Food, Frights, & The Fortieth: A Trip Report of Epic Proportions. *11/28*

[BerrysGirl]

:wave2:Hello All!:wave2:

It seems like my trip was ages ago but in fact I only returned yesterday... guess I'm an over-achiever because I'm starting my TR NOW! If you're just joining, WELCOME! If you followed me over from my PTR WELCOME BACK! :dance3: I had an amazing trip filled with lots of highs and only a few lows... the largest of course was leaving my wonderful DBF at MCO last night :sad: Ugh, I miss him already. So now it's time to relive the happy moments!

For all the newcomers I encourage you to check out my PTR: Have AnnualPass, Will Travel (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2713056). But for a quick recap for everyone, here's the basic synopsis:

Who?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rqajpQjKUzc/TY-fvmIlSeI/AAAAAAAAAPk/XlFkLweSWOI/s640/DSCF2025.JPG
Me! Megan, Disney obsessor and coordinator of this trip.
Here are the favorites:
Park: Magic Kingdom
Ride: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Resort: Contemporary
Character: A tie between Jack Skellington, Jasmine, Piglet, and Figment

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KqvSt5qX9KY/Totcllj35UI/AAAAAAAABIg/cl_o4oslyBo/s640/IMG_0433.JPG
DBF. Matt is my loving and wonderful boyfriend who is always up for anything I have planned. We definitely have different park touring techniques (he's more relaxed and I'm more... energetic? intense?) but I feel like I'm starting to come around to his way of thinking. All the Disney trips in my future are helping that cause.
Matt's favorites:
Park: Hollywood Studios
Ride: Star Tours (new or old... he'll take them both).
Resort: I'm fairly certain he's tied between the Polynesian and the Boardwalk.
Character: Donald Duck... though I believe Goofy gave ol' DD a run for his money this trip!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/33583_833999077078_7717229_45987032_4989126_n.jpg
Oz! Haha, just kidding. Our cat, Oz was probably the least excited that I was going to Disney. Disney vacations means long days home alone with only brief visits from a friend. I do think he's forgiven me though... although it took a lot of catnip.

What? Uh Disney??? This trip was filled with lots of excitement. It was our first experience with the Food and Wine Festival, we had tickets for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, AND we would be at Magic Kingdom for Rope Drop on Walt Disney World's Fortieth Anniversary... or that was the plan (would it happen?!?).

Where? The Caribbean Beach Resort!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-HBzirMzuwKY/TlkRp3L7oEI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/CE3pNoTvVSQ/s640/Disney%252520004.JPG
There were many reasons for our resort choice. And overall I was pleasantly surprised considering some of the reviews of the resort. I'll include an overall experience and would I stay there again post later on but for now just know we stayed, we were comfortable, and the resort grounds are gorgeous.

When September 29 - October 3, 2011. Not nearly enough time but it fit all the key events.
Food and Wine began on the 30th, with a soft opening the 29th.
Our MNSSHP was on the 30th.
And the 40th Anniversary was, duh, October 1!

Why? I know a lot of people respond to this question with Why Not?!? :confused3 . And of course, that is a very respectable response. But I have another answer to the Why!
My DBF started the CP in August. He was assigned to Old Port Royale Quick Service Food and Dinning at the Caribbean Beach Resort (our choice of lodging is really starting to make sense, isn't it? ;) ). I, living in Ohio, am quite far away from him and miss him terribly. So using some leftover money from last year's tax return, I booked a flight to visit him. Not only do I get to visit the love of my life but I also got to visit my favorite place!

So those are the details... now on to the trip!
:goodvibes Thanks for reading :goodvibes

[BerrysGirl]

Food, Frights, and the Fortieth.

Introductions (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42849372&postcount=1)

Chapter One
Part One. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42853115&postcount=6) Part Two. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42853301&postcount=7) Part Three. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42871383&postcount=16)
Part Four. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42875019&postcount=19) Part Five. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42875278&postcount=20) Part Six. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42896153&postcount=29)
Part Seven (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42925774&postcount=39)

Chapter Two
Part One. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42965120&postcount=57) Part Two. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42965141&postcount=58) Part Three. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42999576&postcount=70)
Part Four. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=42999652&postcount=71) Part Five. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43028306&postcount=82) Part Six. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43069675&postcount=92)
Part Seven. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43069690&postcount=93) Part Eight. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43134404&postcount=101)

Chapter Three
Part One. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43154259&postcount=106) Part Two. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43191839&postcount=117) Part Three. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43253074&postcount=129)

Chapter Four
Part One. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43296296&postcount=136) Part Two. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43313471&postcount=146) Part Three. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43357643&postcount=152)
Part Four. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43357658&postcount=153)

[LAH LAH]

I love OZ! :lovestruc We had to leave our Talulah kitty and she was only visited briefly daily as well.

Can't wait to hear about your trip!

[kokotg]

Yay! I'm here!

[BerrysGirl]

I love OZ! :lovestruc We had to leave our Talulah kitty and she was only visited briefly daily as well.

Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Thanks and :welcome: Isn't leaving your pets one of the only downsides to going to Disney? I swear, it's so hard on my Mom that last trip they looked at the new pet motel by Port Orleans so they can take the family dog (let's just say, I'm an only child and I was replaced by the dog when I moved out :lmao: ). I do think it's kinder to leave cats at home and just have them checked on than take them to a boarding center. Cats just don't seem to like change as much, ya know?

Yay! I'm here!
:welcome: I'm so glad you found me :goodvibes: Thanks for stopping by!

[BerrysGirl]

Chapter One, Part One.

"Disney World! Disney World! Ah Ah Disney World!"

My TR actually starts two days before I left for Disney World. Tuesday I knew was the last night I really had to pack and organize before I left so I gathered everything together, double checked my list, and pained my nails. Orange for Halloween with a special touch:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9QGV4MijJ_A/TotHgfwxybI/AAAAAAAAA7U/Y_ArAJZHIOI/s640/IMG_0613.JPG

I was quite pleased with how they turned out. I was even complimented for them on the train in Magic Kingdom.

Wednesday rolled around and I had to go to school like normal :headache: always hard to do when Disney is just around the corner. But I made it through and left at 4:00 pm. Right on time! I came back, made sure all my bags were organized and ready for my flight. I was not checking a bag, just bringing two carry-ons so I wanted to make sure I had all my items packed correctly.

The last thing I had to do was attend to the Kitty.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/36068_833999097038_7717229_45987033_2480199_n.jpg
Someone doesn't like being left alone.

After making sure everything was ready for our friend who was checking in on Oz, I was ready to hit the road!

First I had to drop of my house key at our friend's house. I got a little lost on the way over but finally figured it out. Afterward, I hit the highway for Matt's Parent's house. I live over an hour away from the airport I was flying out of, and even though there was an airport much closer to me, I prefer flying out of this other airport because it's so much cheaper. Matt's Parents, on the other hand, live maybe ten minutes away from the airport so I headed to their house for the night. I made good time and was there with plenty of time to get settled, chat with Matt's Dad about our trip in December, and get to bed around 9:30. I watched Ratatouille while I fell asleep (I find ever since Matt left I can't sleep anymore without the television on) and after overcoming my excitement, was asleep probably around 10:30!

[BerrysGirl]

Chapter 1, Part 2.

3:25 am rolled around and I cracked open an eye...

Did I think it was too early? Did I groan that my alarm was going off in just 5 minutes?

Heck no! I'm going to Disney World! I jumped out of bed with 4 minutes to spare and started to get ready. At 5 am I was ready to rock and roll and Matt's Dad begrudgingly rolled out of bed too to drive me to the airport :cloud9: (Just kidding, he's actually a morning person and was already up and ready to go). After a very short drive in zero traffic, Matt's Dad was dropping me off at the airport.

:cool1: Yayayayayayay! :cool1:

There was a bit of a line for security, especially for 5 am but I only waited about 10 minutes before I kicked off my shoes, sent all my stuff through the x-ray machine and hopped into the body scanner...

I've flown in December and March, both times body scanners were present in the airport and both times I did not have to get scanned. Guess my good luck streak is over, body scanning seems to be the norm now. No biggie though, and seeing my scanned image was actually pretty neat!

After making it through security incident-free, I was in some serious need of caffeine! Hi, my name is Megan and I am a coffee-addict. I stopped at a bagel shop in the airport for my breakfast and the first meal of vacation!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QINrytnexs4/Tos_H-q4tBI/AAAAAAAAAyA/VTq_6FwWjpo/s640/IMG_0295.JPG

The coffee was good, but the everything bagel was super salty. I ate as much as I could but ended up throwing some of it away. I relaxed at the gate for a while until TSA agents started walking around randomly asking to check bags. I didn't really think much of this, and was actually thankful they were doing this now instead of when we boarded the plane. They asked to look at my bags, so I handed them my purse and started to get my other carry-on bag ready for inspection. The TSA agent barely even glanced inside my purse before he handed it back to me, thanked me, and continued on... without even looking at my other bag :confused3 Ok, what's the point of that?

I still had some time to kill before the flight started boarding and I was feeling restless so I wandered for a bit. I passed the little magazine shop they have at every airport and saw this display:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VtPGPjlzC_M/TouBK21oWGI/AAAAAAAABL0/5LjnfL4is7E/s512/2011-09-29%25252006.39.43.jpg
Thanks airport, way to perpetuate stereotypes... I'm sure selling a shirt that says "Cow Tipper in Traning (Ohio)" really makes people want to visit our state :sad2: Sigh...

Around this time Matt called sounding extremely sleepy and grumpy (and dopey and bashful and sneezy... :laughing: actually he was just sounding 2 of the 7 dwarfs!) But he assured he was up, and would be at the airport for my 9 am landing.

Around this time, my flight started boarding, and soon we were taxing away from the airport, and hitting the skies. Other than sitting behind a screaming baby, the flight was very uneventful, and we touched down a few minutes early.

Soon I was seeing this beautiful sight:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--IZ88S25uj0/Tos_F-ZhQQI/AAAAAAAAAx4/ccFG1N2V4to/s640/IMG_0296.JPG

Coming Up: Will there be a special someone waiting at the airport for me? :lovestruc

[melmar136]

Yay! So glad you started your TR already! Can't wait to hear all about the F&W, MNSSHP, and the 40th! You're so lucky that you were there for all three!

[ifightfortheusers]

I wasn't that grumpy when I called early Thursday Morning. I was only a tad sleepy. I was very excited that my amazing DGF would be there in only a few hours.:banana:

[kokotg]

Here I was, thinking that bagel looked really good and getting wistful about how much I miss bagels...and then I read the comment about it being too salty! I guess it's a sign that bagels and I aren't meant to be together :laughing:

Excited to read about your big WDW arrival!

[IheartDDuck]

Cow tipping in Ohio? I always thought that cow tipping was something they did in Wisconsin! We have those shirts at the Milwaukee Airport. :lmao:

Can't wait to hear more.

[mimiloveswdw]

Here! I'll be back with a more detailed comment later :goodvibes

[keholman15]

http://*******************/adminfs/images/2.gifGood taste:thumbsup2

[bkandreu]

I love your trip report so far :goodvibes I'm definitely in, and I'm going to go back and read your PTR to catch up on things!

[BerrysGirl]

Yay! So glad you started your TR already! Can't wait to hear all about the F&W, MNSSHP, and the 40th! You're so lucky that you were there for all three!

I really was :goodvibes It was crazy but totally worth it!

I wasn't that grumpy when I called early Thursday Morning. I was only a tad sleepy. I was very excited that my amazing DGF would be there in only a few hours.:banana:

Oh I do believe you were a little more than "a tad sleepy." You could have given the dwarf himself a run for his money! :rotfl:

Here I was, thinking that bagel looked really good and getting wistful about how much I miss bagels...and then I read the comment about it being too salty! I guess it's a sign that bagels and I aren't meant to be together :laughing:

Excited to read about your big WDW arrival!

No, sadly this bagel was no match made in heaven. I normally adore Everything Bagels too. It was quite disappointing and something I will remember when I fly out of that airport again in December. There was a Starbucks too!

Cow tipping in Ohio? I always thought that cow tipping was something they did in Wisconsin! We have those shirts at the Milwaukee Airport. :lmao:

Can't wait to hear more.

Thanks and :welcome: ! I still don't understand why any airport would proudly espouse to cow tipping but Wisconsin definitely makes more sense. I mean you guys have delicious cheese! What do we have? Buckeyes? :rotfl2:

Here! I'll be back with a more detailed comment later :goodvibes

Yay you found me :goodvibes I was hoping to see you soon ;)

http://*******************/adminfs/images/2.gifGood taste:thumbsup2

Why thank you :cutie: and :welcome:

I love your trip report so far :goodvibes I'm definitely in, and I'm going to go back and read your PTR to catch up on things!

:welcome: Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy :thumbsup2

[BerrysGirl]

When we left off I had just touched down in paradise aka Florida :cloud9:

I headed promptly to the first ride of my vacation: the "monorail"! I guess I'm not use to coming out of this terminal at MCO because I saw a Chili's restaurant. Who knew they had a Chili's? :confused3

Soon I was waiting here:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tdWn4KOVURs/Tos_GVSIuOI/AAAAAAAAAx8/zWOBwm7bisk/s640/IMG_0297.JPG

And there were ropes barricading the entrance with an attendant. So weird... the MCO "monorail" use to be self-servicing kind of ride :confused:

I called Matt from the "monorail" and he was waiting at security for me! In just a few short minutes we were reunited :lovestruc

We headed out of MCO and soon were on the road to the Caribbean. We took a quick detour to Publix to pick up some coffee creamer, granola, and yogurt for breakfast, a case of water, and some misc items to complete our Halloween costumes. Matt drove me around his apartment complex and I got to see where all the CP students live. They have really nice apartments! They reminded me of Brooklyn Brownstones if they were picked up and dropped in Orlando... does that make any sense?

It was so weird driving past the bus stop where the CP kids were waiting to go to work. A Tower of Terror CM was sitting by a Tomorrow Land CM while a World Showcase CM chatted with a Safari CM. Just another day to work for them but still a very strange sight to see.

After our mini tour we passed under a gorgeous sight:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qr-rlDDdGbI/Tos_QyMINvI/AAAAAAAAAyI/1BSPo2FBXmQ/s640/IMG_0298.JPG

But wait! It gets better:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1V9BRxPkni8/Tos_Puf09UI/AAAAAAAAAyE/hv-GNqoNFLk/s640/IMG_0299.JPG
Oh I am proud of this one :)

And soon were stopping at:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ISej2zpn0tc/Tos_W9kexJI/AAAAAAAAAyM/8bDAwRI6CnY/s640/IMG_0301.JPG
It's the Caribbean... I tried to get a picture of the sign but it came out horribly then I forgot. My bad!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-YtgZvWQJeok/Tos_Y6v6TII/AAAAAAAAAyQ/RZCPvT4x7io/s640/IMG_0302.JPG

We got to the Customs House and had only a brief wait before we were getting checked-in. Matt needed to complete the check-in process since we were staying with his CM discount so I stepped away to use the restroom. As I was leaving I heard the CM asking Matt for his cell phone number and I thought "darn, our room isn't ready and they'll text us later." When I came back though, Matt handed me my KTTW and said "we're in Aruba 5448, it's ready."

Yeeees!!!

We hoped back in the car and Matt directed us to our home for the next 5 days. I am very thankful Matt worked at CBR because it was quite confusing for the first day.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9w3Co-ajtKg/TotGjs2hSfI/AAAAAAAAA5s/pavUFzTlZ8M/s640/IMG_0585.JPG

Thanks to Matt we were soon here with no problem :woohoo:

Coming Up? The Room!

[mimiloveswdw]

The CP apartments look nice! I looked them up haha. That's awesome that your room was ready! Really excited to see it! Looking forward to more!

[BerrysGirl]

The CP apartments look nice! I looked them up haha. That's awesome that your room was ready! Really excited to see it! Looking forward to more!

Haha I'm glad you could find a picture of them! I felt a little self conscious taking pictures back there with all the kids in costume just walking around... almost like I was behind the scenes or something!

Matt's apartment was also very nice (I also did not take pictures of that because his roommate was home at the time and I thought it'd be weird). Disney does seem to take care of its CMs!

[BerrysGirl]

When we left off we were about to view our home for the next five days. I don't know why but when Matt put the key in the door, I almost expected it not to work. It was 9 am after all and I just thought there was no way our room could be ready so early! But the little light flashed green, and we were in!

I quickly screamed out not to make a mess yet, I needed photographic evidence!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UQ_njOmIMoM/Tos_aVyB9GI/AAAAAAAAAyU/rCeKQQc3naU/s640/IMG_0303.JPG
We got our king bed! :cloud9:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-foqQ_UOYDg8/Tos_hcnN0pI/AAAAAAAAAyc/Y8ShsIAL-Xo/s640/IMG_0304.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tP3hOlweEo0/Tos_f7ROhfI/AAAAAAAAAyY/epX7b6__WNA/s640/IMG_0305.JPG
I loved this picture. Makes me want to take a cruise.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TU9Y5HoEDpE/Tos_iXRL7AI/AAAAAAAAAyg/IxrMlCmrsDI/s640/IMG_0306.JPG
If you ever need to know, the safe is to the right behind the curtain. It was a safe with a key, not a digital lock, which is a bit of a bummer but it a was a nice size to hold all the essentials.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rFC3Y6LuBgs/Tos_pIZEyDI/AAAAAAAAAyk/u6xmubS3TJM/s640/IMG_0307.JPG
There was a beautiful mural carved onto the shower wall. It must have been a beast to clean though!

After ooooing and ahhhhing over our accommodations, we started to unpack. There were quite a few "logistics" for us to get out of the way before we could enjoy ourselves and we took the time to do that know. For two people who essentially share their lives with one another, living nearly 1,000 miles away can get complicated and I'd acquired quite a few important documents in the mail I needed to pass on to Matt and he also had some banking issues he needed me to take care of since there aren't very many of our banks nearby him. But not all of our logistics were tedious. Matt did share a purchase he had made for me a while ago:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jTdvtUqW310/TouBofmo_DI/AAAAAAAABMM/zQVbqAY8oLI/s512/2011-10-04%25252017.30.45.jpg
The Jack Sparrow Lego keychain! I love these keychains, I have the little green alien from Toy Story and an Ewok from Star Wars and when Lego came out with their Pirates sets I knew I had to have the Jack Sparrow keychain too!

Well, Matt was off one day and just happened to wander into the Lego Store and THERE HE WAS! He quickly snatched one up and the cashier told him he was really lucky, the Jack Sparrows had just come in that day and it looked like they were about to sell out! Matt has been back to the Lego Store a few times and has never seen the keychain again. And now I'm the proud owner of a seemingly rare keychain! :goodvibes

While we were unpacking I also decorated our windows for Halloween. Yes, that's right I said windows! We managed to score a corner room that overlooked the lake and quiet pool so now I had TWO windows to decorate! We really were in an ideal location. The second floor meant it was quiet, the views were spectacular, and we were in easy walking distance to several bus stops and Old Port Royale, where Matt works.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fK6K8UL9Fog/Tos_qqNSN2I/AAAAAAAAAyo/ltPDudFcZx4/s512/IMG_0308.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-C1r1j6f9xR4/Tos_rHZzv1I/AAAAAAAAAys/CxT2SS8ZeDU/s640/IMG_0309.JPG
We never really did plug in these lights. They were on for the picture, bt for the most part we didn't want to leave them on while we weren't there and they were LED which means they were too bright to have on while we were trying to sleep: aka pretty much the only time we were in the room.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LTtuKP4JPDA/Tos_yZcJnUI/AAAAAAAAAyw/Rr8sT6nhtqg/s640/IMG_0310.JPG
This is what we saw when we looked out of our room!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FPRjTUWTsgs/Tos_5rpoOrI/AAAAAAAAAy4/7BYZf9euDcc/s640/IMG_0311.JPG
Our room is on the second floor, far left corner. If you look very closely you can see our decorations!

We were feeling restless, so Matt walked me around the resort, showing me the closest route to Old Port Royale, where we browsed the gift shop and got a coffee for me (caffffffeine!!!) I also had the opportunity to meet some of Matt's coworkers and his managers. I have a feeling I'm talked about a lot because every time I was introduced I heard "so THIS is the girlfriend." :rotfl: After walking through OPR we walked over to main bus stop because Matt had a feeling it was one of the last stops around the resort for our park destination of choice...

[BerrysGirl]

... Epcot!

Initially I took a picture of the big F&W display in front of Spaceship Earth but there were a TON of people around. So I deleted it and got a better picture later on.

By this time it was around 11:30 and I was started to get very hungry. Thankfully Matt was too so we decided to head over to the Land: a) to see if there were any Soarin' fastpasses and b) to get lunch at Sunshine Seasons!

There were Soarin' fastpasses available for 2:25 - 3:25. Our afternoon tea was at 3:30 and Matt suggested we leave the park around 2:30 to make sure we got there on time. We decided to chance it and went ahead and got the fastpasses. If the line was crazy we could always come back and use them after our tea.

Since tea was just a few hours away and I didn't want to be overly full, Matt and I decided to share the veggie sushi to hold us over.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-u8hGcTpbTqk/Tos_3EOzaDI/AAAAAAAAAy0/J9sSSYkMklw/s512/IMG_0313.JPG
It was very good. I liked that there was pickled ginger actually in the sushi. You don't get that very much and I thought it was a nice touch.

After our very quick lunch I suggested we head across the park to see what the line for Test Track looked like.

On the way, I wanted to stop in Mouse Gears for two reasons: to trade my first vinylmations and to hunt out a certain prop I hear rumor made its home there.

I wanted to surprise Matt, so I didn't tell him what I was looking for. He thought I was a crazy person, wandering around looking up with seemingly no interest in all the awesome Disney merchandise... especially because Mouse Gears has a sizable display of Disney Dooney's! But after a few minutes I finally found my goal:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B_xyV83HXtM/Tos_-UtXXcI/AAAAAAAAAy8/K8XFQBorWHs/s640/IMG_0314.JPG
It's the original machine the Dream Finder rode in the old Figment ride! You know, the first scene when he makes Figment. I looove Figment (I'm actually drinking coffee out of my Figment mug as I type this) so I loved seeing this old prop. We passed an older CM in the middle of my excitement, and she either appreciated my nostalgic side, or thought I was a crazy person. I still can't decide.

But since we were there, we had one more mission. Our first vinylmation trade!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9aCJ-cAQ-VY/Tos__DtZWAI/AAAAAAAAAzA/zdRhFfd9EHs/s640/IMG_0315.JPG
Bye Guys!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-svxcs5wyOU8/TotAEKgQNgI/AAAAAAAAAzE/dW9MU05nKJs/s640/IMG_0316.JPG
Hi new ones! The one on the right is mine and the one on the left is what Matt traded for. I have to say, this might be one of my favorite trades this trip (and we traded A LOT) just because I actually thought the troll was cute in an ugly way and I had really wanted to ride Maelstrom this trip... no idea why but it was just something I really wanted to do!

We tucked our vinylmations safely away and journeyed on to....
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1aykHW2SBiE/TotAKZ9REfI/AAAAAAAAAzM/RnVNg6YEjlY/s640/IMG_0317.JPG
Test Track!
(notice the man watching us behind Matt? I can't tell if that's Santa or an older version of ZZ Top :lmao: )

We rode in the Single Rider line and walked right on.

After the ride I hoped in a Chevy Volt in the show room and was quite surprised how comfortable and easy to see out of it was... perhaps an electric car is in my future!

After Test Track we wanted to see what Food & Wine looked like over in World Showcase, so we headed that way and I got my wish:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tN1Fr-71gjc/TotAHmdITNI/AAAAAAAAAzI/KkOwuci2eNo/s640/IMG_0318.JPG
We rode Maelstrom! It was another walk-on and it filled my Troll-quota for the trip.

We continued on through World Showcase looking at the F&W booths. Most were open but we didn't want to eat anything with Tea so close. We did however read all the menus and comment on which ones we were most looking forward to trying.

At the International Gateway we saw another display:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Sbp_-DuUMCg/TotAVVZpClI/AAAAAAAAAzU/29cN-qOk7Cg/s640/IMG_0319.JPG
A chef had just passed out of the frame and he had jokingly stopped while I was taking the picture to pose. I kinda wish he had stayed for the actual picture because it would have been hilarious and very appropriate. It is called FOOD & Wine after all. He's the star of the show!

In England I caught this pretty shot:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-S1jJXKAdJgo/TotATPnaugI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/GBiqkClViaE/s640/IMG_0320.JPG
Who knew the Characters in Flight Balloon flew so high? I'd never seen it from Epoct before. Neat!

After completing the loop, we went through the main walkway back to Future World and saw a manmade cranberry bog:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JqexHjjNppM/TotAXPuqk8I/AAAAAAAAAzY/l7lMabkqkw4/s640/IMG_0321.JPG
There was a farmer in the bog answering questions. It looked interesting, but we were on a mission! But that mission did include a quick stop at Club Cool. I got Matt to try Beverley. He didn't remember trying it before:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6pDI32oUtT0/TotAb8kcWfI/AAAAAAAAAzg/vDt6y70gYiA/s640/IMG_0322.JPG
:rotfl: I think he'll remember it now! We tried just a few more but they had run out of the Chinese watermelon soda, which is my favorite.

Also, our fastpasses were ready for:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fLFWuCauEuU/TotAbe_JTFI/AAAAAAAAAzc/Cs_bkEY0G-0/s640/IMG_0325.JPG

We got stuck a few times in line and we were really pushing our leaving time for afternoon tea. 2:45 rolled around and we hadn't even heard the spiel from Joe Swanson (I have no idea what his real name is... all I know is that he's the voice of Joe Swanson on Family Guy)!

We decided to stick it out since we were so close, and were assigned the gate B, front row! Score! Our ride was as awesome as always, but once we landed it was almost 3:00, so we booked it out of Soarin' and towards the main entrance. We had a monorail to catch and date with Tea to make!

Did we make it on time???

[wdwgirl03]

Subscribing! Have to go and catch up now!

[TanzUnited99]

Hi BerrysGirl/Megan! Joining in! After our meet with Donald Duck this trip I totally get why he is Matts' favourite :thumbsup2

That is cool that DBF is doing the College Programme and also that you got to see the apartments :cool1:

I love the orange manicure!

I laughed out loud at the coffee addict post - join the club! Speaking of which think it is time for my next brew! :laughing:

You should be proud of the WDW sign photo - it is a great shot!

Yay on Matt getting the Jack Sparrow keyring and your room looks lovely - what an ideal location! :goodvibes

Lol I love that you got a shot of Matt drinking Beverly and :woohoo: on scoring front row seats for Soarin! Hope you make it to your tea on time.

[teekathepony]

Hi! I'm all caught up and joining in :)

[IheartDDuck]

You do exactly what I do when I get into my room for the first time! No one can put anything down until I get a picture of the room untouched.

[kokotg]

Great updates!

It looks like Matt was fairly stoic about Beverly :laughing:. My kids were disappointed that the Chinese soda was out, too, though we didn't know it was watermelon. Hmm...I might have even tried that one; I love watermelon.

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

Joining in! Love it all so far! Cant wait for more!

Your room is beautiful! And I love your key chain! :goodvibes

[sue_88]

Good start! Can't wait to hear more. popcorn::

[BerrysGirl]

Subscribing! Have to go and catch up now!
Hiiii Sarah! :welcome: Hope your trip planning is going well. It's so close!

Hi BerrysGirl/Megan! Joining in! After our meet with Donald Duck this trip I totally get why he is Matts' favourite :thumbsup2

That is cool that DBF is doing the College Programme and also that you got to see the apartments :cool1:

I love the orange manicure!

I laughed out loud at the coffee addict post - join the club! Speaking of which think it is time for my next brew! :laughing:

You should be proud of the WDW sign photo - it is a great shot!

Yay on Matt getting the Jack Sparrow keyring and your room looks lovely - what an ideal location! :goodvibes

Lol I love that you got a shot of Matt drinking Beverly and :woohoo: on scoring front row seats for Soarin! Hope you make it to your tea on time.

:welcome: Thanks for joining in :goodvibes: and an extra special welcome to a fellow coffee addict! I just finished my morning cup as I type this :) Hope you enjoy my TR, I'm really loving yours!

Hi! I'm all caught up and joining in :)
:welcome: thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy!

You do exactly what I do when I get into my room for the first time! No one can put anything down until I get a picture of the room untouched.
It's so much more impressive when the room is empty, right? :rotfl: Isn't that such an issue with hotel rooms? As soon as you move in all your stuff just seems to explode all around it. But I always have to unpack at Disney. They do welcome you home after all ;)

Great updates!

It looks like Matt was fairly stoic about Beverly :laughing:. My kids were disappointed that the Chinese soda was out, too, though we didn't know it was watermelon. Hmm...I might have even tried that one; I love watermelon.
The Chinese soda is very good... almost like fizzy juice. I guess that doesn't come out as sounding good but trust me, it is :laughing: Matt probably appreciates that you called him stoic because trust me, he was not. That face was the aftermath of this face :crazy2:. :lmao:

Joining in! Love it all so far! Cant wait for more!

Your room is beautiful! And I love your key chain! :goodvibes
:welcome: We really could not have asked for a better room. Considering we made zero room requests, I think we got truly lucky. Of course having a CM in the room could have helped things :rotfl2:
I also stopped by our local lego store in our mall yesterday and they too had no Jack Sparrow keychains (they did have Elizabeth Swan and Barbosa with his peg leg which I actually found to be adorable). Guess Captain Jack is verrry popular!

Good start! Can't wait to hear more. popcorn::
:welcome: Hope I don't disappoint :cutie:

[BerrysGirl]

When we last left off DBF and I were scrambling to get to the monorail to make our 3:30 ADR at the Garden View Tea Room. I don't remember hitting many snags in our journey... the monorail came after a reasonable length of time and there was a resort monorail waiting for us when we got to the TTC. I did feel very guilty about making Matt rush around. His mother has a very nasty habit of doing things on her own time and ending up being late / rushing to get to places. I know Matt was having serious déjà vu, and I felt really bad about it. Luckily we didn't have too many issues and found the Tea Room very quickly and were checked in by 3:31 pm (it said so on our receipt). :woohoo:

They were running a little behind so we were asked to wait in the lobby for a few minutes. I had no problem with that... it gave us an opportunity to catch our breath and freshen up a little before we were seated. I'm not a huge fan of the Grand Floridian... it just isn't my taste, but that afternoon they had a pianist playing in the lobby and it was really nice sitting there in the cool AC.

A few minutes later our name was called and we were seated near the entry, against the wall.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-b16wG7vPmM8/Tos0SN3XOyI/AAAAAAAAAwA/oLqVvT80sJc/s640/IMG_0326.JPG
It was so pretty there and such a nice view... I got to look out at the garden while Matt got to see the lobby. Quite a win-win if you ask me.

Our receipt said our waiters name (don't remember it anymore) and after looking around I noticed only one man working that day so I figured that must be him. He was rushing around a little frantically so I figured he was busy. No biggie. We'd never been there before so I wanted the opportunity to read the menu and really study all the teas they offered. I had a big choice to make!

Matt and I discussed our options and decided it'd be cheaper if we ordered a la carte. Therefore we decided on the cheese plate and the strawberries and cream to eat, but we were still unsure of the teas we wanted to try. We decided we wanted to ask our servers opinion, and that's when we looked up and noticed he had disappeared... Hmm... No problem, we'll wait...

and wait...

and wait...

About 15 minutes later I'm starting to get a little annoyed. We'd been sitting there for probably about 20 minutes at this point and our waiter had not so much as said hello! Umm, not exactly the kind of service I expected at the Grand Floridian.

FINALLY our waiter stopped by to assure us that he'd be with us shortly. I was just happy to be acknowledged at this point and to be honest, there was so much to look at and read I really didn't mind. I was just thirsty! If I could have been waiting with a cool glass of water I could have happily sat there all day. Matt and I hadn't seen each other for almost two months at that point and we certainly had enough to keep us occupied.

Our waiter stopped by shortly after his initial greeting and apologized profusely for making us wait. He said it was just one of those days where as soon as something gets fixed, something else goes wrong. As someone who has worked in the food service industry (and someone else who still is working in the food service industry) we totally got it. Our server was very attentive from there on out and I must say I have zero complaints about our service.

Matt, who is especially new to the tea-drinking world, wanted to hear some of our server's recommendations. Our server was very good at describing the teas and recommended Matt try the Eros tea, which was a: Medium bodied Ceylon: Sweet Mandarin orange with warm vanilla for a sweet, smooth and creamy finish (allears.net). It was one that Matt had already been eyeing so he readily ordered that.

I really wanted to try one of the specialty blends made just for the Grand Floridian, but the tea I had had my eye one, The Mad Hatter was not offered. So I had decided on The Princess Breakfast Tea - A sweet custom blend of South African organic rooibos flavored with vanilla bean and a hint of strawberries. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, and naturally decaffeinated (allears.net). But really had been hoping for some caffeine. Our server was telling us a little bit about the teas they brewed and happened to mention the Mad Hatter tea, which he described as a highly caffeinated tea with notes of pomegranate and passion fruit. I asked if it was available and he said it was! It just wasn't on the menu because they had made room for some seasonal teas. I am so glad I asked because I immediately changed my order!

Feeling really good about our tea experience now, we waited only a few minutes before this was brought to our table:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Pb9l-vK1F1U/Tos0dMaKbTI/AAAAAAAAAwE/akvPm2grDVU/s640/IMG_0327.JPG
There is so much deliciousness on such a small table!
I have zero complaints about our meal. I regret that I don't remember the types of cheeses on the plate but it was so much fun to try such a wide variety (and yes, that one cheese is green and it was amazing)! Our teas were superb. I liked mine better and Matt liked his better, but we both tried a cup of each others and I would drink either of them again in a heartbeat.

While we were enjoying our meal this happened:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lmCJtV3j0EE/Tos0fQ0GhBI/AAAAAAAAAwI/T3TZ5lhrVBw/s640/IMG_0328.JPG
I truly apologize for the picture quality but that woman stood up at the very last minute and ruined my shot :headache:

If you can make it out, that is the wedding carriage making its way to the pavilion. It was completely decked out with two attendants and four white horses! They must store it somewhere at the Grand Floridian because it was empty and certainly looked like it was on its way to a wedding. It was so great to see!

Matt and I really enjoyed our experience at the Garden View Tea Room. I was worried it'd be a really negative experience when it began but really it was nothing but positive.

To make up for our wait, our server even brought us this:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1TnPoY9S3T0/TotAh7b496I/AAAAAAAAAzk/Vum2lJq7-Uc/s640/IMG_0331.JPG
That is a swan pastry filled with Pina Colada Mouse. Yum yum yum yum yum!

Matt didn't love it, but Pina Colada really isn't his thing. But still, it was a very nice gesture from our server and I certainly gobbled it up!
(Disney has implemented a new policy where you can write in your tip as soon as you receive your bill. This is something Matt and I found to be very convenient since it means your card is only charged once. We went ahead and wrote our 20% tip on the bill right away and then our server brought us the swan pastry... So secretly I think that's why we got our freebie. No biggie though, given the knowledge our server shared with us regarding our tea selections, I wouldn't have dreamed of tipping him anything else!)

[kokotg]

That swan is so pretty! Pina colada isn't my thing, either, so I probably wouldn't like eating it, but it sure is pretty to look at!

I've never even set food in the Grand Floridian, and lately I've gotten sort of fixated on doing so. I think we'll have to schedule a meal there at some point next trip, just so I can have an excuse to see it.

[TanzUnited99]

Yay you made it to afternoon tea! :thumbsup2

I'm glad you were able to order the Mad Hatter tea and the cheese looks yummy - well apart from the green one but yay on it being amazing! :cool1:

Love that you got to see the wedding carriage and that swan looks very pretty .

[melmar136]

I was undecided about doing the tea at the GF, but now that I have seen it, I may have to give it a shot! How were the prices?

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

Ohhh the Mad Hatter tea sounds SOO good! And that swan looks absolutely delicious! :goodvibes

Lucky you on seeing Cinderella's carriage. I hope it's in use during my trip so I get to see it too....what a wonderful (and magical) thing to have in your wedding!

[Nermel9]

I'm in! I was there the same time as you, I arrived on 9/29 and just got home on 10/8, I should be starting my TR in a few days! Great start, CBR looks beautiful, I'd love to stay there someday! I love your Jack Sparrow keychain! :cool1:

[teekathepony]

What a lovely tea time! I am always a little nervous being in the GF. I feel almost like I'm not fancy enough for it or something!

[BerrysGirl]

That swan is so pretty! Pina colada isn't my thing, either, so I probably wouldn't like eating it, but it sure is pretty to look at!

I've never even set food in the Grand Floridian, and lately I've gotten sort of fixated on doing so. I think we'll have to schedule a meal there at some point next trip, just so I can have an excuse to see it.

Isn't the swan adorable? I saw the pastry tray floating around throughout tea and when he offered to bring it I must have had a longing in my eye that made him bring us our freebie swan.

I've only ever eaten at Narcoses for dinner but I've always wanted to try Citricos. Buffets aren't really my thing but I'd love to try the Strawberry Soup from 1900 Park Fare. DBF and I even made it at home once! Now I just have to know if it's like the original :rotfl:

Yay you made it to afternoon tea! :thumbsup2

I'm glad you were able to order the Mad Hatter tea and the cheese looks yummy - well apart from the green one but yay on it being amazing! :cool1:

Love that you got to see the wedding carriage and that swan looks very pretty .

I loooved our tea experience. It is HIGHLY recommended :love:
I know the green cheese looks creepy but it was one of the best on the plate. My least favorite was one that looked like goat cheese but tasted like blue cheese... and I HATE strong cheese flavor. My favorite was a creamy goat cheese with garlic and herbs. Uh, I'm hungry just thinking about it.

I was undecided about doing the tea at the GF, but now that I have seen it, I may have to give it a shot! How were the prices?

I think you and Meg would love afternoon tea! The tea can be as expensive or cheap as you'd like. Here's the menu. (http://allears.net/menu/menu_gft.htm) The only thing is they charge you $6.25 for tea regardless of who orders what. If you and Meg got the same tea, for example, it'd be the same price as if you got different pots. And with the amount of food you can get it definitely could replace a meal!

Ohhh the Mad Hatter tea sounds SOO good! And that swan looks absolutely delicious! :goodvibes

Lucky you on seeing Cinderella's carriage. I hope it's in use during my trip so I get to see it too....what a wonderful (and magical) thing to have in your wedding!

I HIGHLY recommend the Mad Hatter! It was sooo good. And it really was magical seeing Cinderella's carriage. Even the CMs were excited to see it because it was so elaborate with both attendants and four white horses. It gave me wistful dreams of being a princess on my wedding day... then I remembered that would mean having all those people looking at me and I had second thoughts :rotfl2:

I'm in! I was there the same time as you, I arrived on 9/29 and just got home on 10/8, I should be starting my TR in a few days! Great start, CBR looks beautiful, I'd love to stay there someday! I love your Jack Sparrow keychain! :cool1:
:welcome: I stopped by your PTR and saw we were at the same Halloween party too! (9/30, yes?) And you had planned to watch Wishes on the 1st? We were there too! How amazing were those fireworks? Can't wait for you to start your TR, I'll be sure to check it out :goodvibes:

What a lovely tea time! I am always a little nervous being in the GF. I feel almost like I'm not fancy enough for it or something!

That's exactly how Matt felt too :lmao: But IMO how fancy can a place be that has Mrs. Potts and Chip in the floor? It's still Disney after all, it's a happy place! Although I agree, GF is not my favorite resort :cutie:

[dreamerchic33]

great updates!!!

[BerrysGirl]

great updates!!!

Thanks darlin'! Your wedding is sooo close :)

[BerrysGirl]

Feeling great after our tea, we decided to wander the GF for a while. We were at Disney and had our whole vacation ahead of us!'

First I took Matt into the boutique right beside the tea room that had the Disney Dooney's... I had my eye on the 40th anniversary print but I really wanted the wallet. It was the most practical purchase for me and I didn't love the purses. I have so many purses already I wasn't sure if I could justify the cost for a purse I'd only use every once in a while. The wallet, on the other hand, I would use every day. Unfortunately, when Matt first got to Disney World, he started hunting for my wallet... apparently with a dream of getting it for me for my birthday. Well, it turns out the wallet had sold out and the CMs he had spoken to wasn't sure if they'd ever get another shipment in :guilty: (keep this in mind, it is important later on).

Matt traded pins with the CM in the boutique (my apologies now, I did not track our pin trading this trip... looking back I really regret this) and we moved on to the main gift shop upstairs.

There, we traded vinlymations!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XuMPS_Ddvfw/TotAi52tuTI/AAAAAAAAAzo/Wa8KpMfg4AM/s640/IMG_0332.JPG
I got Bean the Bunny from the Muppets and Matt got Big Baby from Toy Story. For some reason Matt really loved Big Baby :confused3 I thought he was a little creepy but, naturally, I found Bean to be adorable!

With our new vinylmations in hand, we decided to hop back on the monorail and go back to the Food and Wine festival!

Once we got back to Epcot, I managed to snag this picture:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zoUlxm8Pegk/TotAmW3gllI/AAAAAAAAAzs/68Fw_21gR2E/s640/IMG_0333.JPG
I thought the theme for this year's F&W was awesome!

I dragged Matt on Spaceship Earth next. I love that ride. When I was 5 we went to Disney World with my Dad's best friend and his family. They had a daughter my age and every night we'd make our parents go back to Epcot to ride Spaceship Earth and Figment. We loved Spaceship Earth because our parents would let us ride in a car by ourselves (with the moms in front and the dads behind us supervising, of course). And Figment was, well, Figment! I NEVER got sick of the old Figment! I do miss Walter Cronkite's narration (I know Jeremy Irons narrated as well, I liked him too!) but Dame Judy Dench is amazing and I love the quiz at the end. It doesn't really feel like Disney to me until I've been in Spaceship Earth... ah nostalgia.

After our wonderful journey through time, we headed back to World Showcase to scope out F&W. We weren't overly hungry after tea, but I also attributed it to the heat. It was still quite warm out and I reasoned that after the sun went down, Canadian Cheddar Cheese soup would sound more appealing.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JQVxTt3Lq_k/TotArLAyltI/AAAAAAAAAz0/dzcmc2-xKTA/s640/IMG_0334.JPG
I love that they recycled some of the topiaries from the Flower and Garden Festival. I also saw the Lightning McQueen and Mater topiaries over at DHS and the Lion King topiaries (Rakifi & Simba, Timon, and Pumba) over at AK.

We stopped at the gift shop at the entrance of World Showcase to trade Vinylmations again.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ufrZmqbxczc/TotAoi_YVfI/AAAAAAAAAzw/L37ioJXq9wE/s640/IMG_0335.JPG
I started to get artsy-fartsy with the vinylmations placement. Matt got Rex and I got the Turtle. I didn't notice until I looked at these photos how much paint had chipped off that Rex. Guess it's a good thing we didn't keep him!

It was about this time Matt decided to make his first F&W purchase:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Qs6OJBMAXK0/TotX5AYjTdI/AAAAAAAABEA/awF_fO2SxEc/s512/IMG_0336.JPG
Purple Haze!

Purple Haze is Matt's favorite beer (it has a raspberry taste, for those who haven't tried it) and I think it's great too. Matt had never had it on draft before so he was excited to give it a try. I, of course, insisted that he get the largest portion in the souvenir glass.

P.S. Draft Purple Haze is even better than bottled Purple Haze. If you're going to F&W (and are over the age of 21 of course!) I highly encourage you give it a try! Even if you aren't a beer drinker, it's quite good.

After our success in our first F&W booth, we decided it was time for another souvenir. And this one was technically free!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cu4gw_HYASA/TouBVqFryEI/AAAAAAAABL8/-JwWi8wpgT0/s512/2011-10-04%25252017.29.19.jpg

We put $30 on a gift card to use exclusively at F&W. I'm so strange, but I love gift cards and I love the image on this one!

By this time, the temperature had dropped dramatically, and I was ready to give the Cheddar Cheese Soup a try:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qc2eQMTl6Xo/TotXyWwJ9PI/AAAAAAAABD8/y4QRBdZ92_o/s640/IMG_0337.JPG
Wow was this heavenly. I can only imagine what this would taste like with the pretzel bread. I'd be tempted to just order two bowls of that for my dinner and call it a day!

After our success in Canada, we decided to continue our tour around the world.

Wow did F&W start to get busy! And it technically wasn't even open yet! I believe that was part of the problem. Since it was a soft opening, they only had one window open at each booth, causing quite the backup. That, in addition to CMs being able to get guest in for free that day (I forgot to mention, it took Matt a good 15-20 minutes to get through the CM gate), and the secret soft opening not being so secret anymore meant crowds I haven't seen since Christmas! It was pretty crazy. That, added to the fact that I'd been up since 3:30 am meant that it was 8 pm and I had hit my wall. I was exhausted and completely overwhelmed. Matt noticed around Morocco and suggested we head out. I felt guilty leaving before Illuminations since it's Matt's favorite but he could tell I really wasn't having fun anymore. So we decided to stop at one more booth for the night then head out before the crowds.

I knew exactly what booth I had in mind:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JKHCVVnjHDI/TotXpvc8kpI/AAAAAAAABD0/dRHl240M3H4/s640/IMG_0338.JPG
I have always wanted to try kimchi and I thought this was the perfect opportunity.

I ordered the Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw (left) and DBF got the Boolgogi BBQ Beef with steamed Rice and Kimchi (right).
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QQv-UaRF9ig/TotXxIGQ1dI/AAAAAAAABD4/xeUH5o-8Pcw/s640/IMG_0340.JPG
Boy is kimchi spicy! I know I may be stating the obvious but for someone who had never tried it before I was very surprised! Matt's dish was definitely more spicy than mine (we split) but both were very good. Matt's beef was excellent but I like my lettuce wrap better. The pork was sweet and it paired very well with the Kimchi slaw. South Korea was probably my favorite booth we tried and the Lettuce Wrap was my favorite dish! For the prices ($3.00 and $4.25) I also thought the portions were very reasonable.

After our tasty snack, we decided to head for the door. I can't remember waiting very long at the bus stop and I'm fairly sure we had a seat. Shortly after we were back in our room.

We got ready for bed and crashed when I wanted to watch some Stacey to fall asleep! That's when we realized. There was no remote? Weird... around this time was also when we discovered a candy wrapper filled with crumbs that I spilled all over the carpet when I discovered it. The wrapper was on our dresser next to the glasses (glasses I was unwilling to use after because not noticing the wrapper means they did not change the glasses. And what if they had been used?). We called the front desk and shortly had a new remote. Which is good because Stacey had just completed her loop and I think Matt was a little sick of her.

Needless to say we were less than thrilled with our Mousekeeping staff at this point. Matt mentioned the state of our room the next day at work and his manager told him that to get more rooms ready earlier in the day, they had brought in a Third Shift mousekeeping staff. Which I thought was a fantastic idea... a Third Shift means more jobs for people who need them AND rooms ready earlier! It seems like a win-win but apparently the Third Shift Mousekeeping is notorious for doing a horrible job (our room being an obvious example). So the moral of the story? If your room is available very early in the day, give it a proper examination. It will save you a late night call to the front desk and some peace of mind because I was a little grossed out by our room the rest of the trip. Not enough to truly get to me but enough that I didn't use the blankets and I walked around the room with flip-flops, not bare feet.

Once we had successfully secured a remote, we pretty much fell asleep instantly. Matt had to work in the morning and I was exhausted!

[TanzUnited99]

I really hope you get your hands on the D&B wallet later on.

I love the F&W festival photos.

Lol I love all of the Epcot rides as well - they sure are great :thumbsup2

Wow at the crowds at Epcot - aaw that is sweet that DBF noticed you were tired and suggested leaving.

Ugh at the Mousekeeping situation - thanks for the tip though.

[wdwgirl03]

Your Bean vinylmation is super cute (and so is the coin purse in the background...hehe). When my sister and I got TS vinylmations we were always afraid of getting Big Baby. Glad Matt was happy with the trade though.

So what exactly is the cheddar cheese soup like? I know everyone says it's really good and I'm curious to try it myself.

[melmar136]

The food you got at F&W looks so good! That's too bad it was such a long day for you and you couldn't stay longer.

And the Mousekeeping situation...yuck! :eek: I don't think I would have been able to drink out of one of those glasses either.

Can't wait to read more, and see the MNSSHP costumes on!

[Nermel9]

I was at the 9/30 MNSSHP AND Wishes on 10/1! The fireworks were great, but what I really loved was the Magic, the Memories, and you show! It was my first time seeing it, and I was just captivated, it was so amazing! :) I started my TR if you want to stop by, the link is in my signature! :thumbsup2

I cannot believe you got Bean Bunny!!! :eek: I LOVE Bean Bunny! I just started trading Vinylmations on this trip too, and I got some really strange ones, but I got a lot that I loved and kept! Still...I'd really love a Bean Bunny! :lovestruc

I was tempted to get one of those little wrist gift cards for F&W, but I figured we'd run out of money too quickly on it and have to keep refilling it, so we just paid cash for everything...we ate a lot, I'm ashamed to say...:rolleyes1

LOL, my DH gets SO sick of Stacey, he can't stand her actually! :eek: I, however, could watch her my whole Disney trip, she makes the trip complete!

[Disneymoon23]

Hi BerrysGirl! I made my way over here from TanzUnited99's trip report. My husband and I were also there over the 40th on our honeymoon. It's been fun reading your report so far. I especially like that you took pictures of all the vinylmation trading that you did. My husband and I just discovered the world of vinylmation on our honeymoon and had a great time buying them and trading at all the stores.

[kokotg]

Great update! I love Spaceship Earth, too. I think I could stay on it all day.

The giant beer picture is making me really thirsty, and I don't even like fruity beer :laughing:

[IheartDDuck]

You guys are too cute with the Vinylmation trading! I think it's hilarious that Matt loves Big Baby. I got him by chance and I have to admit, I was a little creeped out too. :lmao:

I will have to put Purple Haze on my list (since my trip got rescheduled, thank goodness). Also, good to know the kimchee is spicy. I cannot handle spice!

[shan23877]

Joining in and enjoying the report so far!

[teekathepony]

Great update! I wanted to try the cheddar cheese soup so bad and I didn't get to! But I'm far too scared to try South Korea just yet. I'm an incredibly non adventurous eater!

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

Love your vinlymations! So cute! I havent decided if I'm going to buy any yet...I have a tendency to get hooked on things very easily! :rotfl:
I have a Disney Dooney! :lovestruc It was love at first sight! And THAT is an addiction...I just want more and more of them! :laughing:



We got ready for bed and crashed when I wanted to watch some Stacey to fall asleep! That's when
we realized. There was no remote? Weird... around this time was also when we discovered a candy wrapper filled with crumbs that I spilled all over the carpet when I discovered it. The wrapper was on our dresser next to the glasses (glasses I was unwilling to use after because not noticing the wrapper means they did not change the glasses. And what if they had been used?). We called the front desk and shortly had a new remote. Which is good because Stacey had just completed her loop and I think Matt was a little sick of her.

Needless to say we were less than thrilled with our Mousekeeping staff at this point. Matt mentioned the state of our room the next day at work and his manager told him that to get more rooms ready earlier in the day, they had brought in a Third Shift mousekeeping staff. Which I thought was a fantastic idea... a Third Shift means more jobs for people who need them AND rooms ready earlier! It seems like a win-win but apparently the Third Shift Mousekeeping is notorious for doing a horrible job (our room being an obvious example). So the moral of the story? If your room is available very early in the day, give it a proper examination. It will save you a late night call to the front desk and some peace of mind because I was a little grossed out by our room the rest of the trip. Not enough to truly get to me but enough that I didn't use the blankets and I walked around the room with flip-flops, not bare feet.



Now that is just nasty. I'm hoping this doesnt happen to me..I'll be totally disgusted. Have you ever had to deal with this before? I cannot stand dirty rooms! :headache:

[flounderfan12]

im so i iwas at disney the same time and at mk for the 40th so im excited to read about your experience im debating writing my own trip report but im not good at writing and i didnt take a ton of pics but we'll see maybe i can get someone to write it for me lol like a ghost writer

[BerrysGirl]

I really hope you get your hands on the D&B wallet later on.

I love the F&W festival photos.

Lol I love all of the Epcot rides as well - they sure are great :thumbsup2

Wow at the crowds at Epcot - aaw that is sweet that DBF noticed you were tired and suggested leaving.

Ugh at the Mousekeeping situation - thanks for the tip though.
Ah the elusive D&B wallet... it surely was a coveted item. Guess we'll have to see if I finally get it ;)

F&W is a ton of fun. But when you hear the suggestion to go during the week if you can... heed that warning! It becomes absolute chaos during the weekend and even worse when the sun goes down. While Matt was in line at South Korea I was holding some seats open for us to eat and the drunkest man I've ever experience at WDW sat beside me. It was super uncomfortable and even further evidence that I was too tired to handle F&W that night!

I've certainly looked at Mousekeeping a little different now. I may start carrying disinfective wipes from now... just in case!

Your Bean vinylmation is super cute (and so is the coin purse in the background...hehe). When my sister and I got TS vinylmations we were always afraid of getting Big Baby. Glad Matt was happy with the trade though.

So what exactly is the cheddar cheese soup like? I know everyone says it's really good and I'm curious to try it myself.

I went a little crazy with the Safari Sunset pattern from VB. I have the coin purse, pencil pouch, lunch box, sunglass case, jewlery box, AND agenda all in that color :rotfl: I'm insane! The coin purse I actually use as a camera case though. I looove it! It's such a perfect size.

And as for the soup... have you ever tried cream of potato soup? Imagine that, without the potatoes, and WITH rich creamy cheddar cheese. Yum yum yum... ok I need to stop talking about it. I'm making myself hungry!

The food you got at F&W looks so good! That's too bad it was such a long day for you and you couldn't stay longer.

And the Mousekeeping situation...yuck! :eek: I don't think I would have been able to drink out of one of those glasses either.

Can't wait to read more, and see the MNSSHP costumes on!
I'm so glad we had the opportunity to go back to F&W later on in the week. I'd be so disappointed if that had been my only experience! Although I just realized... we never actually had any wine at the Food and WINE festival. :rotfl: The food was just too exciting by itself!

I was at the 9/30 MNSSHP AND Wishes on 10/1! The fireworks were great, but what I really loved was the Magic, the Memories, and you show! It was my first time seeing it, and I was just captivated, it was so amazing! :) I started my TR if you want to stop by, the link is in my signature! :thumbsup2

I cannot believe you got Bean Bunny!!! :eek: I LOVE Bean Bunny! I just started trading Vinylmations on this trip too, and I got some really strange ones, but I got a lot that I loved and kept! Still...I'd really love a Bean Bunny! :lovestruc

I was tempted to get one of those little wrist gift cards for F&W, but I figured we'd run out of money too quickly on it and have to keep refilling it, so we just paid cash for everything...we ate a lot, I'm ashamed to say...:rolleyes1

LOL, my DH gets SO sick of Stacey, he can't stand her actually! :eek: I, however, could watch her my whole Disney trip, she makes the trip complete!

I loved both the fireworks from MNSSHP and the 40th. They were actually the only evening shows we saw while we were there. We decided if we were having such a special weekend we might as well keep the fireworks special too! I do love the Magic, Memories, and You show too. It absolutely fascinates me... seriously, how DOES Disney do it!?!

Bean was definitely one of my favorites. He was adorable. There were a few I regretted trading a little but I really enjoyed our game. It was just so fun to see all the different ones!

I really loved our gift card. I did not keep it on my wrist like you're suppose to though. Once one we were in a crowd and a guy kinda flicked it and I realized it'd be easy for someone to grab it! So I just kept it in my purse after that.

And I will admit to watching Stacey a few more times after the first night but shockingly she started to get to me too :eek: Have I matured???

Hi BerrysGirl! I made my way over here from TanzUnited99's trip report. My husband and I were also there over the 40th on our honeymoon. It's been fun reading your report so far. I especially like that you took pictures of all the vinylmation trading that you did. My husband and I just discovered the world of vinylmation on our honeymoon and had a great time buying them and trading at all the stores.
:welcome: I'm so glad you found me! Were you at Magic Kingdom for the 40th? It was nuts, right? Vinylmations were so much fun but I don't think I'm "dong them right" according to Disney. I loved having our two to trade but I couldn't see myself acquiring any more than that. It's just so much fun to see what's out there! Did you start a specific collection?

Great update! I love Spaceship Earth, too. I think I could stay on it all day.

The giant beer picture is making me really thirsty, and I don't even like fruity beer :laughing:

Oh this beer is amazing! I highly encourage you to try it someday (is there gluten in BEER? :rotfl: ).

[BerrysGirl]

You guys are too cute with the Vinylmation trading! I think it's hilarious that Matt loves Big Baby. I got him by chance and I have to admit, I was a little creeped out too. :lmao:

I will have to put Purple Haze on my list (since my trip got rescheduled, thank goodness). Also, good to know the kimchee is spicy. I cannot handle spice!
The weirdest thing about Big Baby was the CM who we were trading with offered us a CHOICE. She had us pick two numbers and she pulled them both out and we picked which one we liked better. And he picked Big Baby!

I really hope you like Purple Haze. It is so amazing :goodvibes:

And FYI about F&W. Quite a few of the dishes we tried were spicy... New Zealand and Singapore come to mind instantly. So sample carefully!

Joining in and enjoying the report so far!
:welcome: Hope to see you again :goodvibes:

Great update! I wanted to try the cheddar cheese soup so bad and I didn't get to! But I'm far too scared to try South Korea just yet. I'm an incredibly non adventurous eater!
Oh but that's the whole point of the Food & Wine Festival. Branching out and exploring things you wouldn't otherwise try! I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised. :cutie: Plus it's Disney... how scary can it be?

Love your vinlymations! So cute! I havent decided if I'm going to buy any yet...I have a tendency to get hooked on things very easily! :rotfl:
I have a Disney Dooney! :lovestruc It was love at first sight! And THAT is an addiction...I just want more and more of them! :laughing:

Now that is just nasty. I'm hoping this doesnt happen to me..I'll be totally disgusted. Have you ever had to deal with this before? I cannot stand dirty rooms! :headache:
I've only recently caught the purse collecting bug. It does hit hard, doesn't it? :laughing:
I've never had this problem with Mousekeeping before! Of the 10 times I've stayed at a Disney resort this is the first problem I've ever had. Just be sure to do a thorough check of the room as soon as you get it in and you'll be fine. :thumbsup2

im so i iwas at disney the same time and at mk for the 40th so im excited to read about your experience im debating writing my own trip report but im not good at writing and i didnt take a ton of pics but we'll see maybe i can get someone to write it for me lol like a ghost writer
:welcome: So how much does this ghost writer gig pay... ? ;)
:rotfl: I hope you decide to give TR-writing a try. I can guarantee you'll have at least one reader :goodvibes:

[brookelizabeth]

I'm a bit late, but I'm here!!! Now, going back to catch up! :goodvibes

[Merida]

Came over from wdwgirl03's pre trip report! Catching up now. :)

[Disneymoon23]

:welcome: I'm so glad you found me! Were you at Magic Kingdom for the 40th? It was nuts, right? Vinylmations were so much fun but I don't think I'm "dong them right" according to Disney. I loved having our two to trade but I couldn't see myself acquiring any more than that. It's just so much fun to see what's out there! Did you start a specific collection?

We went to the Magic Kingdom that day around 3 or 4 and it was insane. We could barely walk through. I'm glad that we didn't try to go in the morning. I really wanted one of those 40th anniversary buttons but they were out I think. Anyway we walked around for about 20 minutes, saw that the wait for splash mountain was 80 minutes :scared1:, so we decided to get a snack and then leave. We did however have dinner at the California Grill that night, so we got to see the special fireworks from up there. It was amazing. :lovestruc

The vinylmation thing kind of came out of nowhere for us. My husband saw the animal themed ones at the animal kingdom in a shop and thought they were really cool. So his idea was to collect one to represent each park as a souvenir we could display. We also got a bride and groom one. Then we became a little bit addicted and figured out that you could trade them at the different stores. So that led to buying more and trading everywhere we could. We ended up with some pretty cool ones, but going to the shop in downtown disney with all the vinylmation made me wish that there would have been a bigger selection. But then again that would have meant spending even more money :laughing: I'll post pictures in my trip report of all the ones we ended up with whenever I finally getting around to starting one.

[BerrysGirl]

I'm a bit late, but I'm here!!! Now, going back to catch up! :goodvibes
:welcome: You found me! Yay!

Came over from wdwgirl03's pre trip report! Catching up now. :)
:welcome: How much fun is it that her sister and my boyfriend are both working at Disney at the same time? They even live in the same apartment complex! Isn't the dis a wonderful way to meet other Disney lovers? :goodvibes:

We went to the Magic Kingdom that day around 3 or 4 and it was insane. We could barely walk through. I'm glad that we didn't try to go in the morning. I really wanted one of those 40th anniversary buttons but they were out I think. Anyway we walked around for about 20 minutes, saw that the wait for splash mountain was 80 minutes :scared1:, so we decided to get a snack and then leave. We did however have dinner at the California Grill that night, so we got to see the special fireworks from up there. It was amazing. :lovestruc

The vinylmation thing kind of came out of nowhere for us. My husband saw the animal themed ones at the animal kingdom in a shop and thought they were really cool. So his idea was to collect one to represent each park as a souvenir we could display. We also got a bride and groom one. Then we became a little bit addicted and figured out that you could trade them at the different stores. So that led to buying more and trading everywhere we could. We ended up with some pretty cool ones, but going to the shop in downtown disney with all the vinylmation made me wish that there would have been a bigger selection. But then again that would have meant spending even more money :laughing: I'll post pictures in my trip report of all the ones we ended up with whenever I finally getting around to starting one.

Matt's family's Christmas tradition is to go to Disney and he says the 40th rivaled any Christmas he's ever experienced. We heard a CM tell another guest that they reach 70,000 guests that day... and they haven't done that in years! :eek:

And your vinylmation story is so cute! I love the idea of getting one to represent every park and I saw the bride and groom ones and they were adorable!
I can't wait to see your pictures. That's the best part... seeing all the different ones!

[BerrysGirl]

Day 2 of vacation dawned bright and early when Matt's alarm went off at 6 am. I stayed in bed a little longer but when Matt decided to head off to work at 7:45 I tagged along. It was nice to start the day with a nice quiet walk to OPR. It was a little weird though because Matt was in full costume and we were both very aware of this. We decided, for instance, it'd probably be best if we didn't hold hands while we walked. Matt was stopped by a guest for directions to the Customs House for check out and we realized he was officially on the clock. People were probably thoroughly confused by the guest just strolling with the CM and if we had been holding hands it probably would have looked like young tourist looking for adventure was have an illicit relationship with the cabana boy :lmao:

When we got to OPR, Matt grabbed some bowls for me to use for my morning yogurt and granola and I promised I'd be back in the room when he got off work at 2:15. Matt went to work and I headed back to the room. I took my time getting ready and had a nice breakfast and enjoyed some coffee before I hopped in the shower and got dressed for the day.

I walked back to the OPR bus stop to reduce the amount of stops I'd have to sit through at the resort and instantly a bus for my park destination arrived. I climbed on and was one of only about 4 other parties on the bus. In no time at all I was here...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jYkj3e1gQUg/TotYNpWcQiI/AAAAAAAABEE/FfMbGvbtCOw/s640/IMG_0342.JPG

If you read my PTR you know initially I was planning to go to AK today. But when I woke up I just wasn't feeling it. So instead I decided I was itching to know what the new Star Tours was like so I headed to DHS!

The park had been open for about an hour at this point and, to be honest, I do not understand the appeal of the Toy Story stampede so I was one of the black sheep who did not instantly book it to Pixar Place.

Instead I shortly found myself here:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-B0YZ6zq1xwE/TotYZxKnGXI/AAAAAAAABEQ/C2mjQ98SGxE/s640/IMG_0344.JPG

The wait time said 20 minutes. I debated briefly about grabbing a fastpass but I decided I wanted to wait in line. I wanted to see all the new stuff! Plus there was a Jedi Training Academy going on and I always find it adorable to see the little Jedis battling Darth Vader so I was certainly entertained.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rLIQ4lvZoqM/TotYOKameaI/AAAAAAAABEI/bvoHnlYbUYw/s640/IMG_0343.JPG
It was while waiting in line I saw this:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pSZWgv7IL4E/TotYr3mazTI/AAAAAAAABEc/eVev2YK_5eQ/s640/IMG_0345.JPG
Tour Group!!! I'll kill the suspense now by letting you all know that I really didn't experience any tour group issues during this trip. The few I saw were very small... maybe 8 or 10 people large and no chanting so overall they did not affect me. I found this flag slightly horrifying though because the leader had hung a bunch of little stuffed Mickeys off the top of her flag. It looked like the woman was torturing Mickey!

The outside queue of Star Tours has not changed at all but the inside has some cute additions.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-t23qbONhpaQ/TotYVb7lVYI/AAAAAAAABEM/Z_UHqXkUnsM/s512/IMG_0346.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VJMfa4kYtec/TotYgX9bIBI/AAAAAAAABEU/sglFYlDn89M/s512/IMG_0347.JPG

Ok, random rant. I don't understand the engineering of ride queues but how come every time you're waiting in a line you sit FOREVER outside the building but once you get inside to the interesting stuff, you find yourself sprinting through? The same thing happened when we waiting in line for the Forbidden Journey at Harry Potter World. We waited for what seemed like ages in the Green House but once we got inside the castle we were RUSHED along.

So I sat forever in the Forest of Endor outside but once we got into the new and fun stuff I felt rude even stopping for a second to take these pictures. Sorry people behind me, but I was really excited!

We finally stopped rushing in this room and I enough time to comfortably grab this photo:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m12XShRYNrA/TotYlwHtpnI/AAAAAAAABEY/PauKGPjqjYY/s512/IMG_0348.JPG
I love how the robots have stickers on them that read "defective" but it also makes me very sad. I miss that little guy already :( I wonder how many times that little dude apologized for it being his first flight in the history of the old ride?

Soon enough I was seated in my Star Speeder and the Tour began!
I got Darth Vader, Hoth, Yoda, and Coruscant. My verdict? So exciting but :sick: I was not feeling too hot after my ride. Motion Sickness strikes! Matt and I discussed my ride afterward and he told me it was Coruscant. Even he feels motion sick after that particular sequence and he doesn't nearly have the same problems with motion sickness that I do. He was also very jealous that I got Yoda because he hasn't seen him yet!

[BerrysGirl]

After my tour in space, I headed over to see what the Phineas and Ferb meet-n-greet looked like.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TrLqcoKEM9E/TotZNsFO5AI/AAAAAAAABEo/NdbyUQ92oGo/s512/IMG_0350.JPG
Ducky Mo-Mo!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5FJooLtFxeM/TotZD_oxM0I/AAAAAAAABEk/8b-qmRYOIVI/s640/IMG_0351.JPG

The line was ridiculous (as expected) so I decided to snap these quick photos than move on. I passed the cars meet-n-greet and was surprised to see they weren't there. But when I turned the corner I spotted:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-w0a5Zm6dJo4/TotZVq6h6tI/AAAAAAAABEs/v1I_LgWMpGM/s640/IMG_0352.JPG
Car butts!

I don't know where they were going but it was cute to see them out and about.

Back on the Streets of America I was also surprised to see:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-87umWrlRzsk/TotZVyyLKoI/AAAAAAAABEw/vhX26Oiti6c/s640/IMG_0353.JPG
I can't believe they set up the Osbourne Lights so early! I'll see you guys in December :cloud9:

Moving through Pixar Place I saw TSMM was at a 50 minutes wait and the FP were already at 5:20 - 6:20. :confused3 I just don't get it! I wasn't willing to wait in a 50 minute line by myself and we had to be at MK at 4 so TSMM got skipped this trip! Instead I headed to its less-popular neighbor:
One Man's Dream!

I was so excited to see the exhibits here since my ultimate career goal is work in a museum.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XjvCVoGEW4M/TotZZL3qQSI/AAAAAAAABE0/3NZwS8CKoIY/s640/IMG_0354.JPG
This one is for Matt. Ever the lover of Donald Duck.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9dh6hybvL98/TotZljubh9I/AAAAAAAABE4/fOXdcs_DbjA/s512/IMG_0355.JPG
I was soo excited to see the Zorro exhibit. I had SUCH a crush on him when I was little... back before I even knew what it meant to have a crush on someone. Him and Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rlVvOiPVLnQ/TotZoLt9gjI/AAAAAAAABE8/bpV7eFDGS98/s512/IMG_0356.JPG
My favorite parts of old-school Epcot. Horizons, Figment, AND Food Rocks? This is like a display just for me! I use to drag my parents into Food Rocks EVERY time we went to Epcot. I looooved the music!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Jza6oqDtrDY/TotZoYDUhPI/AAAAAAAABFA/0ReY2O-F1TE/s512/IMG_0357.JPG
Hi Figment! Where's the DreamFinder? I miss him so.

Shortly after this picture my camera died :( I hadn't paid attention to the battery and I was a little surprised how quickly it pooped out once it started to drain... something I'll have to keep in mind in the future.

Two other things I was excited to see in the display were the rocket pack from the Rocketeer (another one of those movies I just adored) and an original helmet from Tron. Too cool! I decided to skip the movie (something Matt chastised me later on for doing. He says it's totally worth seeing) and headed over to the Art of Animation building to see who was out and about. I went in through the store and decided to trade my vinylmation. Mine got traded a lot more than Matt's because I did it a lot when he was working. I would just bring mine though and leave his in the room.

Here's the one I got for my turtle:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aFR56K_dxRs/TotZ3xVefuI/AAAAAAAABFE/RKswXh_BZHY/s640/IMG_0361.JPG
Taken back at the room.
I loved him but I'm not entirely sure who he's suppose to be... Obviously he says Toon Town but is he a train? Never could figure that out.

This is the only time I traded vinylmations at DHS that day. Since my camera was dead and my phone was dying (poor planning on my part) I didn't want to trade him before I documented him. So I tucked him away in my purse and continued my adventures.

Back in the character meet only two characters were out, Pooh and Sorcerer Micky. And both of their lines were massive! I remember back in March my BFF and I just happened to stumble in here and turned a corner and look who was waiting for us with nothing to do:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-FuWIorRlh-I/TpHlWmmOinI/AAAAAAAABMg/LrwBZyq9Abc/s512/DSC03094.JPG
This was truly a magical moment. And one made all the better because Sorcerer Micky was my BFF's favorite Mickey incarnation. She was beyond thrilled for the experience. And Sorcerer Mickey was super impressed by my BFF's ears!

I sent a quick text to my BFF reminiscing and decided to move on. I wanted to head down Sunset Blvd. just to see what the wait time for Tower of Terror was. It read 20 minutes which could have meant a walk on, or 30 minutes for Tower of Terror and at the point I was starting to get a little lonely walking around the park by myself so I decided to skip it for now.

I thought I'd start heading to the exit. With the Halloween party that night I wanted to make sure my camera was charged so I wanted to get back to the room with plenty of time to spare.

I did want to peek into a few stores before I left. You know, just to look.

The first (and ironically only) store I went into was Sunset Club Couture. And what did I see?

MY 40th ANNIVERSARY DISNEY DOONEY WALLET!!!

Matt had been searching for it for MONTHS and I just happened to wander into this store and BAM there it was! Needless to say it's a big and expensive purchase but there were only three left and I had a flashback...

It was December of 2010 and I was in Disney with Matt and his family for Christmas. Tron: Legacy had just come out and Matt and I had fallen in love with the movie. Adidas had partnered with Disney and made a special jacket for the movie:
http://cdn.itsnotforgirls.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/adidas-Mens-TRON-Track-Jacket.jpg
Matt LOVES adidas. He's one of those athletes who took sides in the whole adidas / nike debate and he is team adidas all the way.
So that jacket was amazing for him for so many reasons. But at $70 (I believe) it was a little on the expensive side and Matt is one of those think-about-it buyers. So we walked away from it SEVERAL times. Finally Matt decided it was a purchase he really wanted and went for it. Only to find IT HAD SOLD OUT!!! And it never came back in stock again. Matt has called Disney sporadically since and has always been been told the same story: they sold out and never reordered.

So with this story fresh in my mind and only three wallets hanging in front of me I knew I had to go for it:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Z-KT-8u3Mlo/TotZ49mDChI/AAAAAAAABFI/1cdh9dAqChE/s640/IMG_0358.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-OgLC67-M73Q/TotZ66txocI/AAAAAAAABFM/gB80HW3QFJQ/s640/IMG_0360.JPG
Isn't it beautiful? I love it so. Absolutely no regrets. And the CM gave me the Premium Annual Pass discount (20%) instead of the Annual Pass discount (10%). So I didn't even miss out on the savings I would have gotten by waiting for Matt to come with me to get a CM discount (20%)!

And I would like to note that we checked on several occasions and only saw the wallet one other time... one was sitting on the display of the other 40th anniversary DB merchandise. And when we went back a few hours later... it was gone! So I truly have no regrets because I think it was my one and only opportunity for a purchase I have been coveting for ages!

Walking out of the store with my wallet significantly lighter but spirits significantly higher, I decided to head back to CBR.

I plugged in my technology and crashed for a while.

I decided I needed something small so I walked to OPR for a light lunch. Matt was working as the greeter so I even got to see and talk to him on the clock :lovestruc

He mentioned he too was hungry and with only an hour or two left before he got off, I decided to get the California Sushi Roll and eat half and save the other half for him when he got off work:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hpYbkHUnc0I/TouBKgByoOI/AAAAAAAABLw/AuL3NAWopbQ/s640/2011-09-30%25252012.52.16.jpg
The sushi was very good but I liked the veggie roll better. The California Roll has caviar on it which I am not a fan of. But I ate the four with the least amount and Matt ate the other four.

Back at the room, I relaxed, ate my sushi, and read a magazine waiting for Matt to get off. Finally he showed up, ate his sushi, and we started to get ready for the Halloween Party!

[IheartDDuck]

Yay, you found your D&B wallet AND got a better discount!

[kokotg]

Ooh, I didn't even know you COULD see Yoda! I'm determined to ride until I see him next year!

Very nice wallet!

Can't wait to hear how your Halloween party was...was it the infamous sold out one on 9/30?

[shan23877]

Fun update! So glad you treated yourself to the wallet! Looking forward to reading more.

[teekathepony]

Oooohhh nice wallet! Glad to see you scooped it up while you had the chance!

[TanzUnited99]

Sounds like you had a fun day! Great pics of Star Tours! I did the same as you with P&F - got a photo from afar and quickly moved on.

:woohoo: on getting your D&B wallet with a 20% discount!!! It's soo nice and am glad you purchased it when you did.

[melmar136]

Yay! So glad you got the wallet! And I agree, if you see something you love, you have to get it right then, cause we've had the same thing happen, when you go back and it's gone! :scared1:

[wdwgirl03]

That retro Epcot display is cool! I really miss the old Figment ride. :sad2:

WOO HOO on your Dooney and Bourke! I love that pattern and really want to get one of the bags. I hear the CM holiday discount is pretty nice. :rolleyes1

[Nermel9]

Wow, I love the wallet! :banana: I learned that valuable lesson in Disney on this past trip-if you see something you want, buy it, you can always return it! I wanted one of the Halloween mugs SO bad, and only saw them on the 2nd day of our trip, and when I went to look for them later in the week, they were gone. :sad1: My sister will be there in a few days, I'm hoping they stocked up so she can get me one while she's down there! :cool1:

Can't wait to hear what you thought of the Halloween party! You went to the one on the 30th, right, that was sold out? I was there too, it was crazy!

[sue_88]

I agree with everyone else. That wallet is sooo cute! I want it too!!
I understand why you wouldn't want to be in the crush for riding Toy Story Mania. And usually if something is super crowded, I am heading in the opposite direction. But I am a huge Midway Mania fan! I want to be given a dream fastpass so that I can repeatedly ride that ride until I wear myself out. I'm sure that will never happen, but it is the dream.
Speaking of Dream, I need to do the One Man's Dream this time for sure! Looks fun.

[BerrysGirl]

Yay, you found your D&B wallet AND got a better discount!

I knew I was buying the wallet one way or another... I was NOT risking missing out on it at that point to wait for Matt's 20%. I'm not sure why the CM gave me the bigger discount. She wasn't the cheeriest CM in the world and she seemed more inconvenienced by me more than anything else so I'm guessing she may have accidentally given me the larger discount. But I'm certainly not complaining :rotfl:

Ooh, I didn't even know you COULD see Yoda! I'm determined to ride until I see him next year!

Very nice wallet!

Can't wait to hear how your Halloween party was...was it the infamous sold out one on 9/30?

I didn't know Yoda was so elusive. I'm so glad I got to see him now!

Yes yes, our halloween party was sold out :sad2: that would be my luck that the only party in the span of late September / early October that sold out would be the one I went to... Do you know why it sold out? Was it because of the 40th? I just couldn't figure it out :confused3

Fun update! So glad you treated yourself to the wallet! Looking forward to reading more.
Why thank you :goodvibes: Every time I look at my wallet it's like my own little dusting of Pixie Dust!

Oooohhh nice wallet! Glad to see you scooped it up while you had the chance!

May it be the moral of the story: when it comes to Disney, don't wait. Seize the day! ;)

[BerrysGirl]

Sounds like you had a fun day! Great pics of Star Tours! I did the same as you with P&F - got a photo from afar and quickly moved on.

:woohoo: on getting your D&B wallet with a 20% discount!!! It's soo nice and am glad you purchased it when you did.

It was a lot of fun to wander around the park by myself. I went at my own pace and did whatever I wanted -- without apology :rotfl: it was great! I may make DBF stand in line for P&F in December. We do really love the show. And their meet-n-greet area is so cute!

Yay! So glad you got the wallet! And I agree, if you see something you love, you have to get it right then, cause we've had the same thing happen, when you go back and it's gone! :scared1:
Don't you hate that? I mean, you tell yourself "I'm on vacation. I have all the time in the world." But there are thousands of people who are "on vacation" too and they don't seem to have that mentality. :lmao: I think when it comes to Disney if I love it once, I'll always love it so there's no point in debating because I've never had buyer's regret in Disney!

That retro Epcot display is cool! I really miss the old Figment ride. :sad2:

WOO HOO on your Dooney and Bourke! I love that pattern and really want to get one of the bags. I hear the CM holiday discount is pretty nice. :rolleyes1

Someday all of us old-school Figment lovers should rally and demand the to bring it back! Or at least the Dreamfinder...
Hopefully this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EElgq9EPjDY&feature=related) will you feel a little better :)

Matt's permanent address is mine so I get all of his CM-stuff... like his free pass and his holiday discount card. It just came in the mail yesterday and it's pretty darn nice... free popcorn, discounted dinning, extra park passes... There's A LOT! Of course it's all blacked out between December 18 and January 2 but we plan to use the as many discounts as possible at the beginning of December. Like getting into DisneyQuest for free. I can't imagine spending money on it but if it's free... may as well check it out!

P.S. The holiday discounts go into effect in October so if you see this before you go see if there are any discounts you can use when you visit your sister!

Wow, I love the wallet! :banana: I learned that valuable lesson in Disney on this past trip-if you see something you want, buy it, you can always return it! I wanted one of the Halloween mugs SO bad, and only saw them on the 2nd day of our trip, and when I went to look for them later in the week, they were gone. :sad1: My sister will be there in a few days, I'm hoping they stocked up so she can get me one while she's down there! :cool1:

Can't wait to hear what you thought of the Halloween party! You went to the one on the 30th, right, that was sold out? I was there too, it was crazy!

I hope you find your mug!
Yeah we were at the 30th party too, so of course it was sold out! I had a really intense plan of attack so the crowds didn't get to us too much... except the second parade. We stayed for that one and we always heard how dead it was. That was NOT the case on the 30th party. Man, were there a lot of people!

I agree with everyone else. That wallet is sooo cute! I want it too!!
I understand why you wouldn't want to be in the crush for riding Toy Story Mania. And usually if something is super crowded, I am heading in the opposite direction. But I am a huge Midway Mania fan! I want to be given a dream fastpass so that I can repeatedly ride that ride until I wear myself out. I'm sure that will never happen, but it is the dream.
Speaking of Dream, I need to do the One Man's Dream this time for sure! Looks fun.
Thanks :goodvibes: Toy Story Mania is one of those things that if I tell myself I want to do it I will fight the crowds... but I'm also content skipping it. However this trip I didn't ride TSM or Buzz so I'm a little sad... this will be remedied in December :)

[BerrysGirl]

Party Time!

When I shipped my costume to DBF, the headband that held the bow for my hair had snapped and we had been scrambling to figure out what to do. Eventually we realized that the headband was a lost cause so when we went to Publix and I picked up a pack of cheap headbands, along with some super glue. I glued the bow to the new headband without much hope for its survival but surprisingly it held throughout the entire party!

I would like to apologize in advance for my behavior over these upcoming photographs. I think Matt looks amazing and definitely has lost some weight. I, on the other hand, have not :( Normally it doesn't bother me, I try to eat right and get at least an hour of exercise every day. But the way the belt sits on me for this costume made me look gawky and awkward and I kinda cringe whenever I see photographic evidence.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FgaZdA0wr3Y/TotaI2a073I/AAAAAAAABFU/NjjNTEarhKY/s512/IMG_0365.JPG
Not too bad to start out with.

Matt didn't think we'd be recognized all that often but it didn't really bother me. I was proud of all the work I'd put into the costumes and I thought they were really fitting for us so I was pleased that the night to wear them had finally arrived.

At about 3:15 we left the room to catch a bus to Magic Kingdom. I was a little self conscious in my giant bow waiting a the bus stop with all the non-party goers (man this post is making me sound really insecure, isn't it? :rotfl: ) but we snatched up a bench and sat for a few minutes waiting for our bus. The wait wasn't bad at all and by the time it arrived, other families also in costumes were waiting so I felt like my giant bow head blended in a little better.

After our short ride, we were faced with this sight:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OhZdmk3Kw0Y/TotaLgU7coI/AAAAAAAABFY/tsl_jlqnsBw/s640/IMG_0366.JPG
I know, that sign is always there but I was really excited!

We went up to the Will Call window to the right of the entrance and quickly had our tickets to the party. I was a little nervous because I had forgotten to print off the confirmation email. I had it on my phone just in case but the CM did not seem overly concerned. She mostly wanted to see my Photo ID to make sure I wasn't illegally getting my discounted AP tickets. There were zero problems getting our tickets and we very quickly had these in hand:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2C5tO4nZbKQ/TotaH5TNtlI/AAAAAAAABFQ/l-gMHwVaTEM/s640/IMG_0367.JPG
Pretend Mickey is dressed as Jack Skellington and Pluto is Zero, or something equally festive. It bothers me they don't offer special tickets for special events.

We had about 5 minutes before the park opened to Party guests so we decided just to wait to enter rather than go in with our normal passes and get wristbands inside. At 4:00 on the dot, the special events gate opened and we were in, donning these babies:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-t_mZsPSxroo/Totax6vvZ5I/AAAAAAAABFc/Nbeul6r4C38/s512/IMG_0368.JPG
I think the color of the wristband changes for the party date... that's how they know if you're where you're suppose to be. Later that week I saw a family wearing green bands and another couple wearing yellow ones.

I had purposely not come to the Magic Kingdom yet so all the Halloween Decorations would be a surprise. Sure enough, they did not disappoint. I love this holiday!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QyFpUAcEewY/Tota3tFgkcI/AAAAAAAABFg/lPOclYFXPAY/s640/IMG_0371.JPG
Ugh. Such an awkward belt.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lvbpQl1t23Q/Tota9dSuH5I/AAAAAAAABFk/uZa1pLKfLCo/s640/IMG_0372.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LV-eOdWS7uk/TotbBmwPv5I/AAAAAAAABFo/dDfV-zrrGpk/s512/IMG_0373.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ehd9oWu5xDI/TotbQTlofeI/AAAAAAAABFw/ZGYiUs0imPQ/s512/IMG_0374.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AOLYpAgh68s/TotbQNEfjBI/AAAAAAAABFs/gZJEsImgWo4/s640/IMG_0375.JPG
These were my favorite!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hZPd60n1d9Y/Totbbf_GD6I/AAAAAAAABF0/Y4C5qjE_g5Q/s512/IMG_0376.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TLUdSYufLRQ/TotbkeV27wI/AAAAAAAABF4/QpEmteMrYAQ/s512/IMG_0377.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Cg4gwd-xFbQ/TotblXaX3HI/AAAAAAAABF8/d3boCAW6a2o/s512/IMG_0378.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uSUH9sB4yYI/TotbqmzaHZI/AAAAAAAABGA/BYZGzyzGHjk/s512/IMG_0379.JPG

We had stopped into one of the shops on Main Street to see if they had the Disney Dooney wallet I had purchase earlier in the day (they had one, but it was on display and gone the next day when we checked back) and came out on that cute little side street where we saw this:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-J58_1t2vLWI/TotbyNA0WSI/AAAAAAAABGE/UKYpqBTfFV0/s640/IMG_0381.JPG
I love that they took the time to decorate this little side street even though barely anyone goes back there. It's the little touches, right? :cloud9:

At this point we were starving so we discussed our dinning options. Matt wanted CHH so we were making our way there when I noticed Casey's Corner was open! Matt and I thought it was still closed but apparently we were wrong. :cool1: Yay for being wrong!

I had never tried Casey's and we had both been to CHH multiple times so I convinced Matt to eat there instead.

We decided to split a plain hotdog and corn dog nuggets (brookelizabeth this is for you!). I got a bottle of water and Matt got a coke... exclusively for the holiday cup. He loved that the characters were dressed up like Disney villains on it. I have to admit, it was pretty darn cute.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6BNFwYcwOOI/Totb3QUiBTI/AAAAAAAABGM/ckZX8RkoRzg/s640/IMG_0382.JPG
Oh I forgot to mention, the hot dog was a meal so we got apple slices for our side.

We loaded up our fixins and I made sure to get enough plastic cheese to last me a lifetime. I love me some plastic cheese!

Our meal was excellent! The bun was unnaturally large for the plain hot dog but I understand why they do that... If you ordered one of their specialty dogs, your bun is overflowing with fixins... They need the extra space on those! But when you order a plain dog it just looks a little sad (kinda 1980s Where's the Beef?). Maybe Casey's needs to provide two different buns. I can't imagine it costing that much more? :confused3

The corn dog nuggets were absolutely heavenly! Seriously some of the best things I've ever tried in my life. Matt loved them too and declared them dangerous because he could go and have them all the time... that would be so dangerous for both your pocketbook and waistline!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hTXj6mOsyUk/TotcCfmY7XI/AAAAAAAABGY/Ng8GC9ByxyQ/s640/IMG_0383.JPG
View from our table at Dinner

After our amazing Dinner we decided to scope out the lay of the land for the party. We found where the dwarfs would be stationed and explored the rest of Magic Kingdom looking for hints of the party that was to come. We went into the pin trading store in Frontierland to see if they had the special event pins out yet and so Matt could trade pins. We did not bring the vinylmations tonight... we'd be back at MK tomorrow to trade! The pins were not out yet but I insisted Matt trade with the CM for a Figment Vinylmation pin. That one I LOVED and Matt is not allowed to trade!

When we were leaving the store a girl on the street called out "Yeah Phineas and Isabella!" We shouted back our thanks and continued on our stroll with light hearts. We had been recognized! :woohoo:

Matt declared our costumes a success at that point because, as he put it "to be recognized once is one time more than I expected."

With still over half an hour to kill before we wanted to get in line for the dwarfs I requested a quick ride:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_y7ZUovlJKA/Totb-gkfa9I/AAAAAAAABGQ/JPsHsfCWSG0/s640/IMG_0385.JPG
I will never get sick of the Peoplemover.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-74CT_84SNVA/TotcB9hHt4I/AAAAAAAABGU/anrmY-3lI6A/s640/IMG_0387.JPG
At first I was a little bummed by this shot because I didn't get the castle centered. But now I actually like it because you can see the Sea Monster topiary too.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-h9q1jecNRbM/TotcKcedM2I/AAAAAAAABGg/BV1viK3O5FY/s640/IMG_0388.JPG
Always have to try to catch these guys!

[BerrysGirl]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0D977zh3Fs0/TotcHroFeyI/AAAAAAAABGc/X7S9GNhXISY/s640/IMG_0389.JPG
Peek!

After our excellent tour, we decided we better start heading to Frontierland to get in line for the dwarfs.

But not before giving a bored Photopass Guy something to do:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i-D-SVkeTG0/TotcKYL_ByI/AAAAAAAABGk/11s_Z3ExZ1s/s512/IMG_0391.JPG
Giant Bow Head!!!

The last Dream Along with Mickey show of the day was going on but I realized I hadn't gotten pictures of the statues in the light yet so I squirmed my way through the crowds to capture them.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OA1rveo8EPo/TotcOgSLfPI/AAAAAAAABGo/NaRUh7oJuPE/s512/IMG_0392.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2NwyQAhpNx4/TotcPuq3qHI/AAAAAAAABGs/x_IgQ8s8sGE/s512/IMG_0393.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fJwCWcWDhew/TotcQ7LfIlI/AAAAAAAABGw/ZM8s-zV-qME/s512/IMG_0394.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d6IwvQ22nZk/TotcTddRmGI/AAAAAAAABG0/Cc8kT9Ea1Uw/s512/IMG_0395.JPG
They are too cute!

We headed back to Frontierland and got there a little before 6. Woody and Jesse were still out where the dwarfs were scheduled to meet but CMs were announcing that the line for Woody and Jesse had ended and it was now a line for the Halloween Party. Score!

We were the 4th or 5th party in line so we settled in for our hour-long wait. We took turns sitting and just in general chilled out. There was a family and another couple behind us who started chatting and I just had this feeling: they're on the dis... Matt wears a Lime Green Mickey Head in his pin trading lanyard so I made sure that it was pointing towards them. You know, just in case. I'm a little weird about introducing myself to strangers so I didn't speak up, but Matt and I just continued our own conversation.

After about twenty minutes of waiting I decided to get a bottle of water for us to share in line. I headed back towards Splash Mountain (I don't remember if I mentioned this but the meeting spot for the 7 Dwarfs is at the exit of Splash... right by the bathrooms) and saw that the line was already past the Splash Mountain play area! Wow... I'm real glad we didn't get in line at 6:30 like I played around with doing! I figured at first 30 minutes for a September party would be more than enough time. Glad I reanalyzed this decision because our party was the only party in late September / early October to sell out! Of course!

I bought a bottle of water from a vendor then went back to wait in line with Matt. With only about 15 minutes left of waiting time, the couple behind us noticed Matt's lanyard and asked if we were on the Dis! Why yes, thank you we are!
The father of the family who leading most of the conversation exclaimed "well of course you are to be ahead of US in line :lmao: "

I was so excited to be experiencing my first DisMeet but I'm sorry to say I did a really bad job documenting it. I didn't ask either family their usernames and did not photographic evidence. So according to DisRules it didn't happen :laughing: But I was pretty pleased with the experience!

The family had a little girl so I decided to break out the glow sticks early and offered her one. At first she was a little unsure, but once she got her mom’s ok she was proudly sporting an orange glow bracelet!

Shortly after the dwarfs came out and within 5 minutes we were here:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iNO6fZ0uIYY/TotcTuNxBjI/AAAAAAAABG4/TM1nJdm2wVs/s640/IMG_0396.JPG
It was such a neat experience! I'm so glad we waited it out. What a great picture :)

From Frontierland we headed over to Fantasyland to see Cinerella's Carriage.
There was a little bit of wait so I snapped this picture:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MUhT7ILIKLY/TotcUkU7NQI/AAAAAAAABG8/F5wO2RYcpiA/s640/IMG_0397.JPG
Fantasyland at Dusk. All those people to the right are waiting in line for candy. The trick or treat lines were crazy all night long! We never bothered.

Almost there!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fA8_UoLOUmk/TotcWbceEMI/AAAAAAAABHA/RG18G1eOhlk/s640/IMG_0398.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fTGi1xq_SaQ/TotcXcHhAII/AAAAAAAABHE/_fzAsJgvcnI/s640/IMG_0400.JPG

Looking back I don't think I'd wast me time with the carriage again... unless for some unforeseen reason Matt and I were at the party dressed as Cinderella and Prince Charming. It was cute and definitely got cuter once it got dark but up close it was just so-so.

After our photo ops we wandered around the rest of the park checking out the special decorations.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9qJ9GXDVQ3E/TotcX0b-pvI/AAAAAAAABHI/LJsq5hvYE6Q/s640/IMG_0401.JPG
I loved the lighted murals in Tomorrow Land!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-csCroExY-G0/Totcb-wQ6JI/AAAAAAAABHY/wf581viZpVU/s640/IMG_0406.JPG

We stumbled upon Club 626 and saw alien Stitch getting his dance on.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Sg5foxCyzXs/TotcZdX9NiI/AAAAAAAABHM/pnwq9bCJ3Vc/s512/IMG_0402.JPG
Action Shot!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-J6dRRA11OY4/TotcaRaMPEI/AAAAAAAABHQ/3jwsj7ZuUV4/s512/IMG_0403.JPG

After our brief dance party we went into Mickey's Star Traders and I secured my Halloween souvenir:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-q0oPBeprTbA/Totc4D9GGMI/AAAAAAAABK4/FxMZdZiOGNo/s512/IMG_0472.JPG
It's the special pin only for passholders. I love it!

Near the Buzz meet-n-greet we saw this little guy:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-83hBOuiZmpI/TotcbDmwmCI/AAAAAAAABHU/08F3mcD6Ujo/s512/IMG_0405.JPG
I think it was a Trick or Treat spot not distributing candy yet but any opportunity to see a Little Green Alien makes me happy. So cute!

At that point it was about 10 minutes before the first Villain Mix-n-Mingle so we headed to the hub to check it out.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7q72o0lUmTI/Totcdv8H1PI/AAAAAAAABHo/aJuHTY41fuI/s640/IMG_0409.JPG
You are going to notice a bias in my photos of this show.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TXuRlvSWqpM/TotccfTq0lI/AAAAAAAABHc/qGvNpUn4Txk/s512/IMG_0410.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-D8XOULoPeMo/TotccxnLdTI/AAAAAAAABHg/R1Qjko8I780/s512/IMG_0411.JPG
I was most excited to see him!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XYePny-Swt4/TotcdOKcm9I/AAAAAAAABHk/eIXndBics0g/s512/IMG_0412.JPG
Creepy and awesome picture of the castle!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Cd6GPImIqiY/TotceGwCdSI/AAAAAAAABHs/JtzuTwaA8hs/s512/IMG_0413.JPG
I snapped this picture while waiting in line for our mix-n-mingle. Kingdom Keepers flashback!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vHG_XX_tdL4/TotciCPVbfI/AAAAAAAABIE/Co29gHun6uc/s512/IMG_0414.JPG
The main event! I only waited around after the show for Dr. Facilier.

I thought the show was awesome. And it was neat that the characters came down after the show.

[jesemeca]

Hi! I'm enjoying your report so far. I was there the same time you were. I think I was in line behind you for the Dwarfs at MNSSHP. Was this on September 30th? My dad and I were there. I was dressed as Minnie, with a red and white tutu on. There were a lot of Dis'ers in the line that night. Besides my dad and I, there was a family with 2 boys and another family of 7.

Can't wait to see more!

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

Looove all your Halloween party photo's! :goodvibes That is what I want to plan my next trip around because it just looks so much fun! :woohoo: Looks like you guys had an awesome time!

[teekathepony]

You look adorable in your costume! I must admit that I would never have recognized you guys, but now that I know who you were I must say good job!

[wdwgirl03]

First of all, awesome video of Journey Into Imagination. :thumbsup2

Those corn dog nuggets are really good. They're another one of those things that I read about on the DIS and had to try. :laughing:

Great party update! The pictures with the dwarves and in front of the carriage turned out so cute! I am definitely planning on waiting for them as well.

[kokotg]

Yes yes, our halloween party was sold out :sad2: that would be my luck that the only party in the span of late September / early October that sold out would be the one I went to... Do you know why it sold out? Was it because of the 40th? I just couldn't figure it out :confused3


That seems to be the going explanation, from what I've heard...I don't quite understand why that would be, though :confused3

Loving all the pictures of the party! You guys look great, giant bow and all :)

[TanzUnited99]

You guys look great and I'm glad someone recognised your outfits! :thumbsup2 I have to admit I wouldn't have had a clue but my little sister who adores Phineas and Ferb would have been very excited about your costumes! I'll have to show your pics to her.

Yay on getting to meet the seven dwarfs. Your pics of the party are bringing back memories - it sure is a great event!

[archdandy]

Great trip report so far! It looks like you guys had a great time at MNSSHP. I can't wait until we go next year for the first time. I have to admit, I thought your halloween costumes were supposed to be piglet and tigger :lmao: I've never seen Phineas and Ferb so I don't know any of the characters. Don't worry about the pictures. You look adorable! :cutie:

[melmar136]

I love the costumes! You guys looked great!

[BerrysGirl]

Hi! I'm enjoying your report so far. I was there the same time you were. I think I was in line behind you for the Dwarfs at MNSSHP. Was this on September 30th? My dad and I were there. I was dressed as Minnie, with a red and white tutu on. There were a lot of Dis'ers in the line that night. Besides my dad and I, there was a family with 2 boys and another family of 7.

Can't wait to see more!
:welcome: That's so neat you were in the Dwarfs line! I don't remember a Minnie but we were definitely there on the 30th and if you were in line before the party started we were there too :goodvibes: Hope you enjoyed the party as much as we did!

Looove all your Halloween party photo's! :goodvibes That is what I want to plan my next trip around because it just looks so much fun! :woohoo: Looks like you guys had an awesome time!
It was a really neat experience. Not something I imagine having to do every year but something I will do again someday. The decorations are my favorite I've ever seen at Disney and yes, I've even been there at Christmas! Of course I am bias, Halloween is my favorite holiday :lovestruc

You look adorable in your costume! I must admit that I would never have recognized you guys, but now that I know who you were I must say good job!
Thanks! It was fun to dress up... I really felt like it put us in the spirit. If we ever go back, I'll definitely be dressing us up again!

First of all, awesome video of Journey Into Imagination. :thumbsup2

Those corn dog nuggets are really good. They're another one of those things that I read about on the DIS and had to try. :laughing:

Great party update! The pictures with the dwarves and in front of the carriage turned out so cute! I am definitely planning on waiting for them as well.
I will be going back to Casey's and I will be having those corn dog nuggets again. The hot dog itself was so-so but man oh man were those little nuggets good! :rotfl:
The dwarfs definitely felt like a must-do. It's really one of those once in a lifetime experiences. I mean, when do you see 7 characters together like that?
But really, get there early!!! That's can't be stressed enough :goodvibes:

[BerrysGirl]

That seems to be the going explanation, from what I've heard...I don't quite understand why that would be, though :confused3

Loving all the pictures of the party! You guys look great, giant bow and all :)
It's funny, I was actually discussing our sold out party tonight with Matt's parents over dinner. Matt's mom offered an interesting hypothesis. The price of the party changes depending on when you go and our party was the very last party for the cheapest rate... I'm guessing that might have something to do with it :confused3

I will admit, the giant bow got pitched the instant we got back to the hotel room :lmao: I did not miss it.

You guys look great and I'm glad someone recognised your outfits! :thumbsup2 I have to admit I wouldn't have had a clue but my little sister who adores Phineas and Ferb would have been very excited about your costumes! I'll have to show your pics to her.

Yay on getting to meet the seven dwarfs. Your pics of the party are bringing back memories - it sure is a great event!

MNSSHP has to be my favorite thing I've ever done at Disney. Now I'll admit, I haven't done Star Wars weekend yet and that may replace it, but I loved Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, and Christmas (I haven't done that party yet though). But nothing has beaten that Halloween party. It was just awesome!

Great trip report so far! It looks like you guys had a great time at MNSSHP. I can't wait until we go next year for the first time. I have to admit, I thought your halloween costumes were supposed to be piglet and tigger :lmao: I've never seen Phineas and Ferb so I don't know any of the characters. Don't worry about the pictures. You look adorable! :cutie:
:welcome: and thanks for the warm wishes. I like your artistic interpretation of our costumes... it's very fitting considering Piglet is my all time favorite character :goodvibes:

I love the costumes! You guys looked great!
Thanks! :hug:

[BerrysGirl]

While we were walking away from the mix-n-mingle I did get this shot, and I couldn't help but giggle when he turned and looked right at me for the picture!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-d43659eFiDs/Totce4GuIcI/AAAAAAAABH0/PC48RD53XXE/s512/IMG_0415.JPG
P.S. That's one Catholic clergyman who can get down!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-faXaTrVXZVQ/Totce1-qn9I/AAAAAAAABHw/a7-4kQLI-aU/s512/IMG_0416.JPG

We still had plenty of time before the fireworks so we decided to head over to the Haunted Mansion.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9hiDO0jCXjY/TotcgEZcByI/AAAAAAAABH4/PkFWcqyG07k/s640/IMG_0417.JPG
Love the added decor.

Matt hadn't been through the new queue so ladies and gentlemen, I now present the obligatory Haunted Mansion-line photos found on every TR:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gvDtwOiZy14/Totcg4062tI/AAAAAAAABH8/e0EdZtBSlBc/s640/IMG_0418.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8MqTDeu62Vw/TotchgduBQI/AAAAAAAABIA/qVzUQhHMLmI/s640/IMG_0419.JPG
I think this was Matt's favorite part.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MXMqKrBW2Ks/TotciyBb9ZI/AAAAAAAABII/s3xKnwIHp6c/s512/IMG_0420.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QipbI9mkFhU/TotcjD6OdGI/AAAAAAAABIM/u0waHI8UAw4/s640/IMG_0421.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JmmIr3oyRrI/Totcj9QytvI/AAAAAAAABIQ/9vCXn6eXZGw/s640/IMG_0422.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uqJ-jUO_uus/TotckEhVRcI/AAAAAAAABIU/3JrkkXfzuQA/s640/IMG_0424.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tUMOpu7oJ8k/Totckgu4WKI/AAAAAAAABIY/aSeGZQxLALY/s640/IMG_0425.JPG
This is MY favorite!

Once we got inside we were beside a little boy who was very scared. We felt bad and were trying to make him feel better but he was truly terrified. To be fair, the outside is much spookier than it normally is. We got our second opportunity to hand out glowsticks and soon he and his brother and friends were sporting glow bracelets too. We saw them after the ride too and, while he looked a little shaken, you could see him getting braver by the minute. I hope he had a fun rest of the party!

With still a long while until the fireworks started I had a daring plan. I knew the first parade was going on so I was guessing the line to meet Mickey and Minnie at Town Square in their Halloween costumes would be next to nonexistent. However, that would mean fighting through the parade crowd. Matt thought I was crazy but we were pleasantly surprised to see well-marked paths to walk behind the spectators with little congestion. Our biggest problem was averting eyes to not see the parade! We wanted to keep it a surprise.

The wait for Mickey and Minnie said 5 minutes... Ha!

There was not another soul in line! We got to the door that leads into the greeting area and we had a quick stop to wait for Mickey and Minnie to be ready (secretly I think they were fixing their "faces"... if you know what I mean). Here was the conversation the CM on our side of the door had with the CM in the greeting room:
"Do you think Mickey and Minnie can handle 2 guests?"
(Sarcastically) "Oh 2? I don't know..."
"No really, there are just 2 people out here."
"Wait... really?"
"Yes. Please just let these two guests in."
:rotfl:

Soon we were meeting Pirate Mickey and Princess Minnie.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KG6bdN6HjMw/TotcmaCIWPI/AAAAAAAABIk/o8FT1X_oPmQ/s640/IMG_0430.JPG
Matt thinks Minnie was drawing a diamond and pointing to me like "where's her ring?" but the CM thought Minnie was forming a square and started to give Minnie a hard time for calling Matt a square.

We never did find out who was right...

On the way out of the Theater, there was a small trick or treat station and the source of our only candy procurement of the night.

We headed back to the front to see the entrance gate at night:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hLDRv5Q7Lyk/TotclJOcfoI/AAAAAAAABIc/Wg8gZ1BBucQ/s640/IMG_0432.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8PRQGudDyGk/TotcmG4K_kI/AAAAAAAABIo/d9yAvpgJuX0/s640/IMG_0434.JPG

We came back inside MK and the parade had ended so we decided to stake out spots for the fireworks.

We made it back to the hub and found a curb to kick back. Matt thought about getting popcorn but all the carts were crazy busy so we just sat for a while. At this point I also got a call from my BFF where she revealed she got engaged that night! :bride: I was so excited for her and she asked me to be her Maid of Honor! It's weird excitedly making wedding plans in the middle of the Magic Kingdom during a Halloween party but I was so happy!

Soon after our conversation the fireworks began...

And I got no pictures! I'm not a fireworks photographer. I prefer to enjoy the fireworks and I'd be too stressed photographing so I just put the camera away and enjoy!

Those fireworks are the best I've ever seen! With the music and the fireworks wrapping around the entire park... wow. Just wow. I’m so glad Matt knew nothing about the party before we entered because the fireworks were a massive shock and I could tell that it basically was the best part to him.

Once the fireworks were over we headed back to Tomorrowland and just wandered a bit more. We saw the carriage in fantasyland at night, which was quite pretty and somehow ended back at Casey's Corner resting before the parade. We decided to share another bottle of water. Matt went to get it while I relaxed and caught up on my TR notes.

Soon Matt came back with the water... and a brownie! It was just one of the prepackaged ones but it was surprisingly good.

With about 10 minutes before the parade started we decided to snag a spot... I had heard hundreds of times that the second parade was essentially dead but that was not the experience we had! There were people everywhere! I think it had something to do with our party being sold out but I think we probably should have just stayed where we were after the fireworks. Oh well, live and learn and we did manage to get a fair spot near the Partner's Statue.

Coming Soon: The Parade!

[kokotg]

Soon we were meeting Pirate Mickey and Princess Minnie.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KG6bdN6HjMw/TotcmaCIWPI/AAAAAAAABIk/o8FT1X_oPmQ/s640/IMG_0430.JPG
Matt thinks Minnie was drawing a diamond and pointing to me like "where's her ring?" but the CM thought Minnie was forming a square and started to give Minnie a hard time for calling Matt a square.



Poor Minnie! It's so hard to make yourself understood when you can't talk :laughing:

I love the Halloween party. sigh. I want to go there right now. Second parade was far from empty on our (not at all sold out) party night, too. I think maybe word's gotten out about the second parade!

[shan23877]

Great update! I'm really enjoying the MNSSHP pictures. I doubt that we'll ever get there in the fall, so these TRs are my only chance to enjoy it!

[TanzUnited99]

Love the Haunted Mansion pics - oh no on the small boy being scared. I'm glad you tried to make him feel better.

:woohoo: on meeting Pirate Mickey and Princess Minnie - we also went on our MNSSHP night but they had different attires on. Great interaction - a shame you never got to find out who was right with the guessing.

That is awesome news about your BFF getting engaged whilst you were in Disney World. I have to agree in that Hallowishes was amazing.

[teekathepony]

Mickey and Minnie in their costumes are soooo cute!!!

[ifightfortheusers]

Hey there everybody. Thank you so much for following BerrysGirls TR. I have some updated photos from a second trip to MNSSHP.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6K47tKLzE1M/Tqbd91YekGI/AAAAAAAAAUw/CMhSjujTW88/s640/Disney%252520007.JPG

I found where they hang the 40th Anniversary flag. You can see it from the top of the train station.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hmqy95e_RHc/Tqbevmmbi6I/AAAAAAAAAV4/6JM7xipsSF8/s640/Disney%252520017.JPG

I tried 3 pictures of the SM spider web. This is the best one I got.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9kymCWbxjPo/Tqbfdn2HN3I/AAAAAAAAAXM/2NUA-7VNsK8/s640/Disney%252520026.JPG

These little beauties are available at the Beach Club QSR. They are $6.50 each.

I believe the MNSSHP is one of my favorite events at WDW. It was so much to dress up as Phineas.

[melmar136]

Hey there everybody. Thank you so much for following BerrysGirls TR. I have some updated photos from a second trip to MNSSHP.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6K47tKLzE1M/Tqbd91YekGI/AAAAAAAAAUw/CMhSjujTW88/s640/Disney%252520007.JPG

I found where they hang the 40th Anniversary flag. You can see it from the top of the train station.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hmqy95e_RHc/Tqbevmmbi6I/AAAAAAAAAV4/6JM7xipsSF8/s640/Disney%252520017.JPG

I tried 3 pictures of the SM spider web. This is the best one I got.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9kymCWbxjPo/Tqbfdn2HN3I/AAAAAAAAAXM/2NUA-7VNsK8/s640/Disney%252520026.JPG

These little beauties are available at the Beach Club QSR. They are $6.50 each.

I believe the MNSSHP is one of my favorite events at WDW. It was so much to dress up as Phineas.

The spider webs on SM look really cool, and I would love to try one of those yummy looking cupcake things from the Beach Club. I'm really going to have to make it to WDW for MNSSHP one year!

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

aww, Mickey and Minnie are SO cute! :goodvibes Love all your photo's!

[TanzUnited99]

Thanks for sharing the pics of Space Mountain with the spider web - it looks very cool! :thumbsup2

Also them treats are very yummy - I want one! :laughing:

[BerrysGirl]

Poor Minnie! It's so hard to make yourself understood when you can't talk :laughing:

I love the Halloween party. sigh. I want to go there right now. Second parade was far from empty on our (not at all sold out) party night, too. I think maybe word's gotten out about the second parade!

Ugh. Why oh why do we share all our secrets on the dis. People are finding out :rotfl: I think the same thing's happening for the soft opening of Food and Wine. There were sooo many people! (*hint* that's foreshadowing for pretty much my entire trip).

Great update! I'm really enjoying the MNSSHP pictures. I doubt that we'll ever get there in the fall, so these TRs are my only chance to enjoy it!

Haha live vicariously my friend, live vicariously ;)

Love the Haunted Mansion pics - oh no on the small boy being scared. I'm glad you tried to make him feel better.

:woohoo: on meeting Pirate Mickey and Princess Minnie - we also went on our MNSSHP night but they had different attires on. Great interaction - a shame you never got to find out who was right with the guessing.

That is awesome news about your BFF getting engaged whilst you were in Disney World. I have to agree in that Hallowishes was amazing.

Thanks so much :goodvibes:
Did you get a picture of your Minnie and Mickey? I can't wait to see them in your TR if you did!

Mickey and Minnie in their costumes are soooo cute!!!

That was one of the best parts, IMO. I loved seeing all the "normal" characters in not-so-normal costumes. Pooh and the gang were def my favorite!

Hey there everybody. Thank you so much for following BerrysGirls TR. I have some updated photos from a second trip to MNSSHP.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6K47tKLzE1M/Tqbd91YekGI/AAAAAAAAAUw/CMhSjujTW88/s640/Disney%252520007.JPG

I found where they hang the 40th Anniversary flag. You can see it from the top of the train station.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hmqy95e_RHc/Tqbevmmbi6I/AAAAAAAAAV4/6JM7xipsSF8/s640/Disney%252520017.JPG

I tried 3 pictures of the SM spider web. This is the best one I got.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9kymCWbxjPo/Tqbfdn2HN3I/AAAAAAAAAXM/2NUA-7VNsK8/s640/Disney%252520026.JPG

These little beauties are available at the Beach Club QSR. They are $6.50 each.

I believe the MNSSHP is one of my favorite events at WDW. It was so much to dress up as Phineas.

I do NOT remember Space Mountain like that... and we were looking up when we were over there! Although we didn't really wander back there... do you think we missed them?

The spider webs on SM look really cool, and I would love to try one of those yummy looking cupcake things from the Beach Club. I'm really going to have to make it to WDW for MNSSHP one year!

If you go to MNSSHP you should bring me too! Then Meg and I could be Dr. Evil and Mini-Me! :rotfl: Or 2 Megans could be Thing 1 and Thing 2 :lmao: Ok, I'm having waaay too much fun with this same name thing :cutie:

aww, Mickey and Minnie are SO cute! :goodvibes Love all your photo's!

Thanks so much! :lovestruc Trust me, there are more to come!

Thanks for sharing the pics of Space Mountain with the spider web - it looks very cool! :thumbsup2

Also them treats are very yummy - I want one! :laughing:

Yeah, me too! :rotfl: Although the coffee cups were saved for us so at least I have cute Halloween cups now!

[BerrysGirl]

Warning I took a picture of every float.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wvOwVpgQ2xQ/TotcnUNBGoI/AAAAAAAABI0/FRzCHZRdeSE/s640/IMG_0438.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VoEa5Pwj-zA/TotcodFrRTI/AAAAAAAABI8/n2Ac3IJTTXI/s640/IMG_0439.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cE8vAOYA_Eo/TotcoiIaPhI/AAAAAAAABJA/9DAHJHSC0Ug/s640/IMG_0440.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6Ugs9_P_RFI/TotcpuJg_uI/AAAAAAAABJE/_ycXuyJ2iTg/s640/IMG_0442.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-plTzAB7sCGw/TotcplwRtOI/AAAAAAAABJI/1wZtH7cjy5I/s640/IMG_0443.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1YUJ90ZzsjU/TotcplQDdMI/AAAAAAAABJM/DYjHY8IwE7E/s640/IMG_0444.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fWAV7NrMKgg/TotcqlMMwbI/AAAAAAAABJQ/L49hx5j02vI/s640/IMG_0446.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vB3-xDjOEvs/TotcrO0fYtI/AAAAAAAABJY/rHy22Oh_Sbw/s512/IMG_0448.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5nqLI6SogZk/TotcsDKu_CI/AAAAAAAABJg/hy5atRG0Ors/s512/IMG_0450.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-VnCVIZvqxco/TotcsFcsUxI/AAAAAAAABJk/vMyjGeks1Jc/s640/IMG_0451.JPG
This has to be the most chill dog in this history of dogs.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zLl7w9sSTV8/Totcsjn_y2I/AAAAAAAABJo/X7rScj6dtKY/s640/IMG_0452.JPG
I love that I got the sparks from the shovels

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qx0IbBvqQjI/Totcsweh5mI/AAAAAAAABJs/r__WrJlChH4/s640/IMG_0453.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bNT3tYMdJcU/TotctvHbT0I/AAAAAAAABJw/J5P4Jsl46HM/s512/IMG_0454.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zyCNQgE73Oo/Totct4-oFSI/AAAAAAAABJ0/Y_EcAJq0yOA/s512/IMG_0455.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8JN9HcUIg6s/Totcuoh0CnI/AAAAAAAABJ4/9Teo-F7eNdY/s640/IMG_0456.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-V2uXyefaWcE/TotcvUJATkI/AAAAAAAABKA/caphEdf8DQA/s512/IMG_0457.JPG
I have no idea why but the chicken cracked me up!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Mig4nv4kbnk/TotcvAbyv9I/AAAAAAAABJ8/8t7HiYoli_M/s512/IMG_0458.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kLTZXB_Q6go/Totcvx77-iI/AAAAAAAABKE/axiUh4EBLqg/s512/IMG_0459.JPG
I loved seeing Pain and Panic!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nAdqk6pGylw/TotcwkMlypI/AAAAAAAABKI/Vys2PjeDEv0/s512/IMG_0460.JPG
He's back!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3lkzLKxfa3g/TotcwvWFKLI/AAAAAAAABKQ/3wRZb3Nsi5w/s512/IMG_0461.JPG
They're hard to make out but those are the 3 hyenas from the Lion King

[BerrysGirl]

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fST1gXtFL3E/TotcwyVKCuI/AAAAAAAABKM/uzG3nCA-X7o/s640/IMG_0462.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wNj2Niyv53o/Totcx_rqRGI/AAAAAAAABKY/4J4xxs_G-yY/s640/IMG_0463.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-OXBQ1JUUK4s/Totcxq_EaMI/AAAAAAAABKU/tFQ4FPWdo90/s640/IMG_0464.JPG

The Boo to You Parade is so cute. Definitely my favorite parade EVER. Although just seeing those pictures has gotten the song stuck in my head again!

After the parade we had pretty much run out of things to do. I wanted to go back to Adventure Land just because we hadn't been to that area since the party started. There weren't really decorations up but we stopped in to the other dance party at the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon. I wanted a picture of Bullseye but he wasn't out so we headed out of there fairly quickly. But if I remember correctly Matt did also get some candy at the exit so I guess we technically had two trick or treat experiences.

On the way back to Adventure Land we saw:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gDefohoOonI/TotcylP6PdI/AAAAAAAABKc/pytBvipXKnQ/s512/IMG_0466.JPG
Abu!
He was with Aladdin but I wanted a picture with Abu so badly. When we got in line though the CM announced that Abu and Aladdin would shortly be replaced with Jasmine and the Genie. I already have a picture with the Genie so we decided to forgo the line and move on.

I think Matt was really dragging at this point so we decided to call our MNSSHP a success and head for the door. Once we got down Mainstreet USA, however, I saw these guys:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kVy1FnaqhY8/Totcy0MIAxI/AAAAAAAABKg/VKzL6L7KLgg/s640/IMG_0467.JPG
ohmygosh how cute! I immediately HAD to have a picture but their line was already closed :sad2: Wah. So I too decided that my wonderful Halloween night had come to an end and we headed for the door.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WUxmMMH3OsE/Totc0B83WBI/AAAAAAAABKw/8OJO1C6NmlE/s640/IMG_0469.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hLg0SmUQavQ/Totc0MZJVvI/AAAAAAAABKs/5w1HvYCr7xQ/s640/IMG_0470.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MeYY5cMpORs/Totc1B93g2I/AAAAAAAABK0/uJyIXOStOmU/s640/IMG_0471.JPG
Bye MK! We'll see you in a few hours!

We had a bit of a wait for the bus and we ended up standing which made DBF a little grumpy but we got off on the first stop at CBR and walked back to our room. Shortly after we collapsed into bed and were fast asleep.

I LOVED the Halloween party and I wouldn't definitely do it again... if only for those spectacular fireworks and parade. I'm really happy we got as much done as we did and also left well before the official close of the party. I really felt like we utilized our time well and did and saw most of what the party offered with minimal waits. And that was on a sold out night!

I've read some complaints on other threads of parties where wristbands were not enforced and people who did not pay were allowed to stay and I have to say that was NOT our experience. The first few hours of the party we constantly walked passed a literal wall of CMs asking us to hold up our wrists to make sure everyone had a wristband. They did the same thing while we were waiting in line for the carriage. We also saw people caught not wearing a wristband being told to leave the park. Nothing nasty or dramatic, just simply this is a ticketed event, I'm sorry the tickets are sold out; you'll need to leave the park. And everyone was very calm about it.

[wdwgirl03]

Awesome parade pictures!! Ahhh I can't wait...hard to believe I'll be at the party in just a couple days!

Matt, hope you are enjoying the CP!

[shan23877]

ABU!!!!! I would have been so sad if I couldn't get my picture with him!

Looks like a really fun night. Can't wait to read more.

[PirateKate]

Hi! We were there around the same time as you and for a second, I was certain that I saw my husband and I sitting on Main Street, but then I realized there were no strollers, so it couldn't have been us.

I love your costumes! Those are awesome and I'm kind of surprised only one person recognized you. I bet lots more knew who you were and didn't comment. I was impressed with how much you got done at the party on a sold out night. :goodvibes

[TanzUnited99]

Great parade pics - you sure got some great shots! :thumbsup2

Did you get any of the headless horseman - we tried but it was a struggle.

Yay on seeing Abu and the rest of the characters! :cool1:

[teekathepony]

Love the parade pictures! Too bad about not getting a pic with Abu, still fun to see him though

[Nermel9]

Love the parade pictures! What kind of camera do you have? I just got a new camera that was pretty expensive, and I'm still not thrilled with the parade pictures I got! :sad2:

I wanted a picture with the Genie soooo bad, but every time I went to Adventureland, the line was crazy! :eek: I like meeting characters, but I'm not wasting all my party time standing in line!

Getting out of the party was crazy, the line for the boat to WL was ridiculous!!! We decided to skip it and use the buses for the first time and luckily, we were the 2nd ones in line for the WL bus, since everyone else was waiting for the boat I guess! The lines for the other buses were crazy, though, I can see how waiting for a while might make people a little grumpy! :laughing:

[BerrysGirl]

Awesome parade pictures!! Ahhh I can't wait...hard to believe I'll be at the party in just a couple days!

Matt, hope you are enjoying the CP!

I know you're already back from your trip so I hope it was awesome and you enjoyed the party too! :goodvibes:

ABU!!!!! I would have been so sad if I couldn't get my picture with him!

Looks like a really fun night. Can't wait to read more.

I was a little sad that he was going away... I'm admittedly sadder about not getting to meet Pooh and the gang though. But to be honest, Abu was a little creepy! I can't really put my finger on it but it was just a weird costume. It was so neat to see him out and about though!

Hi! We were there around the same time as you and for a second, I was certain that I saw my husband and I sitting on Main Street, but then I realized there were no strollers, so it couldn't have been us.

I love your costumes! Those are awesome and I'm kind of surprised only one person recognized you. I bet lots more knew who you were and didn't comment. I was impressed with how much you got done at the party on a sold out night. :goodvibes

:welcome: I have an awkward secret to share with you... once upon a time I stumbled across one of your completed trip reports... you know, the one where you trade vinylmations for the first time? Well, YOU are my inspiration for trading vinylmations this trip. I had no idea the mystery boxes existed before you! So thanks for making my trip so much fun, you really shared the pixiedust with us :wizard:

It's so awesome we were there at the same time. I'm stopping by your TR now to see if I'm in the background of any of your pictures :lmao:

Great parade pics - you sure got some great shots! :thumbsup2

Did you get any of the headless horseman - we tried but it was a struggle.

Yay on seeing Abu and the rest of the characters! :cool1:

I tried to get a shot of the headless horseman but it was so bad I deleted it right away... it wasn't even worth saving! The headless horseman is an elusive photographic catch. Maybe someday we'll get it ;)

Love the parade pictures! Too bad about not getting a pic with Abu, still fun to see him though

I loved the rare characters that were out and about for the party. To me, it was the reason I wanted to go in the first place. Obviously once I got there I fell in love with many other things that MNSSHP has to offer but I loved those characters!

Love the parade pictures! What kind of camera do you have? I just got a new camera that was pretty expensive, and I'm still not thrilled with the parade pictures I got! :sad2:

I wanted a picture with the Genie soooo bad, but every time I went to Adventureland, the line was crazy! :eek: I like meeting characters, but I'm not wasting all my party time standing in line!

Getting out of the party was crazy, the line for the boat to WL was ridiculous!!! We decided to skip it and use the buses for the first time and luckily, we were the 2nd ones in line for the WL bus, since everyone else was waiting for the boat I guess! The lines for the other buses were crazy, though, I can see how waiting for a while might make people a little grumpy! :laughing:

I just bought the Canon PowerShot ELPH 100s. I hadn't bought a new camera for 5 years and I was tired of having sub-par photographs. I'm not sure how I got so lucky with this particular camera but I would definitely recommend it! It's amazing :)

Leaving Magic Kingdom late at night became a bit of a trend for us during this trip so one late night insanity is blending with the others. I'm not sure if DBF will ever trust me to take the buses late at night again. His parents are definitely the driving type at WDW and I think this trip Matt realized he was a little more like them than he realized. I could tell he kinda missed the car!

[BerrysGirl]

I forgot to share some pictures we got before we got in the Haunted Mansion line... Photopass Pictures!

I really wanted the Hitchhiking Ghost pictures so we were really fortunate to stumble across the photographer with only one person in line.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3SsaynH5b5c/To5SuJ15pAI/AAAAAAAABMU/uOOHLdckmxs/s420/ghosts.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2tQ0pXPD1WY/To5Suf50WcI/AAAAAAAABMY/kV6ohz9lTbY/s419/ghosts%252521.jpg
I really enjoy Matt's face here.

I'll get another post up soon-ish. Grad school is a beast, amiright?

[wdwgirl03]

OMG, those are awesome!!! Why did I not know about those?!

[shan23877]

Great PP pics. Love the hitchhiking ghosts! I hope I can get DD on HM one of these days! :lmao:

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

I love the parade photo's! I think my next trip absolutely has to be for MNSSHP! Love Winnie the Pooh in his costume! :goodvibes And your photopass photo's are AWESOME! :thumbsup2

[BerrysGirl]

OMG, those are awesome!!! Why did I not know about those?!

I only knew they existed because of the Dis! They aren't advertised or anything, but there was a photopass photographer between the Riverboat and Haunted Mansion. I asked if it was where the Hitchhiking Ghosts were and he said yes! Definitely a lot of fun to be scared of a popcorn cart ;)

Great PP pics. Love the hitchhiking ghosts! I hope I can get DD on HM one of these days! :lmao:

I use to be afraid of it to! And then you hit a year in your life where you ride it and you're like, I was afraid of this?!?

I love the parade photo's! I think my next trip absolutely has to be for MNSSHP! Love Winnie the Pooh in his costume! :goodvibes And your photopass photo's are AWESOME! :thumbsup2

Thanks so much! I hope you get to a Halloween party too! I'm so bummed I missed out on them for all these years. So worth it!

[BerrysGirl]

One the top of my TR notes for this day I have written:
"Theme of the Day - People!" You have been warned....

So today began slowly. Matt had requested this day off specifically so we could be at Magic Kingdom on the 40th! The alarm went off at 7:00 am and I was very slow to convince myself that we really do need to get up for rope drop. We had gotten to bed around 1:00 am the night before so it wasn't a lack of sleep that kept me from getting up, I am just not a morning person! But Matt convinced me that it was the 40th and I had yet to see a rope drop so with a little effort we managed to get showered, have a quick breakfast, and head out the door. We were at the bus stop by 8:15 which was about 15 minutes later than I would have liked but still giving us 45 to get to MK before the park opened. Of course we hit a ton of traffic as soon as we hit the Bay Lake area (foreshadowing!!!) but when we headed into the MK bus stop, we still saw the train in it's "holding patter" just out of view of the main gate. We had made it!

I will admit, I did not get any pictures of rope drop. We actually viewed from the bag check line squashed in between hundreds upon hundreds of people. There was an absolute sea of bodies... looking back I should have seen the implications for the rest of the day but I had never been to a rope drop. I thought that's how they always must have been! By the time we made it through bag check the gates were open and people were being let into the park. One problem. There is a special turnstile for CMs to enter and there was only one turnstile open for upwards of 200 CMs waiting to get in. I'm not kidding. The line reached from the far left turnstile all the way to the left bag check! CMs had to start getting in line for their specific turnstile before they even had their bags checked! I went through the regular turnstile and set up camp near the CM entrance to wait for Matt. This process definitely took a while. CMs have to individually swipe in their guests and then each guest is issued a paper ticket. So some of the CMs were letting in 4+ guests causing quite the back up. I heard the working CMs on their radios calling for backup but the line just kept getting bigger and bigger. Absolute chaos!

I wandered for a little bit and enjoyed the entrance while waiting for Matt:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sB30Mc5Gyqs/Totc4ecnP3I/AAAAAAAABK8/WyHggR9J0eU/s640/IMG_0473.JPG

I noticed some people wearing big buttons for the 40th and I thought, "Hey, I want one of those too!" Finally I noticed CMs towards the middle passing them out, so I kinda looped around to make it look like I had just entered and was quickly handed a button:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3--dBXCY7b4/TouBhpSOWvI/AAAAAAAABMA/UlkF_b8bFWM/s512/2011-10-04%25252017.30.12.jpg
I don't know the official time that they ran out of these puppies but apparently these are quite the coveted item now. I'm so glad I noticed them being distributed!

I soon realized when Matt finally got through he would not be handed a button either, so I tucked mine in my purse, found another CM, and did the same thing :rolleyes1
I felt a little guilty about this, almost like I was cheating the system but it's not like I was hoarding them. I just got one for me and one for Matt. That's fair, right?

At that point Matt was FINALLY in the Park. I didn't keep track but it was probably 20-30 minutes just for him to get through the turnstile!

We headed into the park and everyone was making a beeline for the Hub. At 10:00 am the President of Disney was making a speech along with a little celebratory show. For some reason my eyes were really starting to water and irritate me (I blame it on a combination of sunscreen and mascara) so Matt and I detoured past Casey's Corner to that little restroom between there and the Crystal Palace so I could rinse out my eye.

We saw a couple trying to take a picture of themselves with their iPhone so I offered to take it and they kindly returned the favor.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-SWhKT8njm5E/Totc4cvcQlI/AAAAAAAABLA/oZppsaP-SbY/s640/IMG_0474.JPG
I apologize for my slightly forced smile. My eyes were still watering like crazy.

After I felt better, we headed into the Hub to see what all the commotion was about.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eKoNZDEaVQ4/Totc8KnovmI/AAAAAAAABLI/_lcEPgzFUR8/s512/IMG_0475.JPG
I'm glad I got this picture then. Later that day, the banner had been taken down.

We stood for a little while just remarking on all the people when this little voice in my head whispered:
"All these people are here, which means no one is riding rides."

I said this aloud to Matt and his remark? "I was thinking the same thing."
Needless to say we were not feeling the pomp and circumstance of the event and we thought the best way to honor Magic Kingdom's birthday was to enjoy Magic Kingdom!

So we headed towards Adventurland and soon found ourselves here:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hhT0QFcifYo/Totc9SvC7pI/AAAAAAAABLM/uQ2AUWNrWVU/s640/IMG_0476.JPG
I will never get sick of this ride.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-g8x1jLSfHf8/Totc6iJIBBI/AAAAAAAABLE/Vf745qiUvfQ/s640/IMG_0477.JPG
It was a walk on and there was only one other couple in our boat. I enjoyed it as always and soon we were in the gift shop.
We wandered around for a while and I found myself looking up a lot. I had heard that some of the props above the merchandise were actual props from the movies. We didn't bother asking any CMs while we were in there but we had fun guessing which ones were movie props.
I also feel like Matt traded pins here but for the life of me I have no idea which ones.

We headed further into Frontierland and stopped for some popcorn. Yes it was like 9:30, yes I hadn't really had a true breakfast (Matt had eaten most of it). But I was on vacation!

While we munched our popcorn we stumbled across this guy with a very short line and decided to stop to say hi:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5wcNIGS4FAI/Totc-VYUXvI/AAAAAAAABLQ/yaU4OG_mSXg/s640/IMG_0478.JPG
I love seeing characters in special costumes!
Donald's handler gave me a hard time about my breakfast but she agreed that popcorn was an acceptable breakfast item on vacation as well.

At first Donald was very upset that Matt did not have a Donald pin, but he quickly forgave him when he saw his shirt. :rotfl:

We walked past the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon and noticed a massive line. It wrapped out of the building and well into Liberty Square. Later we found out that they were selling special "I Was There" Pins that could only be purchased there and the line was over 2 hours long :scared1:
They also sold special 40th cupcakes at the Mainstreet Bakery as well that day and that line was all the way out to the Parlor Ice Cream store as well.

Needless to say we passed on both these "specialty" items. We got our free pins... I feel like they say pretty strongly that "we were there."

It was almost 10:00 so we decided to wander back to the Hub to see what the ceremony was like.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rU0AFt1WNtY/TotdDZ2i79I/AAAAAAAABLY/c3vTpMkezhA/s640/IMG_0480.JPG
When we got there characters and CMs holding banners were parading down Mainstreet talking about Magic Kingdom's past anniversaries. They had special talks by "ambassadors" (never did find out what exactly that meant) and basically they were just going through the history of park.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Poo5x2lGrNc/TotCn_yYxSI/AAAAAAAAAz8/4dIrDht2RUM/s640/IMG_0481.JPG
The crowds in the Hub were ridiculous. We were on the bridge between Liberty Square and Cinderella's Wishing Well and you saw nothing but a sea of people... all the way up Mainstreet. I don't think any of them could have moved if they wanted. Looking at all those people made me really anxious. When the ceremony ended, they would all disperse into mass chaos and I realized I wanted to be nowhere near that when it happened. So what did Matt and I do? We ran!
All the way to Fantasyland! (hey, that kinda rhymed!)
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-OGVvEKia3l4/TotCpHeIC3I/AAAAAAAAA0A/n5IsGBSRXZ0/s640/IMG_0483.JPG
We decided to get Peter Pan out of the way when all those people were otherwise occupied. We had maybe a 10 minutes wait before we were soarin over Neverland.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2bz23Cj7YC4/TotCmS5OGKI/AAAAAAAAAz4/8JGvnTUHCXk/s512/IMG_0484.JPG
That's the croc from the exit. I'm always a good girl and take no flash photos on rides... with one major exception about to be disclosed.

After Peter Pan, I noticed Snow White's Scary Adventure was open... I could have sworn it was suppose to shut down earlier this year! :confused3

Thrilled to get one more ride on the classic, I dragged Matt on. Once more, it was another walk on.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7Bw6p5BeK7o/TotCwH5HiXI/AAAAAAAAA0E/4AmGRve9kiY/s640/IMG_0485.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tZOlq8TpuKw/TotCyoJFkwI/AAAAAAAAA0I/Qy8DmO8f0F0/s640/IMG_0486.JPG
Here's my one exception to my no-flash rule. I had to have a proper picture of Dopey to say goodbye, as I may never see him again. :sad1: Bye Dopey!

We rode with a family with the cutest little boys. The younger one (maybe 5) was afraid since it was called a "scary adventure" and the older brother (age 9 at most) was the most supportive nurturing brother I've ever seen! He kept turning around during the ride (he was in the front with his mom while the younger brother was in the back with the father) and telling his brother "it's ok, we're right here. Nothing's gonna get you. Look the dwarfs are dancing! That's not scary. You're doing awesome!" It was sooo cute. Once the ride was over, the older brother ran up to the younger one and told him "you were awesome! You're such a big boy now for riding that ride!" If it hadn't been weird for a stranger to hug someone else's son, I totally would have! I wish we had had some pixie dust to spread to both the older brother and the younger one. I mean seriously, at those ages, how many older brothers are that awesome to their little brothers? I loved it! :hug:

After Snow White Matt suggested we ride the Indy Speedway before the crowds came. Normally I would have looked at him like he was a crazy person and vetoed it instantly but today I agreed.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KnKXQwZaMBo/TotCynmNNjI/AAAAAAAAA0M/AN31-600n2c/s640/IMG_0487.JPG
We maybe waited 10 minutes for this as well.

Why did I agree you say? Well, out of sheer curiosity, I reply. If you notice, I let Matt drive so I could be the photographer.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ObjbWOVqb0M/TotC9BTzi7I/AAAAAAAAA0U/7wlIQlzZtBA/s640/IMG_0488.JPG
Not entirely sure what I was trying to photograph here.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--9dtCK8MsrY/TotDC1EvaSI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/wHhK_xjPsdg/s640/IMG_0489.JPG
The Indy Speedway offers an up close and personal view of the Fantasyland expansion!

We didn't see a whole lot but it is a different view into the construction area than I've ever seen before. There are massive circus tents up, the Beast's Castle is essentially complete, and Matt and I saw a metal framework that, for whatever reason, we both hypothesize is the Little Mermaid ride. Overall, I felt like for once this was a worthwhile race on the Indy Speedway.

Since we were in Tomorrowland at this point we decided to get Fastpasses for Space Mountain. I HATE the new Space Mountain but Matt felt like he noticed it was a little lighter (meaning visually you could see better) the last time he rode and my biggest pet peeve of the new version is that it is too dark so I decided to let him drag me on one last time (note every time I go to Disney I always ride Space Mountain "one last time" :lmao: ).

We had about half an hour to kill before our fastpasses were ready so we decided to trade vinylmations:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5w20MmdcOck/TotC8SyDKbI/AAAAAAAAA0Q/PqyVl0QeO24/s640/IMG_0490.JPG
Matt got the little girl in the tiger suit and I got the Pigs in Space… so fitting for Tomorrow Land!

After our trade we still had some time to kill before our fastpasses were ready so we decided to hop onboard the Peoplemover for another ride.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3QiuI9N2VYo/TotDFvYni_I/AAAAAAAAA0c/dp1yMLYYn-8/s640/IMG_0491.JPG

After our travels, our FPs were ready so we headed over to Space Mountain. We walked right through the line and were quickly up to the front. A CM asked if there was a party of two (love when that happens) and we got to jump in front of the last few guesets and climb into our rocket!

We had the last two seats and I instantly told Matt he was riding in the back. Why, do you ask? Well I had a theory...

Last December Matt and I rode the new Space Mountain and we had front row seats. While I didn't love it the way I use to it also wasn't horrible.

Flash forward to this March... my BFF and I ride Space Mountain and we have the back seats. I rode all the way in the back and it was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. I vowed never again!

Then Matt mentioned he felt the ride had become a little lighter so I decided to give it one more try...
This was when I developed my theory that, much like on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, the back is wilder than the front. However, unlike on BTMR, that is not a good thing.

Our ride starts off as normal and, while I was still very close to the back, I noticed a marketable difference between the second seat and the way back. I will definitely be keeping that in mind in the future!

Sure enough, when we got off Matt proclaimed that to be the worst Space Mountain experience of his entire life and joined me in espousing his hatred towards the back of the rocket.

Moral of the story? While I don't think I will put Space Mountain on my "I'll never ride again list" it's on the "occasional" list and I will ALWAYS request the front!

[shan23877]

Enjoyed the update!

I agree that the buttons (and photographic evidence) proves that "you were there".

Good call skipping the speeches and hitting the rides! I agree that SM is an occasional ride. I was in back this trip and my neck hurt so bad when I got off! Not fun.

[kokotg]

Nice update!

When my 5 year old saw your Tomorrowland Speedway pics, he said, "WHY did they go on that?! It goes really slow!" He's never been on it; my indoctrination is working well :laughing:

[Disneymoon23]

Sounds like you had fun at the Magic Kingdom on its birthday. I'm jealous you got a 40th button :laughing: Those things were long gone by the time we got there around 3pm.

[wdwgirl03]

YIKES, that is crazy about the backup at the CM entrance! :scared1: Sadly Emma had to work that morning so she couldn't go but I know a couple of her roommates were there trying to get some of the special merchandise. I love the button they were handing out and wish I could've gotten one. Oh well.

I did the same thing on Snow White! I had to take a couple pictures since it will definitely be closed by the time of my next visit. :sad1:

[Nermel9]

Great update! Wow, MK sounds like it was crazy that morning! I love the pin that they gave you! I felt guilty the whole day about not going to MK in the morning, but we went later that night for the fireworks, which was fun! :thumbsup2

Ugh, isn't the back of SM the worst? It seems like every time I went on it on this trip, I was in the back! Next time, I'm going to request the front! :rotfl:

[Merida]

Somehow I missed subscribing to the thread so was reading updates from the main page and missed that I posted here! I have been following along!

I love the Vinylmations you've been getting. I tried explaining Vinylmation trading to my boyfriend for my upcoming December trip, but I didn't do a very good job. I'll have to convince him on the spot :) Do you know who the tiger girl is/where she's from? I was thinking Small World at first, but that doesn't seem quite right.

That Dopey picture is adorable! I think Snow White is still going to be open in December and I definitely will keep my eye open for some neat pictures like that.

[ZehnJahren]

I just found your TR AND read through ALL of the updates (since you were at the World around the same time I was).

What a great TR!

How great that you got to go spend time with your DBF while he's a CM down there. I did a long-distance relationship for over a year before DBF and I moved in together, and it was tough but definitely showed us that we were serious about one another.

And that story about the older brother reassuring the younger on Snow White was so sweet!

Reading about your experiences at the 40th party at MK makes me glad I WASN'T there - I would not have liked those crowds at all.

What a great trip you had! I love it when so many things go right! I'm enjoying your pictures and your writing very much; I love well-written and well-loved TRs.

Looking forward to reading more.

[TanzUnited99]

Lol, I love the theme of the day - I can only imagine how packed MK would have been for it's 40th Anniversary! :laughing:

Yay on making rope drop! I am with you on not being a morning person.

I love all the rides you got through on this day and was also pleased to be able to experience Snow White's Scary Adventures.

I have made a mental note never to ride in the back seat of Space Mountain!

[BerrysGirl]

Enjoyed the update!

I agree that the buttons (and photographic evidence) proves that "you were there".

Good call skipping the speeches and hitting the rides! I agree that SM is an occasional ride. I was in back this trip and my neck hurt so bad when I got off! Not fun.

I guess it all depends on why you wanted to be at MK on the 40th... the "specials," the atmosphere, the nostalgia. Personally I wasn't interested in the "specials"... except the fireworks of course!

Nice update!

When my 5 year old saw your Tomorrowland Speedway pics, he said, "WHY did they go on that?! It goes really slow!" He's never been on it; my indoctrination is working well :laughing:

You truly have taught him well :rotfl: I sincerely think the last time I had been on the Speedway I had just gotten tall enough to drive for myself. And then we just stopped riding! The wait is not worth it and I can't get over that smell.

Sounds like you had fun at the Magic Kingdom on its birthday. I'm jealous you got a 40th button :laughing: Those things were long gone by the time we got there around 3pm.

I noticed the longer we stayed at the park the fewer of the buttons we saw. And the more we noticed people gazing longingly at ours :laughing: Matt predicted we'd be offered cash for ours but it never happened. Which is good, because I wouldn't have given it up!

YIKES, that is crazy about the backup at the CM entrance! :scared1: Sadly Emma had to work that morning so she couldn't go but I know a couple of her roommates were there trying to get some of the special merchandise. I love the button they were handing out and wish I could've gotten one. Oh well.

I did the same thing on Snow White! I had to take a couple pictures since it will definitely be closed by the time of my next visit. :sad1:

Have you asked Emma how the crowds were where she works? I'm curious to hear how other parts of the World were on the 40th... was it all crazy or was everyone at MK!

Do you know when Snow White officially closes? I'm going back in December and at this point I won't be surprised if it's still open!

[BerrysGirl]

Great update! Wow, MK sounds like it was crazy that morning! I love the pin that they gave you! I felt guilty the whole day about not going to MK in the morning, but we went later that night for the fireworks, which was fun! :thumbsup2

Ugh, isn't the back of SM the worst? It seems like every time I went on it on this trip, I was in the back! Next time, I'm going to request the front! :rotfl:

Where were you for the fireworks? We actually watched them in Frontier Land and I think it was one of the best decisions we made all day... I've heard Main Street was crazy!

Everyone agreeing with my back of Space Mountain theory is making me feel so good. I'm not crazy and I'm not the only one who hates it... and I'm also so glad I won't be the only one requesting the back!

Somehow I missed subscribing to the thread so was reading updates from the main page and missed that I posted here! I have been following along!

I love the Vinylmations you've been getting. I tried explaining Vinylmation trading to my boyfriend for my upcoming December trip, but I didn't do a very good job. I'll have to convince him on the spot :) Do you know who the tiger girl is/where she's from? I was thinking Small World at first, but that doesn't seem quite right.

That Dopey picture is adorable! I think Snow White is still going to be open in December and I definitely will keep my eye open for some neat pictures like that.

Thanks so much for following along, even in silence :goodvibes:
DBF was exactly the same way. He did not understand Vinylmations and thought I was crazy for wanting to trade them. But I think after we did it he really enjoyed it. I think I'll be bringing them back in December. I really loved it!

I don't think the tiger girl is "anyone." She's from a line called the Cuties and there were a few of them like that that we saw. I think they were just cute little kids dressed up like animals. Because, you know, that's cute or something... :cutie:

Ah so apparently I do get to ride Snow White again if it's still open in December :rotfl: it's like the never-dying ride! That Dopey is at the very last scene, above the door where the car exits in case you want to look for that one :goodvibes:

I just found your TR AND read through ALL of the updates (since you were at the World around the same time I was).

What a great TR!

How great that you got to go spend time with your DBF while he's a CM down there. I did a long-distance relationship for over a year before DBF and I moved in together, and it was tough but definitely showed us that we were serious about one another.

And that story about the older brother reassuring the younger on Snow White was so sweet!

Reading about your experiences at the 40th party at MK makes me glad I WASN'T there - I would not have liked those crowds at all.

What a great trip you had! I love it when so many things go right! I'm enjoying your pictures and your writing very much; I love well-written and well-loved TRs.

Looking forward to reading more.

:welcome: and thank you so much for all the kinds words! I feel the same way about my long distance relationship... I'm graduating in June and knowing that after that I'll be moving down to Orlando just seems to solidify how committed we are to one another!

Being at the Magic Kingdom on its 40th proves I want nothing to do with the parks on Christmas Day. This will be the first year I'm there on the actual day and I've always heard how crazy it is. I think I'll enjoy the resorts and hide from the parks from now on on days like that! :thumbsup2

Lol, I love the theme of the day - I can only imagine how packed MK would have been for it's 40th Anniversary! :laughing:

Yay on making rope drop! I am with you on not being a morning person.

I love all the rides you got through on this day and was also pleased to be able to experience Snow White's Scary Adventures.

I have made a mental note never to ride in the back seat of Space Mountain!

I think our mutual love of coffee proves our equal hatred of mornings :rotfl:

I will miss Snow White when it's gone but I'm also really excited for the new Seven Dwarfs ride so I think I can handle the trade-off.

I take it you were not in the back when you rode Space Mountain? You are so lucky!

[BerrysGirl]

Throughout the day we had noticed special commemorative park maps some people were carrying and we decided to ask in the Space Mountain dump shop where we could pick one up for ourselves. We were told they were only being distributed at the park's entrance so we decided to head that way before we got lunch to grab two before they disappeared.

Heading up Mainstreet USA was a struggle! So much so that Matt left me near the Firehouse to battle the rest of the crowds to secure the maps. Rope Drop at this point was a distant memory and we had been having a great morning! This was our first dose of the infamous crowds of that day. To say the least, it was a little overwhelming! Once we had our maps (which Matt mentioned were rapidly running out) we decided to trade our vinylmations in the Emporium.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RpBb6sPtiVQ/TotDk1RQZXI/AAAAAAAAA08/gRJI1edElpY/s512/IMG_0499.JPG
Taken in the Contemporary.
The clear one is mine and the black one is Matt's.

At this point it was near high noon and we decided lunch was in order. I had been dreaming of Pecos Bill’s taco salad ever since coming to the Dis and reading about the fixins' bar.
Worst. Mistake. Ever.

Warning: Really long rant about to commence.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ps3H0fKNAA0/TotDG9r1O8I/AAAAAAAAA0g/9FdXKh0g3-g/s640/IMG_0492.JPG

We got through the ordering line with no hassle and soon secured two taco salads and two bottles of water. I had talked up this salad to Matt and we were so excited to give it a try.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nA1l82OBjro/TotDPCqIqUI/AAAAAAAAA0k/Wt82fng_f38/s512/IMG_0493.JPG
We headed to the fixins' bar with high spirits and soon had decorated our salads with onions, mushrooms, and salsa. The plastic cheese was gone in the area we were in (cue ominous music) but no worries, we'd just try one of the other stations. That's when we hit the lettuce, tomato, and cheese section... and realized there was no lettuce. It kinda sucked but it was understandable given the amount of people using said topping. So I headed over to the other station. Still no lettuce. That's when I overheard guests talking to the CM attendant and with a strange smile on her face she simply replies "Oh. We're out." and continues just standing there starring at us. Umm... weird.

So Matt and I idly wait for a while. We put everything else we could on our salads and continued just to stand there waiting for our lettuce. However, along with us, the line of lettuce-needers continues to grow. And grow. And grow. They were still taking orders for salads, still handing out the shells, and just leaving us there to let the crowd continue to back up. At this point we had heard that there was another salad bar back in the dinning room so I left Matt to see if there were any toppings. First myself and some other people who went to investigate had to argue with the CM manning the dinning room to let us past. He didn't want to let us through to check this toppings bar because we didn't have our food. Understandable, but you were the ones who let the lettuce run out. Finally I get there and see the very last bits of lettuce being used. Drat. So I head back to Matt. At this point it's been a good 15-20 minutes that the toppings bar has been empty. All this time, that one CM attendant has just stood there and starred at us with a strange smile on her face, or chatted and laughed with other CMs. Needless to say I was feeling a little mocked at this point. We heard that the hold up had to do with the lettuce completely running out in the back so they were obviously waiting for someone to bring it from someplace else in the park.

At this point our meat is cold, and our patience from being jostled by all the other waiting guests is thin. Matt suggests we just go find a manager to get our money back and head out. As a CM at another Quick Service Food & Beverage location at Disney World he knows that this is a sensible solution to the problem at hand. Managers refund guests’ money all the time for similar reasons at Caribbean Beach all the time.

First we talk to a regular CM. This is the same CM that yelled at me for scoping out the toppings bar in the dinning room. Matt knows these CMs have ways to contact managers and he talks to him to try and get him to do so. No luck. The CM basically said "well you're screwed, buddy." Now, I will say Matt was a little too nice to this particular CM, just kinda chatting with him when I felt he should have been more assertive (not mean, just hey this is the deal, can you get a manager for us?) but this CM certainly did not go out of his way to help us. We headed back into the main area and finally spotted a manager (another anomaly according to Matt as most QSF&B locations have a few managers working at all times and one ALWAYS walking around the front area.

When we walked up to speak to her, some other guests who had been waiting as long as us (at least 30 minutes at this point). Were speaking to her requesting a refund as well. Word for word the manger looked at this man and YELLED: "SIR. The lettuce is on its way! You've waited this long, you might as well wait a little longer." :scared1:

So much for Disney magic, ya know?

Seeing that we too weren't getting a refund we turned around to see the lettuce coming through the door. They quickly got the salad bar stocked, we got our lettuce, and headed into the dinning room.

Then, of course, we couldn't find a seat. We ended up outside on two extra stools, using a third stool as our table.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-H70hnpqzIb0/TotDRGyBaxI/AAAAAAAAA0o/uOs2u2LBNTM/s640/IMG_0494.JPG
Our make-shift seating arrangement

All in all we waited 45 minutes for some stinkin lettuce. The nacho cheese sauce was empty when we arrived and it never got filled. That was disappointing but not the key component to a salad. I can eat a salad without cheese. I cannot eat a salad without lettuce. Right?

Overall my experience at Pecos Bill was awful and I will not be returning. I would have forgiven them for running out of lettuce because I was the one who chose to show up at peak lunch hour on the 40th anniversary. I know that was my own fault. However, it was the attitude of the CMs there that made me never want to return. Having the attendant smile at us all with this strange look of superiority on her face, the dinning room attendant who decided yelling was more productive than helping, and the manager. oh the manager basically telling us to suck it up rather than offering an apology (never once did we hear a single apology) turned me off to the entire restaurant. Having my very own CM who works at such a similar location proclaim the behavior also to be unacceptable really fortified my determination to not return. It was just so upsetting. If we had been at any other time of the day we probably would have had a very positive experience but knowing the way those CMs handle "crisis" situations does not make me want to return. I'll go back to Columbia Harbor House from now, thank you very much.

Later on Matt told his managers about the experience and they said it's very common to hear guest complaints about being treated with disrespect from Pecos Bill staff.

I will reserve judgment on our meal since between the lettuce crises and not being able to find a seat, we waited nearly an hour before we actually ate it. The salad portion was fine, even if the meat had gone cold. But the shell it came in had become cold and the grease it was fried in had hardened, making it impossible to rip apart and inedible. All-in-all we paid $20 for cold meat, cold and soggy veggies, and an inedible shell. Soooo disappointing.

This was definitely the lowest part of our trip. Matt and I decided that the 40th was not worth this chaos and we decided to head out of the park for a while. At this point I felt really bad about dragging Matt to MK on the 40th and I really regretted ever showing up. After we ate what we could of our salads, we pitched our trash and headed away from Pecos Bill. Never to return again... :rotfl:

Sorry for the long rant and I know Pecos Bill has some serious fans but I was so disappointed in our experience I had to vent. Hopefully no one hates me too much! I'm sure we would have had a great experience too if our timing had been better.

Feeling slightly discouraged we headed toward the park's exit.

Fighting the crowds through Adventure Land I saw an opportunity for a brief respite from the insanity and suggested we stop into the Tiki Room. I had not been in the Tiki Room in years… I actually successfully avoided Iago for all those years and now that the Room was back to its original splendor I wanted to experience it again. The music use to be my favorite as a child.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Qbd6ZM5GyzE/TotDTVyoRTI/AAAAAAAAA0s/RM0i8707in4/s512/IMG_0495.JPG

The show is exactly how I remember it. Admittedly, the Tiki Room has been bumped to the "occasional" list... which is better than the "never" list it was in with Iago taking the helm. It was what I remembered... a neat show that's relaxing with catchy music... I'm also glad it wasn't any longer, if you know what I mean!

After the Tiki Room we continued fighting the crowds to the exit. Once we got to the square though, we decided to take one more detour.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ge0p2odtlm4/TotDaxo2BEI/AAAAAAAAA0w/hpdr9Du5zLY/s512/IMG_0496.JPG

Ok two more stops. We stopped into the Confectionary and I saw these adorable apples. How festive!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-5p9vMYvmx6M/TotDiz4CwEI/AAAAAAAAA04/noSQkUzWbFA/s512/IMG_0497.JPG
Here's the detour! To honor Walt Disney, we decided to take a ride on his railroad.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Pb9oOUg-MJE/TotDiY51_HI/AAAAAAAAA00/jttOW8ZKnsg/s640/IMG_0498.JPG
Take a look at those crowds!

After our uneventful, but relaxing ride, we headed to the exit and towards the monorail. The line for the resort monorail was quite short but the line for the express monorail was phenomenal. And, when the monorail arrived, it was a full train-load of people who got off, heading to the entrance. And this was at 2 p.m. in the afternoon! There were still that many people trying to get into the park.

We got off at the Contemporary and decided to trade Vinylmations.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vvgKZSITPIw/TotDtLrtdUI/AAAAAAAAA1A/h-5ZDXF40xg/s512/IMG_0500.JPG
Mine's on the left. Definitely the weirdest one I got. I think it was a giant Beard Face?

Matt also traded pins a few times and we wandered around the gift shops looking at the merchandise. It was funny to be in such a mellow resort, considering the hustle and bustle we had just come from. Even funnier because most of the merchandise people were waiting in hour-long lines to buy in the park were also for sale in this empty gift shop!

We didn't spend a lot of time at the Contemporary, and soon were boarding another monorail to head to the Polynesian.

I don't love the Polynesian the way some people do. Don't get me wrong, it's a gorgeous resort, but maybe because I never had the opportunity to stay there it just doesn't "do it" for me. That Disney feeling everyone has at the Poly? I get that at the Contemporary.

But we did head to the gift shops to trade vinylmations again. When we were looking a the vinylmations display, I noticed the Naveen one and remarked to Matt, "he's so cute. I hope I get him."

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2J0CAUdFe6g/TotDtsnU-WI/AAAAAAAAA1E/oyKE3gFh_lU/s512/IMG_0501.JPG
Look who I got!

Matt got a Country Bear and I got Naveen! I like to believe this was Walt Disney making up for our less than stelar Pecos Bill experience (thanks Walt! ).

After trading, we headed downstairs to Captain Cooks. Since lunch was less than spectacular, we were both still hungry so we decided to celebrate the 40th with a staple.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9AgkEoNr3_Q/TotDuKbFeqI/AAAAAAAAA1I/22PPh-muARY/s640/IMG_0502.JPG
Mickey Bars!

Matt had the traditional and I had the ice cream sandwich. We also shared the tea. It was nice to just sit quietly and enjoy each others company, imagining what insanity was currently transpiring at the Magic Kingdom. We also noticed a mother with her two children eating nearby, also sporting a lime green Mickey head on her stroller! We didn't say hi to her either but it was our second dis spotting of the trip! Makes me wonder how often I walked by people just like her long before I ever knew what the dis was...

After our relaxing snack, we decided to brave the Magic Kingdom again.

Matt still had a bit of a wait to get through his turnstile but I don't remember feeling quite so jostled once we got inside. We decided to head back to Frontierland and see if there were any Fastpasses available for Splash or Big Thunder Mountain.

On the way though, we noticed a friend I HAD to stop and say hi to.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zZMq1qNSMyk/TotD4PyrFQI/AAAAAAAAA1U/4KI6BEOaI2s/s512/IMG_0503.JPG
I think Pirate Goofy is adorable and I've always wanted a picture with him. I've never justified waiting in his line, but I knew today I needed a visit.
This marked the turning point back to a fantastic day! Goofy was awesome and he loved giving Matt a hard time. He was very sad that there was no Goofy pin on his lanyard and Matt promised him he'd find one soon. Once we finished our meet, Matt turned to me, very seriously and said he NEEDED to find a Goofy pin. Awwww.

After our fantastic meet we grabbed some fastpasses for Splash, but Big Thunder was shut down. Oh well, I had something else in mind...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kLy1dNzTerI/TotD0Jvm0MI/AAAAAAAAA1M/JB3qZ6S_KgM/s640/IMG_0504.JPG
Country Bears!

I haven't seen the Country Bear Jamboree in years and keeping with the theme of doing activities that were around at the Park's opening, I thought it'd be perfect. The show was surprisingly very cute and quite funny. We also had a very dedicated crowd who clapped during the songs and really got into the show. It was a fun atmosphere! The CM requested that we hold on on taking photographs until the end of the show when all the bears were on stage, so since I got permission, I went for it for once!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ja1Qn9OPiBQ/TotD1JCjbaI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/ylJx1L07YYY/s512/IMG_0505.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xu7X8WtemoQ/TotD71VI5xI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/KOOVn198yzQ/s512/IMG_0506.JPG
Big Al!

We were cracking up though when we realized where the exit for Country Bears was:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_8mrKvd3k4A/TotD9uWghVI/AAAAAAAAA1c/88TSofAHi9M/s640/IMG_0507.JPG
We can't escape Pecos Bill!

After our show we went back into the Froniterland pin station to trade Vinylmations again.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--TB8PSLpVd4/TotD_ZPQKwI/AAAAAAAAA1g/57Qr1IOgFYE/s640/IMG_0508.JPG
Mine is Space Mountain from Paris and Matt's is Phil from Hercules.

We headed to Liberty Square because I was trying to drag Matt into the Hall of Presidents. For a Political Science major, he was very reluctant to attend this show. Apparently he falls asleep during it. A lot. But he hasn't even see Obama yet so I really try to persuade him. Unfortunately a show had just started and we didn't really have the time to wait for the next show so Matt won and we did not see the Hall of Presidents... on this trip that is!

We peeked into the Christmas shop but didn't really see anything amazing. Everything seemed to be from last Christmas... guess they're getting rid of the old stock for the new stuff!

At that point our Fastpasses for Splash Mountain were ready and we decided to hop on. Guess Matt escaped the Hall or Presidents for now but don't worry! I have two trips in December and therefore two more opportunities to drag him in there... and it will happen!

There was an annoying bottle neck going on at the FP entrance but once we got through that it was smooth sailing through the line and to the front! We got the second row but the mother who got the front row with her young daughter was less than thrilled with the idea. Matt and I of course offered to switch with them. The daughter was a little bummed... she wanted to get wet! I could tell throughout the ride that the mom was not a Splash fan. She obviously was just riding for her daughter. Aww what a nice Mom! Of course when the daughter expressed her displeasure of not being in the front because she wanted to get soaked Matt comforted her with "don't worry, the past few times I've been in the front I haven't gotten wet so you're not missing much." Ok Matt, you normally ride in December when it's cold and they don't want to get you wet... this is October. Seriously, famous last words. I really didn't mind getting wet but I wanted to give Matt a hard time about his statement so I teased him throughout and told me he owed me something shiny if I got wet. Of course we both got splashed pretty severely, but Matt got more wet than I did so I decided to let it slide ;)

Here's our redneck photo. You can see the daughter behind me having the time of her life while her Mom hides:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iFki7gmdQYo/TotEG7eHjEI/AAAAAAAAA1k/s7gpJchZ1Zc/s512/IMG_0510.JPG
Great ride :thumbsup2

We still had plenty of time before our ADR so I suggested we do something that I had only ever done once... head over to Tom Sawyer Island!

It was starting to get late and the island closes at dusk so we only had about 30 minutes but we decided to just to head over for a little bit.

The only thing I remembered from the Island were the caves... which ironically was the only thing Matt did not remember! So after exploring them quickly we headed to the back of the island.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PZ_4W_yxhTQ/TotEH7JCFCI/AAAAAAAAA1o/vyaqW058fBE/s640/IMG_0511.JPG
So quiet and peaceful.

We explored the Fort for a while and watched Big Thunder go by.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4NYAgVQ9RHg/TotEKzH6FzI/AAAAAAAAA1s/5FfRKrFPN1k/s640/IMG_0512.JPG
This is currently my desktop background. :lovestruc So much love for this ride.

Matt found the guns that he and his brother use to play with when they were little so of course he had to reminisce but at this point the island was closing so we moseyed back to the dock and caught a raft.

[shan23877]

Great update, I'm really glad that your day turned around. What an incredibly disappointing experience at Pecos Bills! We ate there for the first time on our last trip and loved it. (to be fair though, DD's favorite food is cheese quesadillas, and that's pretty much the only place in MK to get one).

I've never done Tom Sawyer Island, maybe we'll check it out next trip. Beautiful photos. :thumbsup2

[wdwgirl03]

Wow, that was a bad experience with the fixings bar! I can't believe it took so long!

Love all the vinylmations you guys got, especially that black one with all the icons and your Naveen (I have that one too. I love Princess and the Frog!).

That's funny the only thing you remember from Tom Sawyer Island is the caves. They're kind of fun but also kind of creepy since they're so dark and narrow!

And to answer your question, I never asked Emma what work was like for her on the 40th. I would assume MK was definitely the most crowded. But I am curious to see what she'll have to say once the holidays roll around and the crowds start picking up.

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

wow, I will be sure not to try Pecos Bill. It isnt the first time I've read something awful about them here on the Dis. But other than that it looks like you had a great time! :thumbsup2

[melmar136]

I'm glad most of your day at MK for the 40th was good (except for the crazy long CM line, and Pecos Bill's).
At least you made it onto quite a few rides with little wait while everyone else was on Main street!
I like that you went on some rides that you don't normally, like Tom Sawyer's Island. I only went there once, when I was about 12. The ONLY thing I remember was putting my hand into ketchup someone had squirted onto one of the cave walls! eeeew.
I like how you were able to snag a pin for Matt as well! ;)

[PirateKate]

We were there on the fortieth, too. In fact, I bet we just missed you all at Splash Mountain. Jeremy and I rode it that afternoon and the Fastpass line was backed up horribly. In fact, they kept announcing that the ride would be delayed, but the Fastpass line was moving faster and faster. I was wondering about that and someone in line behind us explained that they were letting more Fastpass people through, so the regular line would be slower.

Good move skipping the speeches in favor of the rides. We arrived later and missed out on getting a button, but I'm just as glad, since we got plenty of the crowds that night.

[TanzUnited99]

Oh no on the bad experience at Peco Bills...that sucks that there was no lettuce and then the staff were so rude :mad:

Mmm...the Confectionary apples sure look adorable and very yummy! :rotfl:

I'm glad Goofy turned the day from bad back to fantastic.

[kokotg]

Pecos Bill doesn't seem to be faring well in the reviews I've read lately....so maybe your experience wasn't just bad luck. We've never been there...

Sounds like you were able to make the most of the crazy crowded day, despite the bad lunch experience!

[CandleontheWater]

I have been reading along, and now I'm finally all caught up, so now I can chime in!

I'm sorry you had such a rough beginning to your day at the MK! I've heard from other friends who were there that it was really crazy and not as much fun as they thought it was going to be.

I can't believe the pin line was 2 hours long! I would have really wanted a pin, since I just love pin collecting, but two hours is just crazy.

I also cannot believe your experience in Pecos Bills! I have been hearing bad things about them lately, so you are certainly not alone, but you would expect better from Disney customer service.

[Nermel9]

Ugh, I can't believe that whole Pecos Bill experience, that sounds obnoxious! :scared1: That was smart to hop on the monorail to get away from MK for a while!

Love your Pirate Goofy picture, I always want to meet him too, but the line is always so long, so we never do! :laughing:

[BerrysGirl]

Great update, I'm really glad that your day turned around. What an incredibly disappointing experience at Pecos Bills! We ate there for the first time on our last trip and loved it. (to be fair though, DD's favorite food is cheese quesadillas, and that's pretty much the only place in MK to get one).

I've never done Tom Sawyer Island, maybe we'll check it out next trip. Beautiful photos. :thumbsup2

I really would have loved Pecos Bill too... they have such unique items on the menu that you just can't get anywhere else at the park but it truly was an overall disappointment.
If you take DD over to Tom Sawyer Island, be sure to hunt for paintbrushes. CMs hide them all over the island and if you find one and turn it back into a CM they give you special prize (like a FP!) :goodvibes:

Wow, that was a bad experience with the fixings bar! I can't believe it took so long!

Love all the vinylmations you guys got, especially that black one with all the icons and your Naveen (I have that one too. I love Princess and the Frog!).

That's funny the only thing you remember from Tom Sawyer Island is the caves. They're kind of fun but also kind of creepy since they're so dark and narrow!

And to answer your question, I never asked Emma what work was like for her on the 40th. I would assume MK was definitely the most crowded. But I am curious to see what she'll have to say once the holidays roll around and the crowds start picking up.

I was so tempted to keep my Naveen vinylmation! I just loved him so much.

I think the reason I only remembered the caves was because it was the most memorable part in the books to me. I was terrified of the idea of getting lost in caves after that! We only went over to Tom Sawyer Island after I had finished the book so I think my Mom insisted we explore the caves to try to help me conquer my fear :lovestruc

I'm actually going back to Disney for Christmas with Matt from the 18-27 and to be honest I'm a little nervous I'll never get to see him! :rotfl:

wow, I will be sure not to try Pecos Bill. It isnt the first time I've read something awful about them here on the Dis. But other than that it looks like you had a great time! :thumbsup2

It was so much fun being there for the 40th! If everything goes according to plan, Matt and I should be living in Orlando for the 50th... a concept I am both excited and terrified for all at once :lmao:
I highly recommend skipping Pecos Bill. If you want someplace quiet check out Columbia Harbor House and head upstairs. If you want something quick and want to eat outside (a concept very enjoyable at Disney in December) grab Casey's and just find a nice spot near the Hub. Either way you're guaranteed a much more enjoyable meal... but only if you get the corn dog nuggets at Casey's :laughing: They are heavenly :cloud9:

[BerrysGirl]

I'm glad most of your day at MK for the 40th was good (except for the crazy long CM line, and Pecos Bill's).
At least you made it onto quite a few rides with little wait while everyone else was on Main street!
I like that you went on some rides that you don't normally, like Tom Sawyer's Island. I only went there once, when I was about 12. The ONLY thing I remember was putting my hand into ketchup someone had squirted onto one of the cave walls! eeeew.
I like how you were able to snag a pin for Matt as well! ;)

Thanks so much :goodvibes: But what a horrible memory of Tom Sawyer Island :laughing: sounds like someone needs to go back :cutie: It's so peaceful over there!

We were there on the fortieth, too. In fact, I bet we just missed you all at Splash Mountain. Jeremy and I rode it that afternoon and the Fastpass line was backed up horribly. In fact, they kept announcing that the ride would be delayed, but the Fastpass line was moving faster and faster. I was wondering about that and someone in line behind us explained that they were letting more Fastpass people through, so the regular line would be slower.

Good move skipping the speeches in favor of the rides. We arrived later and missed out on getting a button, but I'm just as glad, since we got plenty of the crowds that night.

Splash Mountain was a completely surreal experience. Were you there when Big Thunder Mountain was broken down? I guessed that was the cause of the delay. So many people wandered back there for BTMRR but with it closed, everyone was just tunneling to that corner since they were already there. Our backup at the FP line was mostly due to a large party who tried to use their FP before their time and then chose to just stand at the head of the line to wait :headache: Obviously, a line started to form behind them. As the CM tried to answer the party's questions while ushering people with valid FPs through, others choice to bypass the line and just butt in front. Soon there were two lines forming :eek: Finally the CM yelled at the second line that they cannot cut, it isn't fair to everyone waiting in line and eventually it all thinned out. But it was so insane for a while!

Oh no on the bad experience at Peco Bills...that sucks that there was no lettuce and then the staff were so rude :mad:

Mmm...the Confectionary apples sure look adorable and very yummy! :rotfl:

I'm glad Goofy turned the day from bad back to fantastic.

The worst part of Pecos Bill was definitely the attendant who just kind of watched us all without even attempting to look busy. I feel like there was something more she could have been doing...
And of course the manager. I still can't believe she handled the situation the way she did.

And if Disney continues creating apples like the ones I saw this trip I'll be forced to cave and get one. They all looked amazing!

Pecos Bill doesn't seem to be faring well in the reviews I've read lately....so maybe your experience wasn't just bad luck. We've never been there...

Sounds like you were able to make the most of the crazy crowded day, despite the bad lunch experience!

With a GF family I would not recommend Pecos Bill. Ever. Even at 4 pm on a Wednesday with no one else in the restaurant. They can't handle the simple day-to-day operation of their restaurant. I can't imagine how special dietary requests would fair in that place!

Looking back, I still can't believe how crowded it really was. I'm so use to September-October being the off season. And those crowds rivaled Christmas! I think WDW would agree too. They really didn't seem ready for it :laughing:

I have been reading along, and now I'm finally all caught up, so now I can chime in!

I'm sorry you had such a rough beginning to your day at the MK! I've heard from other friends who were there that it was really crazy and not as much fun as they thought it was going to be.

I can't believe the pin line was 2 hours long! I would have really wanted a pin, since I just love pin collecting, but two hours is just crazy.

I also cannot believe your experience in Pecos Bills! I have been hearing bad things about them lately, so you are certainly not alone, but you would expect better from Disney customer service.

:welcome:

What I wouldn't give to be a high-up in the Walt Disney corporation after October 1 to be at the meetings where everyone sat around looking shell-shocked in a "what just happened" sort of way. Never before have I ever really wanted Disney to "explain themselves" but I'd love to hear the rationale for how that day went down. Everything was so shockingly last minute I almost wish they hadn't done anything at all. The most magical moments I had that day were doing the everyday activities like meeting Davey Crocket Donald, or Pirate Goofy, or riding Snow White's Scary Adventure and just remember the events that took place 40 years before that. That being said, I wouldn't trade the day for anything :goodvibes:

Ugh, I can't believe that whole Pecos Bill experience, that sounds obnoxious! :scared1: That was smart to hop on the monorail to get away from MK for a while!

Love your Pirate Goofy picture, I always want to meet him too, but the line is always so long, so we never do! :laughing:

Getting on the monorail was the best decision we made all day. The second we stepped into the Contemporary I could just feel all my anxiety melt away. We left the Park for maybe an hour or two but that was all we needed to recharge our batteries and feel better equipped to handle the crowds. I think it also helped us come back with a different perspective. Entering the park at Rope Drop, we were not expecting what we faced. But coming back that afternoon we were prepared and I think that made all the difference :thumbsup2

And as I'm sure you can tell, I highly recommend taking the time to meet Pirate Goofy. He really made my day :rotfl:

[BerrysGirl]

We were still early but we decided to head to our ADR for the evening: Tony's!

We checked in about fifteen minutes early and settled into the lobby to wait. Of course they were playing Lady and the Tramp on the TV and they had a little color station set up for the kids while they waited. After about 20 minutes (meaning only 5 minutes after our original ADR time) our name was called and we were seated here:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-r89CRe1DBX0/TotEPSEBcEI/AAAAAAAAA1w/UeJNJ0k8np0/s640/IMG_0513.JPG

Right then I knew we'd probably be one of those people who have a positive experience at Tony's. I mean how can you not be happy when Mainstreet USA is your view during dinner! :cloud9:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dOW8h3KzTzQ/TotEP_zf_8I/AAAAAAAAA10/ujKrSvlRjJ4/s640/IMG_0514.JPG

I also liked this part of the restaurant better than the "inside." It was so light and airy. What a great experience!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hXiSrwkzs7g/TotEUHkwAbI/AAAAAAAAA14/iiIoIChm11Y/s512/IMG_0515.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mQ-78yGwROo/TotEd_0uy1I/AAAAAAAAA2A/QiKEA7sHn7U/s512/IMG_0517.JPG

Loved the windows!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wwI1Y2QmHRE/TotEctKWVJI/AAAAAAAAA18/T2aw13KeAuw/s640/IMG_0518.JPG

We decided to take our time eating because we realized we had a prime viewing spot for the MSEP... It was about an hour until parade start time!

Our waiter came quickly and took our drink order. I had coffee and Matt had a coke.

He also brought us bread.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YbqPVxKEr5E/TotEgcUGcyI/AAAAAAAAA2E/vNMnkixrsKY/s640/IMG_0519.JPG
Yum yum yum.

Our waiter was very efficient and attentive. He was quite nice but my only critique is that he was not very good at hiding his displeasure in our meal sharing. Matt and I like to sample a variety of things so we normally share one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert between the two of us. It's more cost effective, we actually get to try the appetizers and desserts which we would otherwise not be able to do, and it doesn't waste food because we're actually able to eat everything we order. We've never had this experience before, but you could just tell the waiter did not approve. It made be feel a little embarrassed to be splitting but then I got a little angry. You shouldn't make me feel bad for not wanting to waste food and save some money. We tip well, and will be very grateful for treating us with respect. This was only a brief moment though and the waiter was very kind for the rest of the meal so overall no complaints by me!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BUgeXBgUBcM/TotElR55ndI/AAAAAAAAA2I/oRHBAy3RAV8/s640/IMG_0520.JPG
For our appetizer, we had the Zucchini Fries - breaded seasoned zucchini with creamy sun-dried tomato dressing for dipping ($7.99 ) (allears.net). These were amazing and probably the best part of the meal. Matt chose them and I have to say, he definitely won the food-off today!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z_b1Z3BB7tw/TotEmCUm7II/AAAAAAAAA2M/QcMuQ-rqoxM/s640/IMG_0521.JPG
For an entree, I chose the Shrimp Scampi - Linguini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Asparagus tossed in a Garlic sauce ($18.99) (allears.net).
This was only so-so. It certainly wasn't bad and I would order it again if there was nothing else appealing on the menu but it was a little bland. I had been hoping for a stronger sauce and a larger sun-dried tomato presence.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-G8yRgPcO_rk/TotEngTMh5I/AAAAAAAAA2Q/qK8EAQOSWNs/s640/IMG_0522.JPG
Desert was the Pistachio Creme Brulee. It was delicious but I didn't really taste the pistachios. Basically they just made the creme brulee green.

At this point MSEP was only just beginning so we decided not to occupy the table for any longer and just head out. Neither of us had a strong desire to stay for the parade and after our scrumptious meal we kinda wanted to wander. We tested our "include the tip before the card is charged" theory again here and, sure enough, our waiter was much more gracious when he returned with our credit card after he had seen we gave him 20%. He even offered to bring me another cup of coffee in a to-go cup, which I politely declined since I had had three cups during dinner and I did want to sleep that night.

Overall I rate Tony's as a success and I will be returning!

Once we got back outside the parade was still going on so we quickly ducked into the shops to avoid the crowds. We found ourselves in the nice art shop and decided to trade Vinylmations again.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m9-fJiZaMTo/TotErgSCk0I/AAAAAAAAA2U/7L8LhaeqEKU/s640/IMG_0523.JPG
I got Cinderella's horse and Matt got Aladdin.

I rather liked my vinlymation so I was pleased that it came with a collector's card. I will admit, when I traded again I did not pass on the card. I kept it as a memento for our 40th anniversary vinlymation trading!

At this point everyone was staking out spots for the special fireworks so I suggested we head to Frontierland. I had heard there was a nice spot to view fireworks from there and I wanted to get out of the crowds of Mainstreet. We stopped on the bridge over Splash Mountain and found a great spot.

At some point during this time we also secured fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain but the exact chain of events escapes me.

With only a short wait the fireworks started and they were amazing! Once more, fireworks were shot off from different areas of the park but sitting in Frontierland meant they were literally all around us. We had to turn around to see some of them! Once more, I got no pictures because I really wanted to enjoy the moment but at that point I was glad we dealt with the insanity of that day to be there.

If you haven't seen the fireworks I highly recommend checking out Tom Bricker's Trip Report Here (************************************trip-report-disney-world-october-2011-8/). He was there for the 40th and got some amazing shots of the fireworks from Mainstreet USA. Tom (or WDWFigment as he's known on the Dis) also got some shots of Hallowishes that you should definitely check out too!

After the amazing show we hoped on Big Thunder Mountain!

Nothing makes me happier than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at night :goodvibes

After our railroad adventure we decided to head out since Matt had to work in the morning. He suggested we grab two more fastpasses just for the date. So I now proudly own a Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain fastpass with the 40th Anniversary date sitting in my living room (I haven't decided what to do with them yet).

After that we headed to the exit... and got super stuck! For some reason they decided to show the Magic Memories and You show again after the fireworks :confused3 No idea why, but while we were on the bridge between Adventure Land and Crystal Palace, we just stopped. I mean the bridge was just completely full of people and no one was moving. Looking back, I'm glad the bridge didn't collapse under the weight! We were at a stand still for a good 15-20 minutes but finally CMs were able to reign in on the insanity and get the crowds moving... and just think, I thought squeezing in one more ride would reduce the amount of the people leaving the park all at once!

We finally made it to the exit and thankfully the buses were running triple time. Most stations had two buses waiting per resort so it wasn't that long until we boarded. We were standing but we finally made it home and CRASHED shortly after. What a long day!

Overall I'm glad I experienced Disney World's 40th but I am disappointed on how Disney executed it. The Magic Kingdom seemed understaffed, understocked, and over whelmed for such a historic day... something I never thought I'd say for Disney! Hopefully they've already started to plan for the 50th ;)

[Disneymoon23]

Sounds like you had a really fun day! I love the vinylmation you got. It's so cute! Those fireworks definitely were amazing to watch. We saw them while we were eating at the California Grill. It was just incredible. It makes me want to go back every year for the anniversary.

[wdwgirl03]

Mmm, I love Tony's even though I've only eaten there twice. Gotta love Italian food!

[TanzUnited99]

I have been reading quite a few positive reviews of Tony's lately...I'll have to get round to eating here one day :thumbsup2

I'm glad to hear your waiter was on the ball and he shouldn't have made you feel guilty for splitting...like you said you were saving food from being thrown away.

Although I am not hugely into Vinylmations I like the look of the Cinderella's horse one.

[CandleontheWater]

I have never eaten at Tony's but I'd like to someday. Scoring a table for the nighttime parade sounds like a perfect idea! :thumbsup2

[Nermel9]

Yay, I really like Tony's, it's so cute in there! I'd love to get a table where you guys sat sometime!

I finally tried BTMRR at night, and I love it! I won't even bother riding it during the day anymore!

Ugh, you got stuck like we did after Hallowishes! That's insane, they really need to have CM's directing traffic or something! You shouldn't have to just stand there and not move for 20 minutes! :eek:

Glad you got to see the whole 40th anniversary! I'm kind of sad I missed most of it, but at the same time, I would not have been able to deal with those crowds!

[BerrysGirl]

Sounds like you had a really fun day! I love the vinylmation you got. It's so cute! Those fireworks definitely were amazing to watch. We saw them while we were eating at the California Grill. It was just incredible. It makes me want to go back every year for the anniversary.



Wow what an amazing view of the 40th fireworks! What did the perimeter fireworks look like from that angle? I can't imagine how fantastic that would be :cloud9:

Mmm, I love Tony's even though I've only eaten there twice. Gotta love Italian food!

I can understand some people being disappointed if you were looking for some spectacular, unique meal but it seemed like really good basic Italian food to me. I certainly had no complaints, especially with that view! I think someday I'll order Spaghetti and make Matt recreate the famous Lady and the Tramp scene... I'm sure he'll kill me but, come on, what an adorable photo op :cutie:

I have been reading quite a few positive reviews of Tony's lately...I'll have to get round to eating here one day :thumbsup2

I'm glad to hear your waiter was on the ball and he shouldn't have made you feel guilty for splitting...like you said you were saving food from being thrown away.

Although I am not hugely into Vinylmations I like the look of the Cinderella's horse one.

I would recommend Tony's, definitely! I convinced my Mom and Dad to try it too when they go in February :goodvibes:

Matt and I did the math and we spend maybe 2 or 3 dollars more if we had both ordered entrees... because then we wouldn't have ordered an appetizer or dessert. Given that we also tip 20% I really do not feel like we are wasting the waiter's time by occupying his table. I'm sure other tables tip far less for far more food, ya know? Just goes to show no one (waiters included) should ever judge a book by its cover.

I really liked the Cinderella Horse Vinylmation too. It was hard to give away!

I have never eaten at Tony's but I'd like to someday. Scoring a table for the nighttime parade sounds like a perfect idea! :thumbsup2

I feel like everyone knows the tips to eat at California Grill or Ohana's during the fireworks, or the best spots or restaurants to check out Illuminations in World Showcase (Tokyo Dining actually has an amazing view and they pump in the music, FYI) but I've never heard the tip to eat at Tony's during the parade. They even had outdoor seating for nice nights that offered a completely unobstructed view! One of the best seats in the house, IMO.

Yay, I really like Tony's, it's so cute in there! I'd love to get a table where you guys sat sometime!

I finally tried BTMRR at night, and I love it! I won't even bother riding it during the day anymore!

Ugh, you got stuck like we did after Hallowishes! That's insane, they really need to have CM's directing traffic or something! You shouldn't have to just stand there and not move for 20 minutes! :eek:

Glad you got to see the whole 40th anniversary! I'm kind of sad I missed most of it, but at the same time, I would not have been able to deal with those crowds!

One of my favorite memories will always be going up the first hill on Big Thunder Mountain the first year I was big enough to ride it and looking over to the castle as the fireworks were in full swing. :cloud9: Such a great memory I have to do it at least once a trip.

It certainly felt monumental to be at the park for its 40th anniversary. Then again, it was kinda like being in the Magic Kingdom for Christmas or New Years. Maybe once is enough, because the crowds are just astronomical. If we go for the 50th, I think a lot of such sitting and observing will be in order. If we had just sat on a bench in Fantasy Land for like an hour we wouldn't have had to deal with the insanity. Definitely something to keep in mind for the future...

[BerrysGirl]

After the hustle and bustle of October 1, October 2 dawned bright and early for poor Matt -- he had to work at 6 am! :scared1: This was definitely one of the reasons we didn't attempt to stay until the Kiss Goodnight. Although with the chaos of that day I doubt we would have stayed regardless.

I vaguely remember Matt kissing me goodbye before he left -- and I proceeded to pass out again until 8:45. :laughing: Without much planned for the hours Matt was working though, I really enjoyed taking it slow. I had some breakfast, took a nice leisurely shower, and debated my options for the day. After Magic Kingdom the night before, I wasn't really feeling a theme park, so I decided to head to Downtown Disney.

This was when I began to lose at the roulette game that is bus stops at CBR. I assumed the bus to Downtown Disney would take the same route as the ones for Epcot and DHS... meaning walking to Old Port Royale would get me out of the resort faster... WRONG!

So it is worth noting: DTD buses take the same route as MK buses. I should have just waited at Aruba, I thought to myself, as we sailed into said bus station. Sigh, live and learn.

After a quick stop at Blizzard Beach, we were pulling into the Marketplace. I hopped off and quickly started exploring. I realized that quite often I only hit key areas of DTD and have not taken the time to throughly explore all the shops. Having all the solo time in the world I decided to remedy this problem. I looked at every store!

First up was the Art of Disney where I traded vinylmations:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-s0Up-b62jc4/TotEufZBCqI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/DTifnhtluko/s512/IMG_0525.JPG
Ah Phil. It will not be the last time I see you today.

I decided it was high time I fully play with my new camera, and decided this was as good a place as any. I went down to the dock where the boats launch to Port Orleans and pointed my camera towards World of Disney and the Lego Store.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qofFz6kd24s/TotEyxcA0vI/AAAAAAAAA2c/12iCDZGi_po/s640/IMG_0526.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4toxNzgEDfg/TotE4hPRv8I/AAAAAAAAA2k/HIoFEeHWJJs/s640/IMG_0527.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_H1hdTuIsB0/TotE0oC1XwI/AAAAAAAAA2g/h3wVMckLfNY/s640/IMG_0528.JPG
This setting is called "miniature." I kinda get it.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iGQs72xlARM/TotE6PCIOSI/AAAAAAAAA2o/rL6BWiU_p_4/s640/IMG_0529.JPG

I peeked into Goofy's Candy Company but felt it was still too early for sugar.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kYjqcwFl65s/TotE9pchAQI/AAAAAAAAA2s/Gvqc_Bdr-7M/s512/IMG_0530.JPG
The Jack Apple was too cute though.

Next I went to the pin pavilion and traded, not pins, but vinylmations.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fMdMklzxht0/TotFAoXMRxI/AAAAAAAAA2w/DbBglA1qtFI/s512/IMG_0531.JPG
Buffalo! I kinda liked this one.

I headed towards Pleasure Island and found a fence I decided would be a perfect opportunity to get artsy-fartsy (or my variation).
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fS0ckxflJl0/TotFEipon6I/AAAAAAAAA20/IhESzb4PsZE/s512/IMG_0532.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-f4e2f7hor8I/TotFHo9AbCI/AAAAAAAAA24/2-1GaoeEgZ0/s512/IMG_0533.JPG
Characters in Flight Balloon!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z0BnF6KvHvM/TotFHsn0RFI/AAAAAAAAA28/POUrdG1BVQE/s640/IMG_0534.JPG
Ok I have a secret to tell. The only reason I took this picture is because the Wetzel's Pretzels booth always makes me giggle. Have you ever seen How I Met Your Mother? There is an episode where Robin reveals that she use to be a teenage pop star in Canada and spent a year traveling around malls, singing and living off of Wetzel's Pretzels and Orange Julius'. Whenever I see this sign, that is what I think of.

As I approached the dock that the Character's in Flight Balloon launches from, I thought it'd be a great opportunity to continue playing with my camera.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-meTYnQ896jk/TotFQhBYgcI/AAAAAAAAA3I/CMOaOSqyZYQ/s512/IMG_0536.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LY8k7T4P33o/TotFNSEz5CI/AAAAAAAAA3E/JtiFUaGg7Bs/s512/IMG_0537.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-AHX5mtlA6Lc/TotFTAQyiDI/AAAAAAAAA3M/VpHm_FeqwYc/s640/IMG_0538.JPG
I'll be back for you later.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5jHCW6JjmeY/TotFTa6fcPI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/vzNt_Us0D2Y/s640/IMG_0539.JPG
Green Mickey!

Continuing on, I saw that Characters in Flight had landed so I decided to grab one more shot.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i6RTUIOomqo/TotFaWZ3v7I/AAAAAAAAA3U/bQiFGTkhA6A/s640/IMG_0540.JPG
Ok I'm done, I promise.

Passing through Pleasure Island over to the West Side, I noticed an unusual amount of teenage girls standing in front of a tour bus.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8f9ir-UsDLs/TotFcuMcyII/AAAAAAAAA3Y/ka-Ka5cXx6o/s640/IMG_0541.JPG

Then I passed by a preteen, rushing towards the bus, screaming "ohmygosh ohmygosh I can't believe it! ohmygosh" as her tired mother slowly followed.

At this point I'm assuming it must be someone pretty big but I have no idea who... I figured I'd post the picture on the Dis when I got home and see if anyone knew.

Then I saw this in front of the House of Blues:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3VwijSWCrUY/TotFeCVEfMI/AAAAAAAAA3c/3lpxFSQ8UTE/s512/IMG_0542.JPG
Ah. That explains it.

Deciding I wanted to get out of dodge, I ducked into the DisneyQuest dump shop to trade vinylmations.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WQv8SnvQDAI/TotFhZ3YkfI/AAAAAAAAA3g/niTumBDiLkA/s640/IMG_0543.JPG
And oogle the goods. Aren't these mugs adorable?

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RORaCjBO5Sc/TotFkbQ81AI/AAAAAAAAA3k/vvpq1k5PGbk/s512/IMG_0544.JPG
I traded away the Buffalo for a Japanese girl?

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-clJxm0A2M-k/TotFlB9uppI/AAAAAAAAA3o/i102ytiol60/s512/IMG_0545.JPG
I really wish this had come in adult sizes.

When I left the shop, I noticed the bus was coming out of its little alley, and presumably getting situated to unload. Wanting nothing to do with the hormonal explosion that could soon ensue if a certain tight-pantsed heartthrob got off that bus, I quickly scurried out of the West Side and back towards Pleasure Island...

[IheartDDuck]

Oh no, potential for hormonal explosions? Not good. Large groups of teenage girls should always be avoided at all costs. :lmao:

I love How I Met Your Mother! And I love Robin Sparkles! "Let's Go to the Mall" and "Sandcastles in the Sand"? Classics....

[ZehnJahren]

Ok, I LOVE that miniature setting. I would be using that all the time.

Ha, Joe Jonas! I remember being a teen and being in love with NKOTB and not understanding how there were people who WEREN'T (gasp), but I just don't get these boy bands / artists anymore. Like, for example, Justin Bieber. I guess I'm just missing something - and that something is probably 13-year-old-girl hormones.

[melmar136]

I love the pics, especially the one with the Characters in Flight balloon through the fence. Meg likes the Jack apple...he's her new fave.

Too funny about Joe Jonas. I literally cracked up at that part. :rotfl:

[poisonapple_PRINCESS]

Sounds like a fun solo day! I cant wait to go to DTD! :thumbsup2

[Merida]

I really like the buffalo vinylmation! The non-people ones tend to be my favorites, I'm noticing. The people ones just look too... weird?

That episode of How I Met Your Mother is my favorite (haven't watched past season four, though. I should catch up some time but there's just too much TV). I love the robot in the video :)

I like the stop/go Mickey sign! They're adorable.

There are the cutest Phineas and Ferb t-shirts; have you seen the one for this Christmas? It has Perry wrapped up in the light strand and is glow-in-the-dark? I'm really hoping the kid's sizes don't run too small so I can pick up an XL for myself. Why aren't these in adult sizes??

[TanzUnited99]

Lovely pics of the lego store and Characters in Flight balloon.

Lol at the teenage girls! I'm glad you managed to figure out the reason behind their screaming and avoid the hormonal explosion that could have taken place :rotfl:

[Nermel9]

OMG I love the Jack apple! I don't think I could have eaten it, though!

Great pics of the balloon! :thumbsup2

[BerrysGirl]

Oh no, potential for hormonal explosions? Not good. Large groups of teenage girls should always be avoided at all costs. :lmao:

I love How I Met Your Mother! And I love Robin Sparkles! "Let's Go to the Mall" and "Sandcastles in the Sand"? Classics....

To be honest I was surprised how old some of the girls looked. I mean some had to be in their 20's... I guess maybe girls that age think they have a more age-appropriate shot with a heartthrob but it was a little unnerving. And when the bus was moving you could just feel the crowd surging forward and I wanted nothing to do with that!

I'm so glad you got my reference :goodvibes How I Met Your Mother is my favorite show. I'm super bummed I can't be there December 10 - 12 when Neil Patrick Harris does the Candlelight Processional. I'm making Matt go and take pictures!

Ok, I LOVE that miniature setting. I would be using that all the time.

Ha, Joe Jonas! I remember being a teen and being in love with NKOTB and not understanding how there were people who WEREN'T (gasp), but I just don't get these boy bands / artists anymore. Like, for example, Justin Bieber. I guess I'm just missing something - and that something is probably 13-year-old-girl hormones.

I'm so glad I took the opportunity to invest in a (to me) high quality point-and-shoot camera. I just had so much fun playing around with it and the miniature setting is definitely my favorite too!

I was the same way with N'SYNC! Now no one even remembers the band and they only know Justin Timberlake -- and he wasn't even my favorite part! But I totally agree with the Justin Bieber example. I do not get it. I don't think I've ever even heard a song of his on the radio :confused3

I love the pics, especially the one with the Characters in Flight balloon through the fence. Meg likes the Jack apple...he's her new fave.

Too funny about Joe Jonas. I literally cracked up at that part. :rotfl:

I'm so glad Jack and Nightmare Before Christmas has stood the test of time to become a classic. I just love that movie! They had a ton of cute merchandise out for Halloween too but I am disappointed you can't meet Jack and Sally like you can in Disneyland... guess I'll have to go someday!

Sounds like a fun solo day! I cant wait to go to DTD! :thumbsup2

DTD can get crazy around Christmastime, just a warning! I'd suggest either driving (if you have a car) or taking the boats to Port Orleans and catching buses there to parks, then resorts. It's a little roundabout but after the experience I had at the DTD bus stop for the Boardwalk bus, I think less stressful. If you plan to do shopping, go early! :goodvibes

[BerrysGirl]

I really like the buffalo vinylmation! The non-people ones tend to be my favorites, I'm noticing. The people ones just look too... weird?

That episode of How I Met Your Mother is my favorite (haven't watched past season four, though. I should catch up some time but there's just too much TV). I love the robot in the video :)

I like the stop/go Mickey sign! They're adorable.

There are the cutest Phineas and Ferb t-shirts; have you seen the one for this Christmas? It has Perry wrapped up in the light strand and is glow-in-the-dark? I'm really hoping the kid's sizes don't run too small so I can pick up an XL for myself. Why aren't these in adult sizes??

I agree, the people vinylmations can totally disconcerting. My favorite ones actually tended to be the abstract ones. I liked the idea of just using the Mickey shape as a blank canvas, ya know?

You should totally catch up on How I Met Your Mother! It is such a good show and they're getting closer and closer to meeting the mother :woohoo:

I have seen that Perry the Platypus shirt! I have this one:
http://media3.teenormous.com/items/www.myteespot.com/images-Images_d-img_K66kLM.jpg

But maybe a more seasonally-appropriate shirt should be in my future... :scratchin

Lovely pics of the lego store and Characters in Flight balloon.

Lol at the teenage girls! I'm glad you managed to figure out the reason behind their screaming and avoid the hormonal explosion that could have taken place :rotfl:

Thanks for the compliments!
I'm really glad I figured out the potential-hormonal explosion cause as well... I think it would have really bothered me otherwise. That isn't to say I agree with it, but, ya know, knowledge is power :laughing:

OMG I love the Jack apple! I don't think I could have eaten it, though!

Great pics of the balloon! :thumbsup2

I think the same thing about half the treats at Disney! They're so pretty how can you eat them. I guess the silver lining is that a lot of the time at Disney pretty also equals delicious and that's just a great combo :lmao:

If you're still in the market for a camera I totally recommend checking out the Cannon line!

[BerrysGirl]

Still in DTD, I stopped in a candy store and saw this cutie:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TF3BsU2hudk/TotFqk8fR_I/AAAAAAAAA3s/73_oye19CTc/s512/IMG_0546.JPG
I wouldn't want to eat it!

Then I headed back to D Street for...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SPh3wE_c2QY/TotFtJQWr_I/AAAAAAAAA3w/oJbRbein0ro/s640/IMG_0547.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-s4T-7dmS7OA/TotFvzwNnJI/AAAAAAAAA30/heKTTun4YD4/s512/IMG_0548.JPG
I seriously almost bought that shirt.

A family was trading before me and they got Quasimodo. No one (the CM included) had any idea who it was so I tentatively stepped up and identified him. The Dad seemed to really love vinylmations and proclaimed trading "the best part." So much so that he stuck around to see who I got when I traded.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8K-RiEjQnQU/TotFyQx1ncI/AAAAAAAAA34/LEfZaEK-ELY/s512/IMG_0549.JPG
Phil again!

He thought he looked neat so I offered to trade with him. Because you know, trading is "the best part." "Oh no," he says "my son would kill me if I traded this one away." Uh, ok. You had no idea who Quasimodo was and you love trading... :confused3 I didn't think I was stepping out of bounds to offer to trade with you... Oh well.

Continuing on with Phil once again in my possession, I stopped into Curl because I had heard they had Toms.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-48vGSIpkmJA/TotF2RJKh1I/AAAAAAAAA38/qXDd7czEGP4/s640/IMG_0550.JPG
Yeah, I think they have Toms.

I love these shoes but could not really justify another pair so I just gazed at them for a while before moving on. They have hand-paited Toms at Curl which I would love to own but they cost like $20-$30 extra and I'm not sure if I'd ever want to wear them in fear of ruining the design. Eh. Maybe someday...

Now, I have a confession to make. I did not go into the Lego Store. Nor did I get pictures of the new Lego statues out front. Y'all have seen them, you know who I'm talking about. Buzz, Woody, Snow White and the Dwarfs, Prince Philip and the Dragon... The area was just too crazy with construction walls up creating a bottleneck effect and I wanted nothing to do with it. I didn't even spend a lot of time in World of Disney. Just a quick stop at Customer Service to unload Phil for:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-snzXRt-exJg/TotF2uiZ1qI/AAAAAAAAA4A/zGxnuWDUcyo/s512/IMG_0551.JPG
Now this one I LOVED!

I headed back behind World of Disney to Basin. I thought for sure I'd buy something in there but none of the soaps smelled very good to me. Guess I was having an off day in the olfactory region or something.

I moved on to the shiny store because Matt did owe me something for riding in the front of Splash Mountain.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9OIh3gGjCQw/TotF4IVzFNI/AAAAAAAAA4E/U--O3cUjjBY/s640/IMG_0552.JPG
Maaaaybe.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uhbm4BXnVGQ/TotF8fOY9bI/AAAAAAAAA4M/v7Cggxp0SRw/s512/IMG_0553.JPG
This Piglet's a little above our price range.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e07uDh8Y8a8/TotF7vpFE9I/AAAAAAAAA4I/tbS7rXROkbM/s512/IMG_0554.JPG
I just thought this was cute. The little boy hugging the Donald. Matt's favorite character is Donald so I thought of him instantly :lovestruc

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2MxbFsCOFNQ/TotGAEviWPI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/YbqjzenQ5kE/s512/IMG_0556.JPG
Ding ding ding we have a winner! I adored this necklace. I really considered buying it.

My passion for Piglet is great but I could finally talk myself out of the purchase.

My plan was to head back to Goofy’s Candy Co. to get some chocolate covered marshmallows but the crowds had gotten pretty intense so I decided to head out. I then had a tentative plan to hop a boat to Port Orleans to try the beignets I’d been hearing so much about. I wasn’t entirely in the mood for sweets (another reason I decided to skip Goofy’s) but I was sooo curious to try my first beignet and I thought it’d be worth the trip. Unfortunately once I arrived at the dock I noticed a sign informing guests that the boats were temporarily not running. However, there were no CMs around and a huge line of guests were waiting at the dock :confused3

I have no idea what was going on and I wasn’t in the mood to hang out to find out so I just headed to the bus stops. I decided not to wait for any bus in particular and to just hop on the first bus that looked like it’d head to an appealing location.

Where’d I end up?

[Disneymoon23]

Wow what an amazing view of the 40th fireworks! What did the perimeter fireworks look like from that angle? I can't imagine how fantastic that would be :cloud9:




The ending was breathtaking! I took a video which hopefully I can include in my trip report. In it you can hear my husband say "Wow" which is a reaction that I didn't expect to hear from him at Disney :laughing: It was probably my favorite memory from our trip

Your downtown disney morning looked like a lot of fun. Nothing beats sleeping in and taking it easy after a few days in a row of going commando. I really like the pictures you took. New cameras are always fun! What kind is yours?

[TanzUnited99]

Aaw that Save The Trees shirt looks cute! :thumbsup2

That's wierd that the dad didn't want to trade yet he said that was his favourite thing to do :confused3

I personally am not a fan of Tom's but they do look comfy.

The figuirines look great and oh no on the plan of getting beignets falling through.

[Nermel9]

OMG. I want that Ewok shirt. I didn't see that in D-Street, and I went there! Huh. :confused3

Strange that person didn't want to trade with you. People are weird. :rotfl: It seems like everyone gets the Phil Vinylmation! And I don't even know who he is! :scared1:

I went in Curl too, and didn't see that wall of Toms! They had a little rack, but not a wall! They must have done that after I was in there, because I went there on 9/29, the first day of our trip. Are they comfy, I really want a pair. Do you think they are good for the parks?

I'd love to just hop on the first bus I saw, can't wait to see where you ended up! :banana:

[melmar136]

Looks like you had fun browsing at DTD. That little Piglet necklace is adorable! I just love him! Can't wait to see where you wound up next!

[BerrysGirl]

The ending was breathtaking! I took a video which hopefully I can include in my trip report. In it you can hear my husband say "Wow" which is a reaction that I didn't expect to hear from him at Disney :laughing: It was probably my favorite memory from our trip

Your downtown disney morning looked like a lot of fun. Nothing beats sleeping in and taking it easy after a few days in a row of going commando. I really like the pictures you took. New cameras are always fun! What kind is yours?


Oh please share that link in your TR, I can't wait to see the fireworks from that angle! It must have been incredible :lovestruc

My camera is the Canon ELPH 100 HS. I just bought it in July and it really is a match made in heaven. It's totally a point and shoot for dummies. Even I manage decent pictures! I can't imagine how amazing the photos would be if you had any kind of talent :rotfl:

Aaw that Save The Trees shirt looks cute! :thumbsup2

That's wierd that the dad didn't want to trade yet he said that was his favourite thing to do :confused3

I personally am not a fan of Tom's but they do look comfy.

The figuirines look great and oh no on the plan of getting beignets falling through.

I may be going back to DTD in December for that Ewok shirt :rolleyes1 I just can't think of a place where I couldn't wear that shirt :lmao:

I know Toms look weird but they are so comfortable and once you get the hang of them they're actually very easy to "accessorize." They're actually great plane shoes too... wear socks, slip off at security, throw them on the floor, slip them back on, and you're good to go. No lacing, sitting, or zipping required :thumbsup2

I'm bummed I didn't get to try the beignets either... but I will. Someday.

OMG. I want that Ewok shirt. I didn't see that in D-Street, and I went there! Huh. :confused3

Strange that person didn't want to trade with you. People are weird. :rotfl: It seems like everyone gets the Phil Vinylmation! And I don't even know who he is! :scared1:

I went in Curl too, and didn't see that wall of Toms! They had a little rack, but not a wall! They must have done that after I was in there, because I went there on 9/29, the first day of our trip. Are they comfy, I really want a pair. Do you think they are good for the parks?

I'd love to just hop on the first bus I saw, can't wait to see where you ended up! :banana:

There was one little Star Wars display when I was there and it was on the side of the rack closest to the cash registers... I sure hope it's there when I go back because I really want to get it!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who was cursed with the reoccurring Phil :lmao: I highly recommend his movie, Hercules. It's cute, check it out! :happytv:

Did you go downstairs in Curl? They were down there kinda behind the stairs. Toms are decent park shoes. I wore them on my first day and they were great until about the 10th hour of being on my feet. Then I started to feel like I needed some more arch support than they provided. I didn't wear them again in the parks. But they are seriously the best airport shoes ever!

Looks like you had fun browsing at DTD. That little Piglet necklace is adorable! I just love him! Can't wait to see where you wound up next!

Isn't the necklace sweet? Piglet has always held a special place in my heart... See, I'm only 5'1" and, as Piglet is a very small animal, us very small animals have to stick together :cutie:

[BerrysGirl]

Why, the Boardwalk!

I thought that area would be the perfect destination. I could take a stroll, head to Epcot for a F&W snack, then arrange to meet up with Matt there for the evening (he was getting off work in about an hour).

A funny thing happened while on the bus, a couple was sitting near me discussing doing a very similar thing. They were using the bus to get to the Epcot area so they could walk to the International Gateway. The boyfriend / husband wanted to get off on the first stop to save time, but the girlfriend / wife insisted they should wait until the Yacht or Beach Club stop to get as close to the gateway as possible, arguing that would save time (keep this in mind, it's important in a moment)...

I got off at the Swan (the first stop), not concretely knowing if it was the fastest route to Epcot, but know that I hate waiting at the bus stops. I went around the Swan grounds and over the boat bridge to the Boardwalk. Matt's parents are DVC members and the Boardwalk is their home resort. I will always associate this resort with them and Christmastime since they stay there. In fact I'll be there in 28 days! I stayed at the Boardwalk Inn with my parents in 2007 too and I've always felt comfortable at this resort. It isn't my favorite but I certainly do not complain when I'm there :thumbsup2

I stopped into the Boardwalk gift shop to browse and trade Vinylmations.
Initially I wasn't planning to trade because they didn't have a mystery box, just the clear box with three to trade. However, I saw a cutie I had no problem saying goodbye to Phil for...

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-GnpawEo_aSk/TotGC-jmuRI/AAAAAAAABlw/sLG3fu1xDuc/s512/IMG_0558.JPG
Everyone say it with me. "Awww."

After securing Bullseye I headed to Epcot.

Past the wedding pavilion where the path from Boardwalk meets with the path from the Beach Club who did I run into? Why, the couple from the DTD bus! The couple recognized me too because the women jabbed the man in his side and said "see SHE got off at the first stop and WE waited. I was right! This was faster!" I didn't have the heart to tell her that I had taken my sweet time getting here and had stopped in a gift shop for several minutes while they seemed to be booking it at top speed... so yes, moral of the story, if you're in a rush it's faster to get off on the first stop of the Epcot Resort Loop.

Once through the International Gateway, past France, and into Morocco, I got a call from Matt who just got off work. Thankfully I was able to duck into one of the rooms in Morocco to be able to make plans to meet up and we could actually hear each other. For once I was grateful that not a lot of people take the time to throughly explore Morocco...

Matt was just getting changed quickly and hoping a bus to Epcot so I still had time to kill. By then I was really getting hungry so I decided to stop by New Zealand and sample another F&W treat.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BwtNDzio58w/TotGF34eH7I/AAAAAAAABl0/__hpghQ_0oM/s640/IMG_0559.JPG
Seared Sea Scallop with Kumara-Red Curry Puree and Apple Radish Salad

This was just ok. Everything was good individually but it really need a strong unifying flavor. The Sea Scallop had a very mild flavor that I think should have been enhanced with the curry puree but there wasn't enough of the curry. The apple radish salad was very crisp and refreshing, but also a little bland in flavor. I enjoyed it as a filler but could not see myself ordering it as, say, an entree.

After my quick snack I grabbed a bottle of water and headed towards the Epcot entrance where Matt and I had arranged to meet. I knew I still had some time to kill so I decided to stop in Mexico to visit my favorite caballeros.

It was, of course, a walk on and I was assigned a row all to myself or so I thought...

I settled into my row only to realize that I had been followed by three full-grown adults :scared1: Ok, those rows are small (they will fit maybe three adults at most) and here I am squished on the very edge of the boat by a complete stranger. I looked deploringly at the CM working trying my best to summon my telepathy to get someone to notice this uncomfortable situation but no one seemed put off by the crammed row. I think I heard a word of Spanish and or Portuguese (they did not speak throughout the ride and the comment I overheard must have been in passing because no one responded) from my row-mates so I can best surmise that they were foreigners lacking the "boundary issues" Americans have and saw no issue with cramming into this boat (they probably assumed that was what expected of them). Either way it was a slightly uncomfortable ride and I went out of my way only to look at the sights on my left side (to avoid looking at them and creating further awkward moments).

Thankfully it is a short ride so my discomfort was not long. And Matt called when we reached the unloading dock that he was at bag check so when I got off my crammed cruise, I quickly booked it to the front of the park. Unfortunately I had told Matt to meet at the big Food and Wine Entrance display... I thought this meant the main display in front of Spaceship Earth, he thought I was referring to the Donald and Daisy topiary display at the start of World Showcase.

Ok, let's try this again. We arranged to meet at the fountain... but what side? :rotfl:

Ok, we got this... I finally found him! Success!

We sat for a minute catching up on the days events but poor Matt was starting to get hungry so we headed back to world showcase.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-1C0OFYHOgVk/TotGGPGAc1I/AAAAAAAABl4/VZDs3JqiVF8/s640/IMG_0560.JPG
Matt was distraught when he saw this picture because his head blocked Spaceship Earth in its entirity. :laughing: Don't worry, his head isn't that big.

We had both liked the sound of Singapore so we stopped and got:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4o5g9cEXbpg/TotGIZA8hyI/AAAAAAAABl8/fxMmIgIfwVE/s640/IMG_0561.JPG
Shrimp Cake on a sugar cane skewer with Singapore Noodle Salad and Coconut-Braised, Beef Rendang with Jasmine Rice.

Both were quite good. The only thing I didn't like was the noodle salad. It was cold and kinda weird. I would have liked it better if the noodles were heated. Matt's beef was very good too albeit spicy (a common theme of most of the dishes we had at F&W).

We decided we should start to head out of Epcot for our dinner reservation at the Wave. We had plenty of time so we moseyed but in the direction of the monorail.

We stopped at one of the F&W merchandise booths to pick up a commemorative pin:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4QQmyol8bQI/TouBiH5nu0I/AAAAAAAABxY/1uWENEjLKHA/s512/2011-10-04%25252017.29.35.jpg
Too cute!

We stopped at Guest Services to trade vinylmations, of course:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VmWDdlnu3n0/TotGLxP_gxI/AAAAAAAABmA/HDGfLCZSrP0/s640/IMG_0562.JPG
Matt's is the... Snake Eye? And I got Rowlf the dog! P.S. I am sooooo beyond excited for the new Muppet Movie!!!

While we were snapping a picture of our vinylmations, someone else came by to investigate:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Sa71rejO_rA/TotGM-ONXpI/AAAAAAAABmI/ATYdXOvB27g/s640/IMG_0563.JPG
Hi!

We headed out of Epcot and caught the Monorail to the TTC. Then we got on the resort monorail and enjoyed our cruise over to Contemporary.

[BerrysGirl]

We still had plenty of time so we stopped to trade vinylmations and pins again.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-njLAVPjuoc8/TotGMbCkH5I/AAAAAAAABmE/sfbwFtqXyVg/s640/IMG_0564.JPG
Matt got the cutie I got earlier in the day and I got Oliver!

I know I made Matt trade for a Goofy and Donald pin here because he had promised Goofy he would :goodvibes and I thought the Goofy and Donald one was very appropriate for him.
However, once more, I got no photographic evidence.

We were starting to get hungry so we decided to go check into dinner at:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JSNt1gvv3Ac/TotGQi0ZiwI/AAAAAAAABmQ/lzPgvtMLrT4/s512/IMG_0565.JPG
The Wave!

Matt and I had never eaten here so we were excited to try something different together.

We were literally some of the first people to check in for dinner so the kitchen wasn't quite open. No worries though, we got comfy in the fun blue lounge they have for their waiting area.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OVYjwmyEbCI/TotGQDaFI_I/AAAAAAAABmM/b_vqEWyJh-I/s512/IMG_0566.JPG

As soon as 5:00 struck, our pager instantly went off and we were whisked into the main dinning room to a little 2-person seat on the wall.

Our server, whose name I unfortunately cannot recall, was so nice and attentive. He gave us a hard time for being from Ohio (he was from Michigan) but quickly forgave us when we told him we didn't really care for OSU (shhh. Don't tell my State!) For our appetizers, Matt and I each got a cup of French Onion soup.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DnC_wFg0dNU/TotGQxUKJSI/AAAAAAAABmU/3l7RtnzXIcM/s640/IMG_0567.JPG

This the best French Onion soup I have ever had! And I love me some French Onion soup. It was such a nice balance of onion in the rich broth with a touch of something (which I'm embarrassed to admit I can't remember exactly what) that made the soup so wonderfully extraordinary.

Because it's The Wave and they're known for their wine, Matt and I also decided to get glasses of Sauvignon Blanc.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7bUNvq0FSl8/TotGS2kWz5I/AAAAAAAABmY/ApSimfN2jdI/s512/IMG_0568.JPG

Matt's was a little better than mine (they were from different vineyards) but Sauvignon Blanc is definitely my favorite type of wine!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-T8yfE-NUGuw/TotGVOfkQvI/AAAAAAAABmg/asvHFXxZz60/s512/IMG_0569.JPG
I was trying to get a shot of the dinning room but it's so dark in there I basically just got Matt drinking his wine like a creeper.

For our entree, Matt and I split the Chili-Soy Marinated Flat Iron Steak (Thai-Chili-Ginger Long Beans and Udon Noodles) (allears.net).
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mWx7uH8pG8Y/TotGUQkwysI/AAAAAAAABmc/dtTicT9y7b4/s640/IMG_0570.JPG

It's was very good. Not too spicy but with a nice flavor.

We noticed the servers all wearing 40th Anniversary buttons and asked our waiter about them.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rG0C4FYSkso/TouBj2jZS7I/AAAAAAAABxc/Xlavfe6Z1yQ/s512/2011-10-04%25252017.30.29.jpg
He said that all the resorts that celebrated their 40th October 1 received special buttons too. We oohed and aahed over them and told him it was such a neat thing and he brought us two of our own! So now I have two special 40th buttons :goodvibes

Dessert was also a must here because my parents could not stop raving about the trios. Unfortunately, it looks like The Wave has changed its menu so the desserts are now different but I want to say we ordered the All American Trio?
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kcABQxFaRR4/TotGW_5moWI/AAAAAAAABmk/puXbn6YkDzA/s640/IMG_0571.JPG
It definitely had something to do with being American, and it definitely had (from left to right) Boston Cream Pie, Apple-Pecan Pie, and Key Lime Pie. I wasn't as in love with this dessert as I thought I'd be, the Key Lime Pie was definitely my favorite. The Boston Cream Pie was good but not my cup of tea, and the Apple-Pecan Pie was a little to dry for my taste.

Overall though I loved the Wave and would definitely return :thumbsup2

After dinner we decided to catch a bus to DHS.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eUVIcIY81kE/TotGaLHgbnI/AAAAAAAABms/ChpbPbGsEhE/s640/IMG_0573.JPG
I wanted to ride Star Tours with Matt!

We had a little wait but quickly found ourselves at DHS and saying hello to this little guy:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-d2_DHz_R0F8/TotGZrdGzaI/AAAAAAAABmo/Y0OGue1SM4c/s512/IMG_0574.JPG

This "tour" we got the Droid, Tatooine, Admiral Ackbar, and the asteroids / Death Star. I'm so excited we got all different sequences AND I didn't feel at all queazy. So I will be riding Star Tours from now on but I will be closing my eyes if I get Coruscant again :goodvibes

After our awesome ride, we headed up Hollywood Blvd. to check out the Villains shop to trade vinylmations.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bw67w9mZ5Xs/TotGbH1OKTI/AAAAAAAABmw/ps64fbx8jy4/s640/IMG_0576.JPG
Phil is following us!!!

I got the Muppet who loves the fish and Matt got Phil. Again :lmao:

We quickly decided to ditch him and headed to the Art of Animation to trade again.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-UQHz3Kr6Bvg/TotGdOvi9WI/AAAAAAAABm0/jWTfKuEY0Pw/s640/IMG_0579.JPG
Matt got the punk star one, and I got Quasimodo. I thought he was cute!

We were in the mood just to wander so we found ourselves at the other side of the park. We popped into the Writer's Shop just because I had never been there before but nothing really caught our eye.

Then we stopped in the Muppet Gift Store to trade vinylmations. Again!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qI02igHCsS4/TotGeCOOpII/AAAAAAAABm4/fgnZk5PERpc/s512/IMG_0580.JPG
And this my friends marks the end of our vinylmation trading.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-cTIAi72OEU4/TotGf6zX07I/AAAAAAAABm8/tZK9aS6padc/s512/IMG_0582.JPG
I got the Clock Cleaners and Matt got Monstro the Whale from Pinnochio. I loved the Clock Cleaners one so much and Matt decided we should end there so my Mom could have it. Overall I'm really happy with our ending figures and I can't wait for my Mom to see them over Thanksgiving.

I think we were beginning to realize our time together was coming to an end and this was the last night before we spent two long months apart... I remember dawdling and then we both randomly decided we needed more sweets so we went back to the Villains Shop.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CdQj8dn5qGI/TotGgzrfKiI/AAAAAAAABnA/uQeVHu8xo9Q/s640/IMG_0583.JPG
I got the Chocolate-Covered Marshmallows. Because I love marshmallows. But also because I wanted this:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ibyhKb7e2_k/TouBVaXhTFI/AAAAAAAABxM/P3nQxQQ-8_w/s512/2011-10-04%25252017.29.00.jpg
I haven't had a Mickey straw since I was 5!

Matt got a GIANT peanut butter cookie-head.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q897p1qJ0RQ/TotGkRQWMWI/AAAAAAAABnI/erP8215o5jE/s640/IMG_0584.JPG

There was some misunderstanding when we were browsing the goods in line and I thought Matt was looking at the adorable cake pops. So when he asked if he should get the big one or the small one I was a little confused but told him the big one because I wanted to share...

Yeah, he should have gotten the small one :rotfl2:

That thing was massive and unfortunately we could not finish it. Still, it was yummy!

This ends day 4 of our trip. We decided to beat the crowds home to spend some quality time together. We were both getting a little sad that I was leaving tomorrow so we wanted to make the best of the night. We managed to get seats on the bus home but sat behind the most spoiled, obnoxious teenager. She complained about everything. Waiting, standing, sitting, being tired, the bus turning it's lights off, the bus turning it's lights on... sigh. She had no problem of course sitting on her blackberry when the lights turned off flashing that blinding screen in my face as she excitedly texted her friend that Joe Jonas has been at DHS today and her Mom had seen him ride Rockin' Roller Coaster. I can't escape Joe Jonas :eek:

Soon though we were home and in bed. Tomorrow was the last day...

[IheartDDuck]

Wow, that was a hefty vinylmation trading day. Phil really was following you everywhere. Stalking you almost. :lmao:

Okay, the the Gran Fiesta Tour was an interesting situation. I would have felt the same way that you did. My mom makes fun of me all the time, because she immigrated from Europe and doesn't suffer from the space issues that us American's have. She says I'm too paranoid about people getting close. :laughing:

[TanzUnited99]

Lol at making it to Epcot before the couple who were debating where to get off - it probably was a good thing to keep schtum about having spent some time wondering as well! :rotfl:

Mmm the F&W treats look so good - I so want to visit around that time one day.

I'm glad you enjoyed your meal at The Wave and that was soo sweet of your server to bring you the special 40th buttons :goodvibes

[Disneymoon23]

Ooohh the Wave looks yummy. I really want to try it out next time I go.

I love the clock cleaners vinylmation! You picked a good one to stop with. It's funny to see all the vinylmation you traded around because we ran into a lot of the same ones you did. It seems like every store you trade at has almost the same stuff in their mystery boxes.

I like the picture of the little lizard. Even though we saw them everywhere, we would always stop and watch them when we saw one. I guess we were just fascinated by lizards running around because we don't see them everyday in West Virginia. :laughing:

[wdwgirl03]

Well, it sure seems like you had fun trading vinylmations! Cute F&WF pin too.

That cookie Matt got looks SO good!

[PirateKate]

Good thinking to stop trading while you had two Vinylmation you liked. I always keep trading up until the very last minute and usually end up with one I don't like, but there's no time to trade it again.:rotfl:

Shopping at DTD looks like fun. I've never really taken the time to go into all of the shops there, but it would be a nice way to spend the afternoon. A break from the parks after the 40th makes perfect sense.

I thought it was funny that Joe Jonas kept showing up every where you were. I've never understood the appeal of the Jonas brothers or Justin Bieber.

[Merida]

I'm apparently the worst at Vinylmation trading - the only ones I recognized were Phil, Quasimodo, and Oliver! :lmao: They don't give you any sort of identifier, do they? It would be so helpful!

I can't believe there were four people that wanted to go on the Mexico ride at one time. I don't think I've ever seen it that crowded!

I'm glad you enjoyed the Wave! We have a breakfast reservation there in a couple weeks, maybe they can recommend a nice breakfast wine. :rotfl:

[melmar136]

That giant peanut butter Mickey head cookie looks amazing! It's bigger than Matt's head!!! I hope it was yummy.