner.

[luckylady]

You got some great pictures of the male lion. 18 days that's a great trip. Can't wait to see what you do on all of them. Have a magical trip. Oh ya did I say I love live trip reports. :)

[MelanieC]

I have only 25 days until we go, so I love hearing how things are going. I know it will go by fast and will be here before I know it. Reading your live report helps us get super excited! Thanks for taking the time to share!

Woo hoo - 25 days! Won't be long now. I know the trip reports kept me going till we left.

We just got back on Thursday the 6th. I also did a live trip report. We got alot of rain, and so far you have missed it, lucky you. Glad you are walking on alot of attractions. That only happened for us first thing in the morning. Good luck touring and have fun!! Make a stop at Goofys for me, I never quite made it and rice krispie treats are my fave!!

Oh that stinks. So far we've done good with the rain. A small amount the evening of Thursday 8/6 but that is it so far. I think it did rain on Saturday, I heard 1 inch in Orlando, but we missed it and if it did rain at MK it did it when we were in the Hall of Presidents.

Lovin the live reports!:lovestruc Keep them coming...way jealous that you get so much time at WDW. The most I ever get is 4 days!

We keep adding days as we go. I hope you get to experience a long one, they are totally different. We really get to relax and not worry about having to see everything in one or two days at each park.

[Disney owl]

great reports so far looking forward to reading more

[Merman]

Great trip report ... can't wait to read more!

[Goofy'sFriend]

OMGosh, when are you sleeping???:worship: Your report is so detailed.....just LOVE, LOVE reading it.

DS and I are doing a mother/son trip and soon will be at Jiko's for our "fancy" night. Loved seeing your pics with your DS and your fabulous dinner.

Lol, DS and I are hooked on Big Brother too!! Not sure if we will get to watch while there or I'll record it at home to catch up later.

I'm going to look for you guys (even though we are only there 6 nights)....would love to say HI to you:wave2:

[dizmom2mwjk]

We have totally different styles @ WDW, but I think that goes back to the fact that I only get 4 days every other year, 5 at best....I hope you know how lucky you are to have 18 days and to be able to take your time and enjoy everything! That is one of my dreams...to take it slow and easy at WDW! I am loving living through your eyes...Keep up the good work, and Thank you for posting!

[sisaaliyah]

I LOVE :love: the first pic of y'all on Dinosaur...you look like a really FUN family. Was DD mad at dad for something at Yak and Yeti lunch? It looks like she doesn't like whatever he said!

Thanks for the Jiko review. Your meals looked fantabulous. We're trying it for the first time on our trip after Thanksgiving as well as Coral Reef for lunch so look forward to your review of that one too.

[MissMichelle]

I.....AM....HOOOKEDDDD!!! I am going to (like the last few trips) attempt a LIVE report...but when you are with 7 other people it doesn't always work out as planned---but you have SO much detail, tons of photos and I feel like I am there with you.

Just 12 days till our trip and I am subbing to your report to pass the time :)

[DisneyTabby]

WOW! Great report.:thumbsup2 I'm getting tired just reading your report. How do you guys keep up such a great pace? Can't wait to read more. :goodvibes

[MelanieC]

You got some great pictures of the male lion. 18 days that's a great trip. Can't wait to see what you do on all of them. Have a magical trip. Oh ya did I say I love live trip reports. :)

The male lion is definately hard to get sometimes, but the female is even worse, lol. Once I got him standing up. I think there is an AK safari thread somewhere that I have the picture I took that time. It's awesome!

great reports so far looking forward to reading more

Thanks!!

Great trip report ... can't wait to read more!

Thanks!

OMGosh, when are you sleeping???:worship: Your report is so detailed.....just LOVE, LOVE reading it.

DS and I are doing a mother/son trip and soon will be at Jiko's for our "fancy" night. Loved seeing your pics with your DS and your fabulous dinner.

Lol, DS and I are hooked on Big Brother too!! Not sure if we will get to watch while there or I'll record it at home to catch up later.

I'm going to look for you guys (even though we are only there 6 nights)....would love to say HI to you:wave2:

Ha - I thought last night I'd finish early - but it was still 1:30am before I got to bed, lol. So far iced tea is keeping me going, lol.

How fun that you and DS are doing a trip. Taryn and I got to come with her High School cheer squad back in March. It was fun being with her alone.

When do you arrive??

We have totally different styles @ WDW, but I think that goes back to the fact that I only get 4 days every other year, 5 at best....I hope you know how lucky you are to have 18 days and to be able to take your time and enjoy everything! That is one of my dreams...to take it slow and easy at WDW! I am loving living through your eyes...Keep up the good work, and Thank you for posting!

Thanks - I agree that we are really lucky, the times you get to spend with family like this are so precious.

I LOVE :love: the first pic of y'all on Dinosaur...you look like a really FUN family. Was DD mad at dad for something at Yak and Yeti lunch? It looks like she doesn't like whatever he said!

Thanks for the Jiko review. Your meals looked fantabulous. We're trying it for the first time on our trip after Thanksgiving as well as Coral Reef for lunch so look forward to your review of that one too.

Ha-ha, Taryn does that sometimes. Our family is very joking and she was giving him one of her looks, lol. It looks more like she is messing around. Course, if she were giving it to me I'd say it was because I was taking a picture. I have tons of pictures with dirty looks from her for taking her picture, lol.

Coral reef was good today. Bill didn't really enjoy his entree, even though he had the same thing last year. Taryn hated her entree. Ryan and I both enjoyed ours - but dinner was the highlight today!

I.....AM....HOOOKEDDDD!!! I am going to (like the last few trips) attempt a LIVE report...but when you are with 7 other people it doesn't always work out as planned---but you have SO much detail, tons of photos and I feel like I am there with you.

Just 12 days till our trip and I am subbing to your report to pass the time :)

Glad I can help pass your time. It's actually been fun doing them and reliving the day!

WOW! Great report.:thumbsup2 I'm getting tired just reading your report. How do you guys keep up such a great pace? Can't wait to read more. :goodvibes


We usually do an all day pace, and it's really the caffeine that keeps me going, lol.

[MelanieC]

Another no rain day!!! Got to love it!

Once more I was up at 7am and we were out the door by 8:15am. We all ironed last night and I really love just showering and getting dressed. Much easier than pulling out the iron in the morning.

Today was another hot and fun day. Epcot has plenty of indoor places with AC to enjoy, so that really helps. We didn't seem to get as much done today, but I think we really took it slow today and it is nice not feeling like you have to do everything in one day.

I love Epcot's parking lot. When you arrive at opening you park so close.

First we stopped and got a family picture in front of Spaceship Earth:

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We were going to head straight to Soarin and get a FP and ride but Taryn saw Daisy and well since it's one of her favorites and she is so hard to find, we stopped. She was going in for 5 minutes, so Bill and Ryan headed to Soarin to get FP's and Taryn and I stayed to get pictures with Daisy.l

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We walked over to Soarin to find that the boys had gotten the FP's, but that almost everyone who entered the park were now waiting at Soarin. We decided to go do Test Track instead. The Test Track sign said 20 minutes and single rider 5 minutes. We decided to wait this time in the standbye line, but in the future we would do single rider.

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Ellen was down early in the morning, but it did go up a little later.

We rode Mission Space orange side (more intense) next. The line was listed at 30 minutes and it took about 20.


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Bill yawning

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And waiting

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Time to head over to Soarin to use our FP's. We decided to stop at Club Cool for a drink to cool us down. Of course not one of them would take the bait for the Beverly (unlike the great picture I have of Bill from our last trip)

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Enjoying the view on our way out of Club Cool

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We stopped and got another set of Soarin FP's for later and then used our current Soarin FP's. No matter how many times I ride Soarin, I get so giddy! I love the smells, the sights and the wind in my hair! We always wait for row #1. I also love the hidden Mickey's in the golf scene and seeing Disneyland

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[MelanieC]

It was hard to believe but it was time to go eat lunch at Coral Reef already. We checked in and got a pager.

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About 5 minutes later our buzzer rang and we were brought to a table right in front of the aquarium. Last time we ate here we were up at the top tier.

We had a hitchiker at our table (see the kid in red). He came around often to take pictures along with another kid. Actually there were many people including adults who seemed to come stand almost in front of your table to take pictures. I didn't mind next to the aquarium, but the ones who stood in front of your table almost at your table was a little bizzare. We did understand, but it was still just a little strange.

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Bread:

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The view:

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We each got the Lobster Bisque soup - Yummo. Ryan was the only one who thought it was just ok. The rest of us loved it!

Ryan got the Lobster Bisque, kids Mahi Mahi and ice cream sundae. Ryan loved his Mahi Mahi and ice cream. He ate most of the soup, but I don't think it was up his alley. He didn't finish it.

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Taryn got the Lobster Bisque, Meaty pasta and ice cream sundae. Taryn loved the soup and sundae - but hated and only ate 2 bites of the pasta.

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What she didn't eat:

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Her dessert:
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Bill got the Blackened Catfish with Cheddar Jack grits. He said it didn't sit right with him, but loved this dish last year.

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I got the blackened catfish and loved it - although I think it was better last time- it was still tasty this time.

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On the way to the Living Seas

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We looked up and saw this:

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I just love the living seas since they changed it. The old way on the "submarine" took forever and it was really lame. The new "Nemo" theming is awesome.

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[MelanieC]

These were the coolest light fixtures at Turtle Talk with Crush!


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Once we were done exploring the Living Seas we headed over to Spaceship Earth. We didn't get to go to Disney last year so I was excited to see the changes since the refurbishment. I loved the changes at the beginning and like the interactive stuff, but miss some of the future stuff from the past.

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Me and Bill in our Outerspace personalized vacation on Spaceship Earth:

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Project Tomorrow

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Next we did a little more shopping at Mouse Gears (sorry no pics)

And then headed to Innoventions East and did the entire pavillion.

The kids messing around waiting for Storm Struck:

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Playing the Waste Management Recyling game:

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Then we headed back to ride Soarin' with our FP's.

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We signed up to do a Kim Possible Mission and could start at 5:15pm or later. We started walking around the countries and Taryn wanted to wait for Pooh. We waited a while and then realized our dinner ADR's at Teppan Edo were in 10 minutes. Here is Bill and Taryn waiting.


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The British Invasion -watching and hearing them while in line for Pooh and the other Pooh characters.

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Once we realized it was 6:20pm we decided to head to dinner. The characters were on a 5 minute break that was taking forever and we were 2 families away........but we were also starving.


Our walk to Japan:

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[MelanieC]

Dinner at Teppan Edo

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We got a pager and waited about 15 minutes before being taken to our table.

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Our chef and the volcano:

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Ryan ordered the kids Shrimp

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Taryn ordered the kids shrimp

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Me and Bill ordered 1 of the shrimp and 1 of the scallops and split it between the two of us.


Mine:

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Bill:

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We had an excellent meal as usual. We cleaned our plates, except Ryan gave me, Bill and Taryn one shrimp each and he had some rice and noodles left. The family sitting with us left a lot of seafood on their plates. Not us - we devoured ours.

[MelanieC]

Once dinner was done it was 8:15pm. So we headed over to Italy to get our Kim Possible stuff. They were closing up the cart, but they gave it to us anyway. We almost missed out. This was so much fun! Ryan had a ball. Taryn seemed a bit bored, lol. Our mission was in Japan - and here I though it was in Italy !

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It was starting to get dark when we arrived in Japan:

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Our first mission was in the Koi pond:

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And had to do with this rock:

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Then we had to find windchimes near the gift shop:

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At one point the phone made the windchimes chime.

And then find this:

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And read the answer to the question on this:

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Then head to this garden

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And go around the corner to find this

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And then it did this

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And then go inside the gift shop and look for this spot

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and we made this Bebe appear

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looking at the last clue


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Then we went here and this was where we had to drop the phone off in this box:


Tomorrow (well it was today since I had to finish this today because of computer problems) is Disney Hollywood Studios. Lunch is at Prime Time Cafe and dinner is at Sci Fi.

[FarAway<3]

Great report (: I can't wait to read more of it!
And I love Taryn's purple shirt. I have to know where she got it!

Hope you're having a great time at Disney!!

[Goofy'sFriend]

Ha - I thought last night I'd finish early - but it was still 1:30am before I got to bed, lol. So far iced tea is keeping me going, lol.

How fun that you and DS are doing a trip. Taryn and I got to come with her High School cheer squad back in March. It was fun being with her alone.

When do you arrive??


We will get to the World on Wed.:mickeyjum I'm really looking forward to this one-on-one trip with my son.....my oldest DS graduated from college and my middle DS is headed off to college. They both have been to WDW just about every year when they were younger, but the youngest really missed out when the older two had crazy schedules once H.S. started. When he asked earlier this summer if the two of us could go, I was so excited and knew I better
plan something soon before he didn't think it was cool to go with Mom anymore. I found great prices to make this last minute trip and DH said, Go for it!:love1:
Maybe someday when Taryn goes off to school, you will get the same opportunity!

Another great day you had! I did not know that you could wait for the front row on Soarin'. Do you just ask the CM when you get to the loading area or is there a special line?

[ibouncetoo]

Now I'm going to have to remember to backtrack for the place holder spots.


TURTLE TALK...one of my favorites. The BEST question to ask Crush is if he can name all his children. You'll love the answer(s)!

[MelanieC]

We will get to the World on Wed.:mickeyjum I'm really looking forward to this one-on-one trip with my son.....my oldest DS graduated from college and my middle DS is headed off to college. They both have been to WDW just about every year when they were younger, but the youngest really missed out when the older two had crazy schedules once H.S. started. When he asked earlier this summer if the two of us could go, I was so excited and knew I better
plan something soon before he didn't think it was cool to go with Mom anymore. I found great prices to make this last minute trip and DH said, Go for it!:love1:
Maybe someday when Taryn goes off to school, you will get the same opportunity!

Another great day you had! I did not know that you could wait for the front row on Soarin'. Do you just ask the CM when you get to the loading area or is there a special line?

Where are you staying?

Yeah - just tell them you want to wait for the 1st row. It's really easy and they never have a problem.

[kmartin555]

Great report so far! Thanks for taking the time to do a live report. It's so much fun getting to be at Disney with you! :goodvibes

[MissMet]

Can't wait to read more. :goodvibes

[MeMom]

Enjoying all of your pictures. We came home on the evening of the 3rd. I had to be back at school on the 5th. Boo!

We were in the Play-Doh building third floor overlooking the lake. We had 4342, 3, and 4. We transferred over to Wilderness Lodge for the last two nights, and that was incredible!

We tried Teppan Edo for the first time this trip. It was good, but it was our most expensive meal, and some of our cheaper ones were better, I thought. I'm glad we did it, though. We had a woman chef, and she was very sweet.

Keep the pictures coming! I've got to wait on my son-in-law to get the external hard drive and get the first set loaded onto photobucket before we can get started, but rumor has it that that is going to happen tonight. We'll see.

[MelanieC]

Enjoying all of your pictures. We came home on the evening of the 3rd. I had to be back at school on the 5th. Boo!

We were in the Play-Doh building third floor overlooking the lake. We had 4342, 3, and 4. We transferred over to Wilderness Lodge for the last two nights, and that was incredible!

We tried Teppan Edo for the first time this trip. It was good, but it was our most expensive meal, and some of our cheaper ones were better, I thought. I'm glad we did it, though. We had a woman chef, and she was very sweet.

Keep the pictures coming! I've got to wait on my son-in-law to get the external hard drive and get the first set loaded onto photobucket before we can get started, but rumor has it that that is going to happen tonight. We'll see.

I think you were at POP when we were there in July 07 - I think I wrote on a board you had on your door -unless I'm mixing you up with someone. Your son in law (maybe it was your son in law) or someone came to the door when they heard me writing on it. I was like - oops sorry!!!
Great report (: I can't wait to read more of it!
And I love Taryn's purple shirt. I have to know where she got it!

That is close to where we are - I think it's 4359.


Hope you're having a great time at Disney!!

I asked her this morning and she said Forever 21.

[MelanieC]

Sorry - Last night I had major problems with my computer connection.

I'm going to attempt to finish yesterday and start with today.

[MelanieC]

Tuesday August 11, 2009 - Disney Hollywood Studios

I can't believe how crowded it was. Thankfully we had no rain today, but once again it was nice and toasty. I did have a point in the day that I was freezing though, so it wasn't anywhere near as hot as our AK day.

We left at our usual 8:15am and arrived at about 8:45am. DHS is so close to POP and it really only took a few minutes to drive over. We did take a tram, even though it wasn't far.

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Once inside the park, they had everyone held back until the official rope drop at 9pm. It was so crowded because the street is very small up Hollywood Blvd.

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We went to the left in one of the gift shops and once the official rope dropped happened it was sea of people heading towards Toy Story Mania. This was the first time at DHS since the new Fantasmic schedule. It used to be easy for me to predict what the best day of the week was to go, and it wouldn't matter because Fantasmic was almost always taking place. Now after experiencing today, I will have to reconsider next trip's DHS days.

We've decided that when we go back to DHS next Thursday we are going to get a FP for RNRRC, ride TOT and RNRRC first and then go ride TSM and get a FP to TSM after that.

Today was the most crowded I have ever seen DHS. It was horribly crowded, and we experienced some of the longest lines we have ever seen for almost everything.

First we headed back and Bill got in line for FP's for TSM. Then we decided to just get in line and ride it because the FP line wasn't moving. It only took us 30 minuest to go through and we were hoping that the FP line would be down when we were done. We wasted a lot of time with Bill in the FP line that we really lost spaces in line because of this.


We did however absolutely LOVE TSM!! It was a lot of fun and better than I expected.

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Here is Taryn's score and Mine (she beat me)

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Next we and everyone in the park headed to TOT & RNRRC. The wait for RNRRC was way too long so we got a FP. The line for TOT was 40 minutes, but it went faster and wasn't more than 30 - but more like 20-25.

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It was now almost 11am and it felt like we haven't done anything yet. We'll I guess we really didn't - only two things so far. One of the worst mornings at DHS as far as getting things done.

[MelanieC]

We started heading towards Prime Time Cafe for our 11:05am ADR's.

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Bill got the Aunt Liz's Golden Fried Chicken.

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Ryan had the kids meat loaf, side salad and sundae

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Taryn had the kids Fried Chicken -White meat (breast), side salad and was not hungry for the sundae

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I had the fish sandwich with onion rings. It was so tasty! I really loved the horseradish sauce for the onion rings. The only thing I didn't like was that they put the tarter sauce on the sandwich. It was a lot of tarter sauce and would have been better on the side.

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We also split a PB&J milkshake. It's our favorite milk shake around.

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We were so stuffed after lunch.


After lunch we had explicit instructions from Taryn to go to Villains in Vogue to do a Jack Skellington Nightmare before christmas photo shoot. Unfortunately there were only 3 hats.

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[MelanieC]

Next we headed to the Great Movie Ride. It was posted at 40 minutes, but It only took about 20. Luckily this line moves fast.

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Our plans were to do the 2pm American Idol Experience. We were going over to do Star Tours and realized the Jedi Training was going to start at 1:30pm. We decided to do that instead. We grabbed a FP for Star Tours and was good since there was a 40 minute line for Star Tours.

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And then Ryan got picked

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At 2pm we did the American Idol Experience and we all liked it much better than we thought. We really thought it would be lame. When Bill said he liked it, I knew it was a winner. He was really missing Millionare.

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We decided to use our FP's for TSM and see what the line was. The line was 160 minutes. That is so insane, lol.

Taryn still beat me!

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Photo time - Singing in the Rain

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I'm off to bed - I'll finish the rest tomorrow including dinner at Sci FI.

[MelanieC]

It's time to use our Star Tours FP's

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We went to the Beauty and the Beast 4pm showing

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Dinner was fast approaching so we decided to do Animation Courtyard until it was time to go. We watched the movie with Mushu.


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And then got these character pictures:


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Our ADR's were for Sci Fi at 5:45pm. We checked in and were not seated until 6:45pm. We were so full from lunch that we really weren't hungry at 5:45pm, so the delay did make us hungry and I was in fact starving by the time dinner came. Ufortunately it took an hour out of the day just for waiting.

[MelanieC]

Next we headed to our 5:45pm ADR's at Prime Time Cafe. We did not get seated until around 6:45PM. We had planned to go to the last American Idol finale show, but that idea went out the window when it was almost 7pm when we sat down.


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Bill got the Reuben with french fries

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Taryn got the kids hamburger, fries, apple slices and sundae.

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Ryan got the kids macaroni and cheese, tomato soup and sundae

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I got the hamburger with cheddar, mushrooms, fried onions and bacon with onion rings (the onion rings were a $2.00 extra charge).

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After dinner we went to see what the wait was for Toy Story Mania and it was still at 160 minutes. Then we went to Muppet Vision. We went in right before a show. I always love timing it just right.

Finally I got to find the sign for "the key is under the mat".

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A net full of jello = Annette Funicello

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glasses

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Next we headed over to RNRRC and used our FP's. We had hoped that since there were 2 Fantasmic's that the lines would have died down. No such luck. The lines for both RNRRC and TOT were huge still.

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We went back over to see if we could either do the Little Mermaid or One Man's dream and we were able to catch the 8:55pm Little Mermaid. Sorry no pictures. Once we were done we walked back down to head out of the park. We stopped in the photopass store and put the Jedi training pictures on our card. I also had lost my card from the past few days and I learned something new. They can go back to any photopass location you were at recently and pull up your number and put that old card on a new one. We pulled up Epcot entrance between 8:30am-9:30am on Monday and there were our pictures. Very cool.

After that we headed back to Pop Century. Ryan once again went to the arcade for a bit.

[MelanieC]

Duplicate post

[luckylady]

Great update. TSM is now the alltime favorite of I guess everyone. Ohhh that fried chicken is so good and makes me want some. Can't wait for more. Have fun today.

[Credit Man]

Really enjoying your report. Are you planning to keep up this pace for al 18 days?

[Michelle2]

For being such a busy day, it seemed like you guys were able to do most of the must sees! That is a good thing!
I look forward to reading about your adventures every day.

[MelanieC]

Great update. TSM is now the alltime favorite of I guess everyone. Ohhh that fried chicken is so good and makes me want some. Can't wait for more. Have fun today.

Thanks - They both love the chicken at Prime time!!

Really enjoying your report. Are you planning to keep up this pace for al 18 days?

Thanks - Yeah, we do keep a pretty busy pace and don't have much down time. We've always been like that.

As we get towards the end of the vacation though, I find that we will leave a park in the afternoon and go swimming, or go to downtown disney or something like that. But we do keep up a good pace. Bill is already planning on sleeping in one day (Him and Taryn) and usually when they do that, Ryan and I go to MK and have an early morning just the two of us.


For being such a busy day, it seemed like you guys were able to do most of the must sees! That is a good thing!
I look forward to reading about your adventures every day.

Yah- when we marked off what we had done, I was pretty amazed that we saw that much. That was seriously the most crowded I've ever seen there. It was scary!

[MelanieC]

Wednesday August 12, 2009 - Islands of Adventure.

I got up 30 minutes earlier this morning and we left 15 minutes earlier at 8:00am. We got to Universal before we normally get to a Disney park and were at the gate around 8:30am. Not sure how we got all the way to Universal quicker than we do at a park that is just right down the road.

Unfortunately there won't be as many ride pictures because at Universal so many of the rides they make you put your bags in a locker and almost every ride and show doesn't allow photography. Only a few do, and sometimes if I had my camera in line I took pictures. I tried to make up for it by taking pictures outside the rides.

We went on Hulk first, and it took us a few minutes to put our bags in the free lockers. It took me a few seconds to figure it out and to figure out you had to push the button to actually look at it. We basically walked on Hulk and of course we loved it because we are coaster freaks (all of us).

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Next I thought we should ride Spiderman, but Bill said we should ride Dr. Doom's Freefall first since the lines are longer there. Ok, well since when is Bill a park expert, lol. Him and his friends went a few months ago when they were at a TDY with Bill's Air National Guard Unit. Thank goodness we listened because it said 5 minutes, but took a while.

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Photo Opportunity

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Next we headed over to Spiderman, and even though it said 30 minutes it moved quickly.

I convinced everyone we should wait until after lunch to ride the water rides so we weren't soaked. I also wanted to make sure it was warmer when we did it. I wasn't hot at this point. We headed to Jurrasic Park and rode the Jurassic Park River Adventure.

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Walking over to ride Dueling Dragons

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We waited for the front line of the Ice side. They only had one car on each track so the line went so slow. Then when we were a few from the front they added a second car and then had to test it 2 or 3 times before putting anyone on it. It was just past our 11:30am reservations for Mythos, so we headed to lunch.


The lobby of Mythos

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The inside

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The bread was a sesame seed bread and was so yummy

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Bill had the Italian Panini. He liked it but didn't rave about it. He said it was just a paninini

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Taryn had the kids cheese ravioli with alfredo sauce. She split her alfredo with Ryan for half his pizza. They both liked the ravioli, but liked pizza better.

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Ryan had the kids pepperoni pizza - both of them thought the pizza was excellent.

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I had the Blueberry and Pistachio Crusted Grilled Pork - With blue cheese and a port wine sauce. Served with smokey cheddar macaroni and cheese. It was excellent. The only thing that could have been better is if the pork wasn't as dry as it was. It wasn't the worst or that bad, but it could have been a little better.

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[kmartin555]

Another great day! I hope that we will be able to fit in some Universal parks on our next trip. Thanks for the food porn as well! :goodvibes

[SunnieRN]

Wow, even on the days you say you don't do that much, you get a lot accomplished!!:thumbsup2

Gotta love those military tickets!! We got them over Easter and upped them to annual passes as we have a trip next month and one in February planned.

I think that's so great that your husband was the one who wanted to stay and play at AK!! It does always seem stifling there!!]

Looking forward to more!

[MelanieC]

Another great day! I hope that we will be able to fit in some Universal parks on our next trip. Thanks for the food porn as well! :goodvibes

Yeah- I seriously think I enjoy the food just as much as Disney itself, lol.

Wow, even on the days you say you don't do that much, you get a lot accomplished!!:thumbsup2

Gotta love those military tickets!! We got them over Easter and upped them to annual passes as we have a trip next month and one in February planned.

I think that's so great that your husband was the one who wanted to stay and play at AK!! It does always seem stifling there!!]

Looking forward to more!


We do pack it in. We've been so many times now that we are pretty good with getting in as much as possible in the least amount of time. We were going to get military tickets but when we got the free dining starting on 8/16 we decided that since we had to buy a 1 day anyway to split it up and get the military and buy an 8 day in the package.

Today we used the military free universal, 2 of the $89 companion universal tickets and my universal was free from the superbowl promotion.

[MelanieC]

See ya all tonight - we are heading out to Universal Studios today - keep your fingers crossed they open Rip Ride & Rocket, although I highly doubt it.

[MeMom]

I think you were at POP when we were there in July 07 - I think I wrote on a board you had on your door -unless I'm mixing you up with someone. Your son in law (maybe it was your son in law) or someone came to the door when they heard me writing on it. I was like - oops sorry!!!



That was us. That was my son who came to the door, and he thought it was funny! This year we stayed at Pop, but finished with two nights at WL. We're going to be back at Pop in December.

Yummy on the Goofy's treats!

Looking forward to many more pictures!

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Loving the LIVE updates!!! You sure have got to see some unique characters!!! I sure hope we run into Koda! My DS would be thrilled!!! So you enjoyed Teppan Edo? We are trying it for the first time in Sept. and I am really looking forward to it! Enjoy!

[Capo]

Thanks for sharing this, I really enjoy it!

One question though, I notice you're eating a lot of "ADR" restaurants, do you have the dining plan for all four of you for 18 days? Some other combination? Or just paying cash?

[MelanieC]

After lunch we went across the walkway and did Poseidon's Adventure. Bill loved it, I thought it was a little dorky, lol.

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Bill and Taryn playing a game in line. Taryn was laughing pretty hard.

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We then wanted to head back over to Toon Lagoon to ride the water rides so we would have plenty of time to dry off before dinner. Taryn decided not to ride anything because she didn't want to get wet. We rode Dudley Do Right's Ripsaw Falls first. It was as fun as I rembered and maybe even more fun. My butt got wet, and my shirt a little - but it wasn't too bad. Bill got more wet than any of us. It was almost dry before we decided to ride the Bilge rat Barges. I didn't ride this the last time we were at Universal and I was surprised at how much fun it was even though we were drowned rats when we were done.

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More photo ops

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Next we headed to watch the 8th Voyage of Sinbad

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We got in line for the front line of the Fire side of Dueling Dragons. When we were 2 cars from getting on, they closed the ride due to "lightning" in the area. We waited there about 30 minutes when they told people if they decided to wait they would have to pay for the locker fee. We sent the kids down to re-do it, since Ryan had done the fingerprint for the locker. Then 2 minutes after they left they opened the ride again. Even with a test, we had to let about 4 cars go before the kids were back. Apparently they had some problems getting someone to let them come back, even though the people at the ride told us they wouldn't have a problem. Finally we ride - yeah!

I must say, that Deuling Dragons was way better than I remembered. It's definately US/IOA's best coaster (love the ice side best) as of right now (I'm sure Rip Ride & Rocket will change that).

Earlier in the day Taryn had looked at the park map and saw a fountain listed on the map. She made fun of it, and then all the sudden we found the fountain and now we realize why it's on the map. This fountain was funny and entertaining.

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Then we thought the fountain show was causing it to rain because the sky opened up but above us was a blue sky - it was so strange. The ground was already wet in the area because of the fountain.

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It rained for about 30 minutes and we basically sat under stuff for about 20 and then went on our way.

Another Photo Op as we made our way to Seuss Landing

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We waited about 10 minutes for the High In the Sky Suess Trolly Train ride

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The Cat in the Hat

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And One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

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Storm Force Accelertron was the last ride of the day. Bill and I decided we didn't want to ride a spiny ride.

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We rode everything at IOA except for the CaroSEUSSel by 6:30pm.

[MelanieC]

We arrived at DTD at the T-Rex counter at around 7:15pm. I didn't bring the paper that showed my dining ADR's and I wasn't sure what time it was, so I checked in and she told us they were for 8pm. She told me to check back in at 7:45pm and to just walk up to her and not stand in line. We shopped at DTD and the time flew. Before we knew it we were checking back in. It's very chaotic at this restaurant and we had to stand in a line, yet there were names being called and people with names on cards. I asked and found out some of the people who are having the names called out don't have ressies/ADR's.

Ryan was hoping for the Ice room, but we sat in an area that had an octopus and fish.

Here is the really cool ceiling octopus and light fixtures.

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The Wooly Mamoth

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When we went to Yak and Yeti we were given a paper that you open when you go to another Landry's restuarant. They Open it and you do a scratch off to reveal a "prize". The person at Yak and Yeti said the least you could get was 10% off. We got a free Chef's appetizer. The two we got to choose from were:

Dexter's Dual Dip - Our phenomenal combination of shrimp and artichoke dip and spinach and pepper jack queso served with tortilla chips $9.99 OR

Artifact Stack - Dig in these fried onion rings, piled high and served with our BBQ ranch and ranch dressings for dipping $8.99

We choose the Dexter's Dual Dip. Bill did not like the one with shrimp, but the kids and I liked it. There wasn't enough chips to eat all the dip, but we had no problem getting more chips.

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Bill got the Guacamole burger. He liked it, but he likes the Guacamole burger at Red Robins much better.

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Taryn also got the Guacamole burger and felt exactly as Bill did about the burger. These burgers were huge and they both thought it was too big to eat and enjoy.

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Ryan got the kids pizza and he really enjoyed it.

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I got the Paleonzoic Chicken Sandwich - Fried pizza dough with grilled chicken, lettuce, bacon, pepper jack cheese, avocado, tomato and lemon aioli
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The cool fish on our table

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Bill went back to the hotel and Taryn, Ryan and I stayed and shopped at Downtown Disney.

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Taryn shopping at Trend - D! She bought a really cute tube top dress.

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Then we went to Goofy's Candy Company and got the 3 pretzels that you get dipped.

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Mine was the one with nuts and we didn't realize till the kids started eating them back at the room that she mixed the kids up.

Mine was dipped in Dark Chocolate, walnuts, and caramel drizzle.

Ryan's was supposed to be dipped in dark chocolate, white and dark chips and drizzled in caramel - but his was dipped in white chocolate.

Taryns was supposed to be dipped in white chocolate, white and dark chips and drizzled in white chocolate. -hers was dipped in dark chocolate.

Taryn is not a huge regular chocolate fan, but loves white chooclate so she was really sad it wasn't correct. I'm still not sure if I should say something when I go back, but the whole experience there was a bit on the not pleasant side. When I went, the girl said I could pay ahead of time so I got in line to pay. When I got up there the other girl said I had to pay at another counter. That line was long, so I had been in it for a while. I asked her if I could buy something else from the case at the other counter and she said yes. So I get out of that line and get in line to wait in the other. The girl in the new line said I had to buy the item out of the case in the other line. When I told her that the girl in the other line told me I could buy it there, she acted like I had 3 heads and then said ok I'll get it what do you want. I told her forget it I'll just take the pretzels since at this point I was a bit annoyed.

The kids and I went and got in line to ride the bus back to Pop. I couldn't tell where to get in line because at DTD there are no line qeues. Twice I got into what I thought was the end of the line, just to get yelled at for two people telling me the line was over in another spot. The first person who yelled at me told me to go where I got yelled at again, lol.

We finally got into the right end of the line and missed the bus by a few people, but luckily another came along 10 minutes later. I really hate taking a bus from DTD.

[MelanieC]

Thursday August 13, 2009 Universal Studios


We left the room around 8am today and got to the park around 8:30am. Today turned out to be a very rainy evening but not until 5:00pm and the park was not crowded at all. Again, Universal doesn't allow photo's on many rides, so some are just pics of the front of the ride.

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We wanted to go ride Mummy first, but that section of the park was not open till 10am. So we rode Jimmy neutron instead. There was no wait.

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Next we rode Shrek 4 -D with no wait.

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Next we went to ride Mummy but it was closed still, then went to ride Disaster and that was closed till 11am. Finally a ride that was open - Jaws.

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Walking over to Men In Black

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Then we rode the Simpsons. This was the first time for this ride, I haven't been since they opened it and I had high hopes because Bill had rode it back in the spring when he went and said it was awesome. It didn't dissapoint and was awesome.

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Photo Op with Homer and Marge

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We headed over to Mummy and rode that. The wait was abut 30 minutes or so.

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[MelanieC]

Then we headed to Finnegans Bar and Grill for lunch. Our reservation was for 11:30am, but we were a few minutes late due to the time for Mummy.

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Irish Soda bread and apple butter

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Bill had the Guiness Stew and loved it.


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I had the Shepards Pie with Cheddar Cheese and it was really good.

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Both Taryn and Ryan got the kids fish and chips

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As we came out of Finnegan's Bar and Grill The Blue's Brother's were about to come out so we waited to see them.


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Ryan and I went over and saw Doc Brown from Back to the Future

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Taryn wanted to see if there were any previews to see, but alas no!

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Next we went on Twister with only a 5 minute wait.

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The new Rip Ride rocket rollercoaster (that of course opened for a soft opening the past two days-in hindsight we wish we would have done Sea World first).

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We were all excited to watch the one show we remembered as being our favorite when we went to US two years ago, so we headed to the Horror Make-up show and it did not dissapoint.

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We were able to time it so we could go right over for the next Terminator. Taryn and I slept through most of it, lol.

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Playing with the rocks in the gift shop (why is it that your just drawn to touch them)

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Photo Opp

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And then caught a Magic show (which turned out to be a pitch to buy magic tricks - which I thought was very tacky to do in a theme park like that).

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After the magic show we headed to ride ET Since we missed it when we were over there.

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We stopped in an air-condititioned counter service spot for drinks

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[MelanieC]

And went over to watch the Beatle Juice show

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It was almost 5pm when this ended and it started to rain so we RAN to Fear Factor which seemed like it was really far when running in the rain.

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We were sitting at the top and it started to rain really hard, lightening and thundering and got windy. It was blowing into the theatre. Everyone on the top and the rows below moved down (we moved about 3 rows down) to get out of the rain. When the show was over they told everyone they could stay in the theatre to stay out of the bad weather but you had to stay seated. We stayed for a while before we decided to make our way to Disaster. We were pretty wet from doing this.

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We decided we would go ride Mummy and then leave since it was still raining. We used the single rider lane and road it 3 times. Gotta love the single rider lane.

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Photo Op at City Walk

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We had dinner back at POP

Bill and Ryan ate at first while Taryn and I went back to the room to watch Big Brother.


Bill and Ryan had the Greek Salad so I didn't get a picture. This is the picture from the elevator poster.

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Taryn and I got the Chicken with Penne Pasta and an extra order of breadsticks.

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[MelanieC]

Loving the LIVE updates!!! You sure have got to see some unique characters!!! I sure hope we run into Koda! My DS would be thrilled!!! So you enjoyed Teppan Edo? We are trying it for the first time in Sept. and I am really looking forward to it! Enjoy!

We have loved Teppan Edo and do it every trip. We were really sad last trip when it was closed. You will love it!

Thanks for sharing this, I really enjoy it!

One question though, I notice you're eating a lot of "ADR" restaurants, do you have the dining plan for all four of you for 18 days? Some other combination? Or just paying cash?

Our eating style is typically eat breakfast bars in the room and eating an early sit down lunch and a 6pm-6:30pm sit down dinner. AK is our exception where we eat multiple times at Pizzafari (love the hot italian Deli sandwich). This year though, we have free dining starting on 8/16 where we will have to eat counter service for one meal a day.

We aren't dessert people though, so unless it was free it has never worked to where it was worth it for us since we like to eat two sit downs a day and we wouldn't buy desserts anyway.

[MelanieC]

That was us. That was my son who came to the door, and he thought it was funny! This year we stayed at Pop, but finished with two nights at WL. We're going to be back at Pop in December.

Yummy on the Goofy's treats!

Looking forward to many more pictures!

I thought it was. If he could have caught the look on my face when he opened the door it would have been priceless, lol!

[MelanieC]

Friday August 14, 2009 Islands of Adventure/Universal Studios - Our favorites day.

Look how beautiful it looked at POP this morning

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Doesn't Taryn look super happy?? She is not a morning person

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We went to Islands of Adventure first. This was a ride our favorites day, so only the best in our eyes got done twice. This day looked more crowded than Thursday, but we got a lot done and the lines were less crowded than Thursday

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Hulk

Dr. Doom's Fearfall

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Photo Op

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Spiderman

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Photo Op

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Ripsaw Falls

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Photo Ops

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Up until this point we had no wait, except for Hulk which took about 15 minutes for them to open the line.

[MelanieC]

I'm a little behind, But I've started on Day 7 Friday IOA/US. Saturday we did Sea World and today we went to Animal Kingdom. We were back to Disney parks and we checked back in for our continuing reservations at POP for the last 9 nights of our stay for free dining. Today was day 1 on the free dining plan and boy are we full - we don't normally do desserts.

Stay tuned for more fun and I'll finish the days as soon as I can. I have to tell you all about the horrible lines checking back in for the continuing reservation this morning - yikes.

Tomorrow is Magic Kingdom!!

[mom2nate]

Very excited to find out how the crowds are now that free dining started. We leave on the 22nd and are staying at POP also !!! Please keep us updated on the crowds at the parks and your wait times. Thanks in advance

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Can't wait to hear more about your super long trip.

[mom2nate]

just checking in

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Hey Melanie! Just checking in! Loving the report! My 7 year old DS just happen to walk by when I was reading your update from US and IOA, needless to say he wants to go there now! :rotfl2: Can't wait for the next installment!

[MissMichelle]

I so love your detailed LIVE report. I hope I can get in the time to get detailed like yours . We'll be checking in Sunday morning (OMG it feels AWESOME to say that!!!) and maybe we'll bump into you somewhere.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[Goofy'sFriend]

Hey Melanie.....we are back from our 6 nights at AKL.....we didn't see you, lol!

Have you noticed a difference in the crowds on the 16th when Free Dining started? We certainly did. Hope you are still having a great time....I'll keep reading:surfweb:

If you want a good meal.....we really enjoyed The Wave at the Contemporary....more so than Jiko. The chicken pot pie there was my son's favorite meal of the week. They also had my favorite dessert.

[MelanieC]

Hey Melanie.....we are back from our 6 nights at AKL.....we didn't see you, lol!

Have you noticed a difference in the crowds on the 16th when Free Dining started? We certainly did. Hope you are still having a great time....I'll keep reading:surfweb:

If you want a good meal.....we really enjoyed The Wave at the Contemporary....more so than Jiko. The chicken pot pie there was my son's favorite meal of the week. They also had my favorite dessert.

I tried to get everyone to go to the Wave and no one wanted to. Sunday at AK was more crowded than the last time for sure and MK on Monday was YIKES OMG crowded - luckily that day Bill did laundry and he and Ryan swam. Taryn and I opened MK and did a few rides, went over to the Poly for lunch and then went back to POP and took a nap. Then we went to MK later all of us and then went to dinner at Ohana's. Taryn wasn't feeling good after dinner and we were all tired so we went back to the room. Today at Epcot didn't feel super crowded. It was full - but not awful crowded like MK yesterday. We will see if MK is the same tomorrow. I don't think we have ever done a Monday at MK before, usually Wednesdays and Saturdays. Doing US/IOA and SW it just worked out that we did Monday at MK and Tuesday at EPCOT a EMH evening. Tonight was super crowded for the EMH. Thank goodness we had FP's and we rode Soarin and Mission space with no wait. Then we came back and still didn't get here till about 11pm.

I so love your detailed LIVE report. I hope I can get in the time to get detailed like yours . We'll be checking in Sunday morning (OMG it feels AWESOME to say that!!!) and maybe we'll bump into you somewhere.

Enjoy the rest of your trip!

How exciting - it will be here before you know it. I'll be sad then cuz ours will almost be over. I will say that it is definatley feelig like we have been here FOREVER!

Hey Melanie! Just checking in! Loving the report! My 7 year old DS just happen to walk by when I was reading your update from US and IOA, needless to say he wants to go there now! :rotfl2: Can't wait for the next installment!


Ha - he would love it-it's a lot of fun, but it's not Disney and I missed that Disney feel.


Very excited to find out how the crowds are now that free dining started. We leave on the 22nd and are staying at POP also !!! Please keep us updated on the crowds at the parks and your wait times. Thanks in advance


The crowds do seem busier this week over last week. Everyone seems to have free dining.


Oh - When I rechecked into my hotel room on Sunday morning the morning of free dining - I almost had a heart attack. There were so many people in the lobby checking in that morning. There were litterly hundreds in line between all the lines. Even the internet line where you check back in on a continuing reservation was SO SO long. It took over an hour to wait and we were late getting to AK and really threw us off. The next morning at the same time there were like 5 people in line at the check in counter. Amazing. There were a lot of people re-checking back in on a continuing reservation for free dining.

Also - All restaurants we have eaten at including last week have said that they are completely full. Le Cellier where we ate at tonight and had a wonderful meal was turning people away and saying maybe at lunch someone could walk in, but most likely not and especially not at all for dinner. All of August is completely booked there she said.

Sorry I'm behind. I'll try to finish a day or two in the next few days. I'm too exhausted right now to finish the day I'm working on. The long days and walking all day are getting to me.

Night all - tomorrow is MK and we are eating counter service for lunch and Crystal Palace for dinner.

[MelanieC]

Just saying hi from Tom Sawyers Island!

[Captdonswife]

I just got caught up on your trip report! I have really enjoyed it so far and can't wait for the next update! You had a good plan and have gotten to ride a lot of rides. I need to plan better - I have in my mind what I want to do but don't have a schedule of what we should ride when. I'll try to do better when we go in December!

You have a beautiful family!

[MelanieC]

Just popping in to say HI!

I met PrincessPeanut at Goofy's Candy Co. tonight (HI) ! - what a fiasco that place was. They changed the prices of the make your own dipped goodies and the pretzels and rice krispy treats are no longer snack credits.

I was hoping I would have gotten back earlier to finish day 7 - I'll try tomorrow night. I'm so exhausted. Bill is sick tonight. He wasn't feeling well after dinner and Taryn and I went to DTD. Ryan and him went back to the room after Crystal Palace (he didn't eat much, and said he felt like he hit a brick wall and didn't have much of an appetite). I came back to the room to find out he has been really sick since he has been back. I guess I won't know till tomorrow if he is going with us.

Tomorrow is DHS and our Fantasmic Dinner pkg at Mama Melrose. Figures he would get sick when there is a cancel fee at this point. Plus there is so much food in the package - I don't see him wanting to eat all that after being sick. Tomorrow will be interesting.

We got stuck for at least 20 minutes or so on Pirates today. We were at the part where the dog and jail scene are. They did give everyone FP's once we finally got off. We were all starting to fall asleep in there it was taking so long. Thank goodness it was nice and cool in there.

[MelanieC]

I just got caught up on your trip report! I have really enjoyed it so far and can't wait for the next update! You had a good plan and have gotten to ride a lot of rides. I need to plan better - I have in my mind what I want to do but don't have a schedule of what we should ride when. I'll try to do better when we go in December!

You have a beautiful family!

Hi - Thanks!

Actually I don't plan out what rides we will do. I pick parks based on how we tour. Going at opening and staying all day at one park. We don't usually close parks, so most of the time we leave after dinner but that varies and it depends on the time it closes. We don't pick parks that have early or late entry. I usually pick my park and then check them with Tour Guide Mike's recommendations. I"m usually pretty close on my own - but sometimes realize something I hadn't thought of.

We definately make use of FP's and try to always get a FP when the new time is open to get one. Certain rides have less of a line than others -it also depends on the time of day and year.

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Hi Melanie, just catching up on your report! OMG, I wish we had enough time to hit up DTD on our upcoming trip just to go to Trend-D!!! I have to agree with you, Goofy's Candy Co. is a nightmare everytime wwe go there! Really think they need to reorganize thinks there!!!

Did you like Shrek 4D? Went to Universal Hollywood last April and thought it was so cute! Mummy and Jarassic Park were fun too!

So now that free dining has started how's it going? Seeing much of a difference?

[bentleygirl22]

Just found your trip report can't wait to read more..

[MelanieC]

Hi Melanie, just catching up on your report! OMG, I wish we had enough time to hit up DTD on our upcoming trip just to go to Trend-D!!! I have to agree with you, Goofy's Candy Co. is a nightmare everytime wwe go there! Really think they need to reorganize thinks there!!!

Did you like Shrek 4D? Went to Universal Hollywood last April and thought it was so cute! Mummy and Jarassic Park were fun too!

So now that free dining has started how's it going? Seeing much of a difference?

Hi there!

Yeah we liked Shrek, although all that bouncing hurts, lol. I really loved the Simpsons ride. One of the best 4d ones ever!!!! WE LOVE Mummy and also MIB too~~

[MelanieC]

Sorry I haven't been keeping up on the live reports. I think the heat, lack of sleep, throbbing legs and feet and late nights have cought up with me. I've been so exhausted lately.

The kids and I headed to DHS and Bill slept in. I wasn't sure if he was going to make it, but we met up around 3pm. Today we tried to go to RNRRC & TOT first before TSM, but that was a bad idea. That didn't work. We got FP's for RNRRC and rode it. Went to TSM but the line and FP line was too long, so we walked back and rode TOT and got a FP. Then because we couldn't get FP's again till 12pm and TSM's FP's were gone by then, we waited 90 minutes for TSM (posted time was 130 - so 90 was a bargain). Went to Animation courtyard and there were only 2 sets of characters and the crowds were huge. Watched AI, ate lunch at Starring Rolls Bakery. Great food, too crowded and the table we were at was sunny and hot.......but we ate and early lunch at 10:30am since our Fantasmic Dinner ressies were at 5pm. Stopped and got a drink and met up with Bill. Went to go use our FP's for RNRRC and TOT (Bill didn't ride - no FP's and wasn't ready yet). Went to go watch Indiana Jones and it was full. Went to one Man's Dream and headed to Dinner. Dinner was good - but Bill and Ryan didn't eat dessert. We took thiers with us, but with the rides, fantasmic etc. they were smooshed by the time we got back.

After dinner we tried to watch the AI Finale, but it was full so we watched it on the big TV outside the theatre with a TON of other people. Then we headed to Fantasmic. It worked out good although the theatre was pretty packed already. We sat in the Fantasmic section. When we were done we used the TOT of FP's Bill got when we rode TOT earlier in the afternoon. Bill even rode with us. It was 9:50pm when we were done with TOT and we ran across the park to TSM and got in line just as it was closing. Taryn was complaining because she didn't want to wait the posted 90 minutes, but it moved fast since it was closed and there was no FP people waiting. We were in and out in 30 minutes and the line moved really fast.

No rain today, but it thundered and lightened during Fantasmic. It was super crowded again. I'm thinking if we go again when there are only Fantasmic shows on certain days we won't go on Fantasmic nights, but will put those on a night when we rest during the day. DHS is too small for that many ppl. Ick!! It was also super hot today. I think it was the humidty. It just felt super sweaty and icky.

Bill and Taryn said that they are ready to go home now.......it really feels like we have been here for a long time and I think everyone has such sore legs and we are just beat. Usually we have some beach days thrown in, but we did US/IOA & SW this time insstead.

Night all - see you tomorrow. Tomorrow is Epcot and Biergarten for dinner.

[DevonsDisneyMom]

Hi there!

Yeah we liked Shrek, although all that bouncing hurts, lol. I really loved the Simpsons ride. One of the best 4d ones ever!!!! WE LOVE Mummy and also MIB too~~

So true, it is a bit bumpy!!! The simpson ride wasn't open yet when we were there, so I didn't get to ride it. I was bummed!!! Looking forward to your next update! Hope you are all enjoying your trip!!!

[MelanieC]

So true, it is a bit bumpy!!! The simpson ride wasn't open yet when we were there, so I didn't get to ride it. I was bummed!!! Looking forward to your next update! Hope you are all enjoying your trip!!!

Thanks - We are definatetly enjoying, but tired.

[MelanieC]

Yesterday was EPCOT. We got quite a bit of rain, but we were pretty much able to do everything we wanted. The threat of rain kept us closer to Germany since that is where we were eating dinner. Luckily we were able to check in early for dinner. It was pouring when we were done with dinner. Bill and Ryan went back to the room to watch the Dallas Cowboys game. Taryn and I had FP's for Soarin'. We were able to ride it twice using the boys FP's, but it still took a long time riding it twice. That ride just takes forever. Dinner was yummy. Taryn and I took the bus back and she commented that the buses must be better this trip because we haven't waited. I said yeah that is true, but don't forget that we have only taken a few busses.

Today is MK. We have dinner at 1900 Park Fare.

[tiggerfan6]

JUst found yout LIVE TR! Thanks for taking timeout and writing. Loving it!!!
And keep having a great Vaca!

[FLAA1A]

We have been enjoying your trip updates. Waiting to hear how the rest of your trip went.:yay:

[reyasmommy]

Hello!

I just now found your TR and am only on the first page but I wanted to comment on how much I LOVE your photos! It looks like you had an amazing time!

I'm glad you got your computer back, I would have freaked out! I left my $1000.00 SLR camera sitting on a bench at MK once and was shocked to find it still there 25 minutes later! :yay: I seriously cried once I realized it was still there. It was amazing! :yay:

Now, I need to get caught up!

[MelanieC]

Hello!

I just now found your TR and am only on the first page but I wanted to comment on how much I LOVE your photos! It looks like you had an amazing time!

I'm glad you got your computer back, I would have freaked out! I left my $1000.00 SLR camera sitting on a bench at MK once and was shocked to find it still there 25 minutes later! :yay: I seriously cried once I realized it was still there. It was amazing! :yay:

Now, I need to get caught up!


Wow - I know you were happy! That is how I felt once I found the laptop. I had a pit in my stomach till I did. It was a scary feeling. Something just made me go first to the front desk and when he came back and told me I could stop filling out the form I was like THANK YOU GOD!

Once on another trip we had just gotten to Disney and we went to MK for a few hours. We rode maybe two rides and were going back to POP and we were on the monorail. I got off the monorail and realized after the monorail had left that my bag was still laying on the monorail seat. I have never left a bag or even almost left a bag in all the times we have been at Disney - but I guess with the excitement of being there it just happened. I knew pretty quickly I did that. I told a CM who called the monorail and someone had given it to a CM and they were bringing it back around. All my CASH, my credit cards, room keys, AP's and everything were in that bag. Thank goodness I got it back!

[MelanieC]

We got back at 11:30pm on Tuesday night. I haven't been able to get myself to post on the thread - too sad I think. Now that I'm over coming home I'll finish my trip report. I still have so much to tell you all - I left off early in the trip.

I also bought a HUGE expensive souvenir that I had to have shipped home. I'm so excited about it and even though I spent a ton now that it's in my home and I'm looking at it every day I know I made the right decision. It's something that I'll LOVE and look at forever. I'm going to keep it a surprise until I get to the day I bought it to leave you all in suspense, lol.

[DisneyMom14]

Hi Melanie,
I've seen your posts on other threads (because we share the same name - they stuck out) and when I saw you were writing a trip report, I wanted to check it out. I've really enjoyed reading and can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. popcorn::

[kmartin555]

I can't wait to hear the rest of your TR! popcorn:: It sounded like you guys were getting really run down toward the end, so I am glad u took a few days off to rest! :flower3: Thanks for taking the time to write - can't wait to hear about the new souvenir! :goodvibes

[Zdog]

Great trippie! :thumbsup2 Our 8 day stay overlapped for the last few days of ours, and first few days of yours. I was looking closely to your pix to see if I could catch a glimpse of us since we were at the same parks same day.

BTW, we too found Goofy's to be way disorganized too. My wife was also disappointed after her pretzels were dipped in the wrong kind of chocolate. Based on the other comments, looks like this might be a bit of an issue this late summer season. Oh well!

[Goofy'sFriend]

Hi again Melanie. I know it's hard to get back on to the threads/boards after getting home:sad1: I haven't been on much either but I keep checking back to your thread once in awhile to see how your trip ended.

Can't wait to hear about your souvenir!!:yay:

[Sleeping*Beauty]

Come on can't you give us a hint about the souvenir??