"I Think I Broke Myself" - a "mom and me" Oct 2011 TR - "my last day" [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

ZehnJahren

10-22-2011, 09:26 PM

Well, it's happened.

We went to Disney, and now it's over. The time really does fly.

And you diehard Disney fans know exactly what that means - time to plan the next trip!

But first, we have to report on THIS trip - and it was a great time. The cast of characters? Me and my ma, our first adult trip and our first trip together to the World since the early 90s (that's right, I was a teenager when we last went together. I assure you, there was a lot less complaining this trip). Here we are, below, on day two at the MK.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0284.jpg

If you didn't follow my PTR, here's the link: "Where are we staying again??" (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2780008). I'm sure you're hardly going to be able to contain yourself from rushing over there and reading it in full, so I'll wait here for you. Don't worry; I'll still be here when you get back.

Ok, you're back already? Wow, I don't really think you read that whole PTR. But it's ok, at least you came back to this TR, and that makes me happy.

This might take a little time to get going, as I just returned from vacation today (yes, I left WDW on 10/15 - I also spent a week at the beach in Ft. Myers and lived through the great tsunami of 10/19 <---- exaggeration). But I do plan to gear up and get through our trip as soon as possible now that the ball has started rolling, and not just for me: I'll be sending my mom the link to this report - maybe she'll have something to say too!

So, did we follow my strict schedule? Did we get a decent room at Pop? Did I manage to surprise my mom with plans for us to stay at the Contemporary? Did we make it to MNSSHP? What's the blister count? I'll answer these questions and more as I go on and on in this, my very first TRIP REPORT! *applause*

ZehnJahren

10-22-2011, 09:26 PM

Pre-chapter 1) Pre-trip report: "Where are we staying again??" My very first, an Oct 2011 PTR (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=42250790#post42250790)
Pre-chapter 1) Some additional info (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43028475&postcount=4)

Tuesday, October 11th
Chapter 1: The part where I go to Florida... ALONE (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43028784&postcount=6)

Wednesday, October 12th
Chapter 2: The part where I got my Annual Pass (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43044577&postcount=14)
Chapter 3: The part where I make the mad dash to TSMM (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43047265&postcount=17)
Chapter 4: The part where I finally ride ToT (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43059989&postcount=25)
Chapter 4.5: The part where Mom shows up (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43064016&postcount=29)
Chapter 5: The part where we head to the Magic Kingdom for the first time (!!!) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43069435&postcount=33)
Chapter 6: The part where we decide enough is enough (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43076109&postcount=37)

Thursday, October 13th
Chapter 7: The part where we're leaving Pop... FOREVER!!! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43080800&postcount=41)
Chapter 8: The part with the surprise (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43109352&postcount=43)
Chapter 9: The part with MK EMH (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43119977&postcount=55)
Chapter 10: The part where we arrived at Epcot (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43153931&postcount=62)
Chapter 11: The part where we go to our room (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43174444&postcount=63)
Chapter 12: The part where we walk to MNSSHP! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43174841&postcount=64)

Friday, October 14th
Chapter 13: The part with 50s PT and Mom's first trip in a faulty elevator (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43210965&postcount=77)
Chapter 14: The part where we take a midday break (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43246158&postcount=89)
Chapter 15: The part where we end it all at MK (Wishes Dessert Party!) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43246342&postcount=91)

Saturday, October 15th
Chapter 16: The part where Mom almost misses her bus (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43284181&postcount=98)
Chapter 17: The part where I ... HEY THAT MONORAIL HONKED AT ME!!! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43284522&postcount=100)
Chapter 17 cont.: The part where I'm leaving (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43284533&postcount=102)

IheartDDuck

10-22-2011, 09:39 PM

Yay, I had good timing on the DIS and found that you started! I can't wait to hear about your trip and how everything worked out for you guys.

ZehnJahren

10-22-2011, 09:39 PM

So, for you who are only mildly interested in the background of the trip but still maintain an interest, here's a condensed version of my PTR.

First, me and Ma:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/Pre-trip%20report%20pics/meandmom2.jpg

This is our first trip together for fun, as adults. Mom hadn't been to MK for about 20-ish years; on her last trip in 2000, we managed to make it to Epcot and then her BF was a real downer and didn't want to go back to any of the parks. She was forced to go watch spaceships launch into the sky or some other crap rather than hang out at the World. What a bummer! :laughing:

We weren't sure up until the last minute what she would be able to ride due to some possible medical constraints. Turns out, she was able to ride EVERYTHING - and DID! There were a few firsts for us both on this trip - my first rides on Soarin' and Nemo, and Mom's first rides on Soarin', Nemo, TSMM, and ToT!

We started going to WDW many a year ago. Here's us at the campground we always stayed at:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/Pre-trip%20report%20pics/camping-1-2.jpg

And me with Pluto back in 1981:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/Pre-trip%20report%20pics/pluto.jpg

And then, on our trip in 2000 (in which she was forcibly removed from Orlando and made to go to the coast with her DBF), we at LEAST got this picture taken:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/Pre-trip%20report%20pics/Leavealegacy.jpg

(that's us on the bottom row, 2nd from the right).

I had us booked for Pop the whole time (I spent a night alone at the hotel, and then Ma showed up the next day, staying three nights); I put in a request for a 50s room facing the lake (Mom's a child of the 50s, so I thought it could be fun), but right before the trip, I was a lucky lucky girl and managed to secure a GREAT Bay Lake view room in the CONTEMPORARY on an AP rate, a childhood dream and definitely a place my mom always said we'd stay at some day - well, this time, I got to treat my mom to the fulfillment of a dream and we spent two of her three nights in a gorgeous tower room at the Contemporary. It was a (big) surprise, and so much fun to pull off!

We had tickets for MNSSHP, and I bought my very first annual pass. This was definitely a busy trip for us, and we had a blast. I hope you'll join us as I get into the nitty gritty, as well as the reason for my title!

ZehnJahren

10-22-2011, 09:40 PM

Yay, I had good timing on the DIS and found that you started! I can't wait to hear about your trip and how everything worked out for you guys.

Oh yay! Hello! Thanks for joining! I hope I can keep up a good pace here - so much to say and relay and we really just had a wonderful time together. I can't wait to relive it; expect a good amount of pictures!

ZehnJahren

10-22-2011, 10:22 PM

I worked all day on Tuesday, arriving early to work so I could depart a little early and try to make sure I was completely packed. After all, once I left for WDW I'd be gone for 11 nights - four of those would be spent in WDW and seven in Ft. Myers. I'd be splitting my trip between a me-and-mom trip and and me-and-DBF trip, and I was ready to go!

I arrived at O'Hare at a reasonable time - around an hour and a half before my flight took off. My flight didn't leave until around 7:30 p.m., so I had plenty of time to miss traffic and then get settled in at the airport.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111011_183650.jpg

I have a process - I go and buy a Diet 7up and a water, then get a chip snack of some kind. Those three things go with me on the plane. This time, I brought my own snacks, so what I really needed was drinks - and I managed to find both water and Diet 7up at the same store, so once I purchased I was ready to go. I chatted happily with a woman in the store with me. I was ready to get on the plane and get going!

I paid for the "premium" seating; I ended up in the aisle seat in row 10, which was very far up in the plane. There was no one in the middle seat, and the man at the window seat was very pleasant and nice. Once we got in the air, I settled all the way in. I was hoping for a nap, but instead I enjoyed watching "Tangled" on my iTouch.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0172.jpg

The flight was wonderful and quick, and I arrived at MCO early. It was after 11 p.m. in Orlando, so there weren't a lot of people at the airport. In fact, I was greeted by this line at Magical Express.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0174.jpg

Wow! I couldn't believe I was LITERALLY the only person in the ME line. I was boarded almost immediately, and took the front seat behind the driver.

I have some stomach issues, so I verified that there was a bathroom on board the bus. Then, I fell into discussion with a woman and her daughter, who were sitting across from me. The daughter was turning 10 on the trip, and they hadn't been to WDW for a number of years. Of course, I just couldn't shut up; I let them know they could use their FP late, and asked them if they were on the dining plan. They were, so I mentioned the F! package. The mother was excited to learn about this; I also talked to her about "best parks" and shared some of the info from TP and UT that I had - she took notes, it was cute. We chatted for quite some time, and then we were off!

Pop was the first stop; the bus was pretty full, but only a few of us got off at the Pop Stop. I was so grateful to be traveling with only a carry-on; things had already been so much easier. I went and checked in here:
http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0175.jpg

I was sorry to see this was closed:
http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0176.jpg

...because I was ready to SHOP! But it was after midnight at this point and I'd have to wait. I wanted to make rope drop in the morning at HS and try to get on TSMM, so I needed to get to my room and do my traditional bedbug check so I could get to bed.

But boy oh boy, I was FAR AWAY! I'll grab the room number for my next post, but it was SO FAR AWAY. It was in the 50s, but not facing the lake and was not an ideal room. It did, however, give me a great excuse to tell my mom that we'd be "changing rooms" (and she wouldn't have any idea that "changing rooms" meant heading to CR!).

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0177.jpg

There's the room after I was done ransacking it for bedbugs. I'll tell you, I bring a flashlight every trip and check for bedbugs - they're gross, expensive, and impossible to get rid of if you end up with them, so I take no chances at ALL. And I'm paid back with the piece of mind I get after verifying I've got a clean room. By this time, it was around 1-1:30 a.m., and I was TIRED.

Since I wouldn't be unpacking, it was time to get some shut-eye and prepare for rope drop at HS the next morning! Would I make it, after such a busy day? Or would I just be SOL? I wasn't sure when I went to bed.

caaraa

10-23-2011, 12:11 AM

Looks beautiful!
http://www.primeaffiliate.com/track/images/20.creation.jpg

ZehnJahren

10-23-2011, 08:44 AM

Looks beautiful!

Thanks - I took about 800 shots and then last week, while at the beach, I deleted everything that didn't look very good. It didn't leave me with a whole lot!! :laughing:

But I still think we have some good pics. I tried to take as many as possible, but I guess I got too into the touring spirit, because there are some blank spots as well.

Merida

10-23-2011, 11:42 PM

Subbing!

ZehnJahren

10-24-2011, 10:25 AM

Subbing!

Yay! Thanks and welcome!

Disneychix

10-24-2011, 11:53 AM

Can't wait to read about your trip :)

teekathepony

10-24-2011, 12:11 PM

Hi!!! I'm here!!

ZehnJahren

10-24-2011, 01:19 PM

Can't wait to read about your trip :)

Hi!!! I'm here!!

Hi and hi! Thank you for coming to read! It's a short trip, so it should be a short TR, but I'm glad you're here!! More coming very soon; work is getting in the way today - I was gone for almost two weeks, so I have a big backlog but have most of the next installment typed out so it's just a matter of getting it posted (and adding a few more pics).

ZehnJahren

10-24-2011, 03:15 PM

Where was I? Oh, right, I was at Disney!

So, after a late night last night (and losing an hour on the flight down due to changing from CST to EST), I was a little concerned about making it to rope drop this morning at HS. And why am I heading to rope drop at HS? Well, I am going to try to join and lead the stampede to TSMM and that means I need to be on an early bus in order to not get trampled once that rope drops!

I set the alarm for 7:40 (ugh, that's 6:40 at home!) and yes indeed, I peeled open my peepers at 7:45 a.m. Looks like the Disney Adrenaline came in the mail this morning - must be something they put in the water - as I popped out of bed like a jack-in-the-box and was dressed and ready to go faster than I imagined I could be.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0180.jpg

I trudged away from my room (very last room on the left in this picture - obviously, it's not on the right). I was excited but pretty darn tired too; I needed a pick-me-up.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0181.jpg

Ah, now I'm feeling it! The early morning air, coupled with the people already out and about was started to get me excited to get on the bus and get my butt to a park!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111012_080817.jpg

I took a quick look back towards my building to get a camera pic to send to Mom, who should be at the airport by now. Maybe getting up this early was a good idea - all the people I'm seeing are still eating!

I made it out to the front and there was a healthy line for the bus already. So, of course, right on cue, my stomach started acting up; luckily I received a text from my ma saying she was at the STL airport, so that gave me something to focus on - we loaded up as she and I were on the phone, and within minutes I was at HS!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0182.jpg

It looked empty! I couldn't believe how few people I saw. I had my AP voucher, so I needed to go exchange it - and there was no line, so I marched right up to Barb at the ticket counter and asked if I could exchange my AP voucher for my AP, please, and fast. She was happy to oblige.

I got Donald - which made me happy, as I love Donald. But when I went to sign it, I saw that they misspelled my first name (not a big surprise) - I pointed it out, and the lady (who was super-helpful and very friendly) said "Oh well we'll just print you out a new one."

Oh no! Am I going to end up with a good character? (is there a bad one? :rotfl:)

Look who I got!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111024_144051-1.jpg

Even my new good friend Barb was excited - "You got Mickey!" she squealed, which made me more excited to have good ol' Mickey on my very first AP. As Barb collected brochures to give me, I turned around and took a pic to mark this auspicious occasion.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0183.jpg

See, still no one there!

Barb gave me my AP, some brochures, and a "Celebration" pin (it said "1st Annual Pass" and I wore it until the Sharpie came off), and I headed in.

By now, everyone was lining up at the front gate. I was so early, they still weren't letting people in to congregate in front of the big hat for the TSMM mad dash (not a fan of that hat, by the way).

I took this pic for DBF, who was probably wakened a bit early back in Chicago by my excitement over standing in line. :laughing: He texted me back and said "all I can see are happy people." You got that right, sweetheart!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111012_083751.jpg

And then a better pic with my camera:
http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0184.jpg

I couldn't help but strike up a conversation with the couple behind me; they both were excited to be there too! They were retired, with grown children; this was a "parents only" trip for them, and they were very nice. The husband tried to sell me on DVC; I said they didn't need to sell me, I already knew more about it than I should. :laughing: He told me he was buying some additional property and planned on renting it out sometimes; he said if I gave him my info he'd contact me if he had availability - unfortunately, I'd left my pen back in the room. :confused3 Oh well, live and learn.

Finally, they're letting us in! Oh boy!

Oh wait, it's another area to congregate.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0185.jpg

No one seems as excited about this as I am.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0186.jpg

(The people in the red were a husband and wife, and they were DEFINITELY commando on this trip; she was giving him a laundry list of "did-we-do's" and "first-thing-second-thing" the whole time I was standing there - he just kept saying "check, check".)

Being just one person, I slowly made my way through the empty spots in the crowd, trying to get as close to the actual "rope" of "rope drop" as I could get, without being pushy or annoying. I finally settled about 30 yards from the rope and began the wait.

There were a lot of fast-looking people in the crowd; people wearing running sneakers, people tying back their hair and putting on headbands; and I swear I saw some people stretching in preparation for the mad dash in our near future. So, where would I fall in this group, once the gauntlet was thrown and the rope was dropped ? I was ready to find out!

IheartDDuck

10-24-2011, 03:25 PM

Oh, the TSM mad dash! Always exciting. Hopefully you had your game face on!

Very impressive getting up early after having such a late night the day before.

ZehnJahren

10-24-2011, 03:35 PM

Oh, the TSM mad dash! Always exciting. Hopefully you had your game face on!

Very impressive getting up early after having such a late night the day before.

Oh, I had my game face on. Usually, that face would be sneering and combative - but I was at Disney, so it was all "hi I'm so happy to be here" and grinning. But I still sneered a little.

Once I got alongside the pool at Pop that morning, I was just filled with fresh energy. Maybe the smell of chlorine in the morning snapped me out of my tired stupor. It lasted until around, oh, 1 p.m.

ZehnJahren

10-24-2011, 07:26 PM

So last I left you, I was standing in the hot sun by the commando tourers at Hollywood Studios, waiting (im)patiently for the running of the bulls ... er, the TSMM mad morning dash, and wondering if I had what it takes to face down the masses and make it to TSMM.

I had a plan - I'd head straight to the ride, and then grab the FP afterwards. After all, my goal was to ride this morning, and I can't stand in a 45 minute-or-more line - my stomach just won't stand for it. So my hope was a quick line at opening, and then possibly a FP for late morning or earlier in the afternoon, since Ma would be arriving in the afternoon and I'd be heading back to Pop to meet her.

Finally the rope dropped, and in the mad dash I didn't take a single pic. I was far too interested in keeping my pace and moving as quickly as I could through the crowd; pictures would have just slowed me down. :laughing:

I did make the decision to head through the big part of the arch at the Animation Courtyard instead of the bottleneck to the left. It ended up being a good decision, as I ended up ahead of the stroller I was behind when we hit that arch.

I moved straight to the line, and was frankly shocked at the fact that most people were stopping for FPs; this meant that I was WAAAY up in the line when the CMs started ushering us through! As I walked, I heard the distinctive and beloved sound of german in the line behind me; come to find out, the family behind me (who was complaining about us being "herded like animals"), was from Germany. The line was moving too fast for me to find out where, but I did talk to them a bit once we reached the end of the line; I gave my usual "kommen sie aus Deutschland?" (do you come from Germany?) to open a conversation. It became something I said several times during the trip.

We walked straight through - and by the time we stopped, here's what I saw:
http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0188.jpg

Yes, I was so far up in the line that I didn't even stop until I reached the BOTTOM of the stairs! Once I got separated into a line, I was only behind one other person!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0189.jpg

So it looked like the mad dash paid off for me, and I didn't even have to push anyone. Here's my score - it's not too impressive, but my accuracy was one of the best I've had:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0192.jpg

The "top score" for my car for the day at this point was mine; I'm sure my score was obliterated in the following few minutes after I got off the ride. But for now, I was excited! Look at me, I'm at HS!

While on the ride, I started laughing maniacally. I just couldn't believe I was here, spinning around on TSMM, while all the other sad saps I knew were at work. Suckers! :) I felt like the luckiest, happiest girl in the world. :bride:

I got off the ride, but I missed riding it already. With the lines that accumulate, I didn't know if I'd make it back on again on this trip. So I took a moment to look back and snap this picture:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0194.jpg

When I got off the ride, I went straight into "One Man's Dream" - I thought it would be silly to get a FP, since it was already at 10:30 and there was a long line. See?:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0195.jpg

So "One Man's Dream" it was. I was in there about, oh, five minutes when I thought "what the heck am I doing? GO GET A FASTPASS." So I hightailed it out of there and the FP line had, oddly, died down quickly. I got in line, and got this:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0196.jpg

Whew, that was close!

My return time wasn't too bad (um, although it WAS only about 9:20 a.m. at this time), so I thought maybe I'd be able to use this bad baby before heading back to Pop to meet mom.

So I went BACK to "One Man's Dream" and wandered. I took a pic or two:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0197.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0198.jpg

... and then a CM told me the show was starting, and asked me if I'd like to watch it. "Why not?" I said, and headed into the theater. It was packed <= that's sarcasm, because it was just me and a couple who sat about 5 rows behind me.

I sat in the air conditioning and wondered "why am I in here wasting my precious early-morning time on a show I could have watched later?" But it was too late then.

Once I left, I ran into this robot:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0199.jpg

This thing was cracking me up! I couldn't find the guy who was controlling him, but he kept following the mom and daughter (behind him in this pic; the daughter is in the pink shirt) and making comments - for example, they kept turning around to see if it was still following them, and it would say "I'm still here, I haven't gone anywhere". :laughing:

Then it was time to head over to the Tower. I wanted to see what the wait was like, and maybe ride if I could, so I headed to the street leading to ToT.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0200.jpg

But boy it was HOT; I had already been sweating quite a bit, so I decided I needed a bottle of water. I planned on buying a new one every morning and filling it up for the duration of the day. That worked.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0201.jpg

But of course, you always think twice about Tot - so I glanced back down the street to view my getaway route:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0202.jpg

Yep, all clear!

The photopass guy said "look scared". I guess this is how I look when I'm scared. ...

...

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0203.jpg

Hm. I guess when I'm scared, my neck disappears and my cold water bottle becomes a weapon.

At this point, I realized that I was going to need to think about getting a GAC. I had thought about it before the trip and figured I wouldn't get one if my stomach acted like a regular stomach this trip - but it was already giving me a lot of trouble. Without going into too many details, I just don't have a very sturdy stomach - this results in me having to leave a lot of long lines to find a bathroom, and then having to stand in line again (in my everyday life, it can make long drives, lines at the mall, or drive-thru lines at fast food places almost impossible, but not always - most times I'm good :) ). My hope was that I could get some assistance with "standing in line" - in other words, I was hoping they could let me stay to the side a certain amount of time, preferably near a bathroom, and then ride when it was my turn. That really wouldn't have bothered me - I AM at Disney after all!

So I left Sunset Boulevard and went to Hollywood Boulevard. Halfway to Guest Services, I stalled, thinking "do I really need a GAC?", so I headed into a store to double-think this. While I thought it over, I saw this coming my way:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111012_102126.jpg

Watching the moving show make its way down the Boulevard made me realize - I'm at Disney! I should cut out the anxiety about the lines and just go and talk to Guest Services to find out what my options are. They fixed me up with a GAC, but didn't really tell me what it would do; they said it would give me an alternate entrance. The nice woman (Tracy) told me to show it to someone at the ride. Ok, I can do that. I'll give this a try and see what happens. And I met this little fellow:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0204.jpg

So a little embarrassed but now emboldened, I headed back to ToT. I joined the masses heading towards the monolith, but received a bit of a shock once I got there! :eek:

IheartDDuck

10-24-2011, 07:44 PM

ZehnJahren

10-24-2011, 09:54 PM

Haha, I love your scared face. I think mine normally ends up looking pretty close to that too. :laughing:

Good idea waiting in line for TSM instead of getting a fastpass. The fastpasses tend to waste time first thing in the morning, unless your timing is good.

I think it was wise to get a GAC. Better to have it to use if you need it then to not have it at all.

Isn't that scared face ridiculous? :confused3

The way that line built for TSMM FPs, I was really surprised how many people were essentially choosing to wait to ride. You might get a ticket to come back and wait for 15-20 minutes later, but then you have to wait for 40 once you get in line. I waited less than 5 minutes that morning, plus got a FP to come back in the early afternoon.

As for the GAC, it really saved my entire trip. I was so grateful for it by the end of the trip; I didn't end up using it at all on my last day, but the rest of the trip I used it and it really made everything so much easier.

teekathepony

10-25-2011, 07:32 AM

ZehnJahren

10-25-2011, 02:37 PM

Wow, I can't believe how far up you were at TSM! That's awesome! I've never done the rope drop dash to TSM, I always go the other way to RnR and get a fastpass for TSM later on, but your way does look awfully fast!

Yes, I was very surprised by the quick line; I can't imagine there was much of a wait after I got off the ride either, as the line was still all the way inside the building - but I didn't go to see the wait time afterwards. I have a feeling they never drop the wait time sign below 45 minutes just to be safe and so they get less complaints about the line.

I was surprised at all the people who headed to ToT and RnRC when we reached the turnoff; I thought for sure most of the people were going to TSMM!

It was interesting how the CMs reacted when people reached TSMM - obviously, they were thoroughly schooled on the morning mad dash and were 100% calm and collected as they led the masses through the line. It must be fun to be those CMs leading up the line in the morning, knowing that the ride will be well-loved and busy all day.

Merida

10-25-2011, 02:49 PM

ZehnJahren

10-25-2011, 03:14 PM

The time difference worries me a lot - especially since we're coming from two time zones back. We're driving in (with one time zone a day pretty much), so I'm hoping that helps? I'm not planning on doing the TSMM dash (too scary! It looks easier with just one person though?) so it's not super important we get up early but I don't want to miss two hours!

I love that robot! Is it vinylmation shaped? My new goal is to find it and follow it around :)

Yay for getting on Toy Story twice and getting a GAC!

Driving in will absolutely help! You'll have so much more time to adjust to the time change. And then hopefully, you'll be 100% ready to go once you arrive.

I would definitely suggest rope drop at HS; it was so exciting! I couldn't stop grinning in the line for the turnstiles OR the crowd at rope drop. Yes, there were a lot of people, but I didn't see any pushing or intentional crowding; everyone was just standing and waiting. I get a bit claustrophobic sometimes but I didn't on this day; I was focused on making it to TSMM! And then to jump right on the ride, and have low waits on other rides early in the morning - well, it was worth getting up early for! Just remember to hold small children by the hand! :laughing:

And I never even thought about it - but the robot DID have a vinylmation shape, in a way! It had four sides and multiple levels that spun constantly to make new "creatures" - I just saw the robot and princess sides clearly, but I THINK there was a cowboy side and a storm-trooper side. It was cracking me up!

Merida

10-25-2011, 09:38 PM

Driving in will absolutely help! You'll have so much more time to adjust to the time change. And then hopefully, you'll be 100% ready to go once you arrive.

I would definitely suggest rope drop at HS; it was so exciting! I couldn't stop grinning in the line for the turnstiles OR the crowd at rope drop. Yes, there were a lot of people, but I didn't see any pushing or intentional crowding; everyone was just standing and waiting. I get a bit claustrophobic sometimes but I didn't on this day; I was focused on making it to TSMM! And then to jump right on the ride, and have low waits on other rides early in the morning - well, it was worth getting up early for! Just remember to hold small children by the hand! :laughing:

And I never even thought about it - but the robot DID have a vinylmation shape, in a way! It had four sides and multiple levels that spun constantly to make new "creatures" - I just saw the robot and princess sides clearly, but I THINK there was a cowboy side and a storm-trooper side. It was cracking me up!

It sounds a little.. bracing for that early in the morning. Hm. Our MGM/DHS day is later in the trip so we'll have a slow build up to the mayhem. Or maybe we have a breakfast scheduled and food is always the top priority!

Oooh, I always loved those puzzles! Though I was usually putting them together the "correct" way and my siblings were usually messing them up. :rotfl: How cool would it be to have that job! Though I'm not sure what the job description would be. ;)

ZehnJahren

10-25-2011, 10:42 PM

So last I left off - I was heading to ToT when I pulled up short. After all, it was around 10 a.m. and THIS is what I saw!!!:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0205.jpg

Whoa, seriously?? Good thing I JUST got this GAC card - maybe I could see what an "alternate entrance" was on this ride.

I went up to the greeter at the FP line; the one at the regular line was busy talking to a small group. I showed him the card and asked him where the alternate entrance was- "right here" he says, and motioned at the FP line. "Really?" I said, incredulous. "Yep, this is the place," he said, and took some FPs from a couple that walked in front of me.

"How long's the FP line?" I asked.

"5 minutes?" he said. He didn't seem too sure.

I had to walk away and consider this. Geez, 5 minutes? Other people were waiting 60!

Didn't take too long to figure it out; I'd give it a go. So he waved me through and I started down the long queue, waiting to see a backed-up line.

But what did I really see?

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0206.jpg

Oh yeah, big long line.

I got into the intro room and headed towards the door in the back; I was standing next to a mom with two girls, probably about 8 and 10 years old. One of the girls was nervous, and mom wasn't helping much; first she told the younger girl "don't worry; I'll cover your eyes - it's just a movie, they're trying to scare you!" The girl reached over for comfort, and then the mom said, "besides, this is the ride. Put your arms up; this baby's gonna plummet!" The girl looked like she was going to pee on herself. :scared1:

I got through the line even faster once we got out of the pre-show, because they called for a party of 2 and when I said I was 1, they took me instead. I sat next to a guy and his daughter, and they eased my nerves; next thing I knew, we were freefallin'! We had a good sequence, too; I always start shaking about halfway through the sequences, I guess it's just nerves. I was laughing crazily the whole time.

I decided to head back to TSMM - and heard someone calling "excuse me, excuse me!" I ignored it, because who would be talking to me? Turns out it WAS someone talking to me - the mother and daughter I met on the bus the night before! The mother thanked me kindly for giving her information on the Fantasmic package and other information we talked about; they were heading to RnRC at the time. I wished them a great trip.

I saw this on my way to TSMM:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0208.jpg

It was probably 10:30 - 11 a.m. and FPs were for 6 p.m.!

I didn't do as well my second time on TSMM:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0210.jpg

Looks like I was wrong in my last installment - my accuracy stayed the same!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0212.jpg

One more shot from the ride! How fun!

I sat and drank my water for a bit, just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather. It wasn't cold in Chicago yet, but it would get very very cold very soon and I was trying to enjoy the sun and heat as much as possible. Who knows when I'll see the sun again.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111012_110424.jpg

After a short rest, I made a decision and went to the "big hat". I had thought about buying a lanyard and pins for my mom for fun, but I thought that she'd probably like to pick her lanyard. So I decided to get her a Pop Century pin that I'd give her when she arrived, and tell her about pin trading or pin collecting. It would be something fun, and I thought she'd really like it.

But there was another part of the trip she didn't know about - I had managed to get us a room at the Contemporary for two nights of our trip, and had somehow managed to keep it a surprise. I hadn't been able to get Wednesday for some reason, so we could only stay on Thursday and Friday; however, as far as she was concerned, we were staying at Pop the whole time. So for now, I also bought a Contemporary pin for her, and mentally began plans on how to give it to her when we arrived at the CR for our two-night stay. I purchased the pins and made my way out of the park, thinking about my plans for the surprise. After all, it was the one place we always wanted to stay - and we were GOING to! I was so excited to be able to do this for us both! :hug:

And now it was time to head back to Pop, because she'd be arriving soon!

ZehnJahren

10-25-2011, 10:48 PM

It sounds a little.. bracing for that early in the morning. Hm. Our MGM/DHS day is later in the trip so we'll have a slow build up to the mayhem. Or maybe we have a breakfast scheduled and food is always the top priority!

Oooh, I always loved those puzzles! Though I was usually putting them together the "correct" way and my siblings were usually messing them up. :rotfl: How cool would it be to have that job! Though I'm not sure what the job description would be. ;)

Ha, yeah, "bracing" is a good word! It was definitely something you have to see to believe; I'll do it again for sure.

The robot came out from behind the Animation Courtyard. I don't know what his name was, but you might be able to catch him in the mornings at HS - maybe check out the schedule? He was cracking me up!

Disneychix

10-26-2011, 07:13 AM

I love TOT! We managed to get my DS on this trip and he's scared of everything! He didn't do too badly!

I can't wait til yoiur mom gets there :)

ZehnJahren

10-26-2011, 11:26 AM

I love TOT! We managed to get my DS on this trip and he's scared of everything! He didn't do too badly!

I can't wait til your mom gets there :)

There was a family with a little girl sitting in the back row with me (we were separated by a seat); she was probably 6 or possibly 7. I don't think she had a very good ride; she was white as a ghost and her family was joking with her and laughing but she wouldn't even crack a smile!

I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed it. :thumbsup2

And I was so nervous about mom arriving - I really wanted to surprise her with our stay at the Contemporary, but I don't like to lie at all. At ALL. If someone asks me a direct question, I'll answer it plainly - which sometimes gets me in trouble, but I figure I'd rather tell the truth. If my mom had asked me directly if we were just going to be staying at Pop the whole trip, I'd have had to tell the truth. So, I'd have to be creative to keep from spilling the beans!

ZehnJahren

10-26-2011, 11:38 AM

Waiting at HS for a bus didn't take long at all. The park seemed busy, but not too bad, and I was the only person in line until about 5 minutes before the bus arrived.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0215.jpg

I headed back to Pop, and as soon as I got to the room, I tucked away the CR pin I'd bought for mom, along with the receipt.

My mom called me; she was looking for the ME bus and had gotten lost at the airport. I tried to give her directions, and they seemed to work because the next thing I knew I could hear her giving her bus voucher to the ME CMs. We chatted for just a moment, and then she said "oh, they're going to load me now!" and we got off the phone.

She texted me a few minutes later to say she wouldn't be the first stop like I was on my ME bus. This gave me time to make a call to my student loan office about an issue with my October payment (nothing like making a call like that on vacation, huh?).

Next thing I knew, she was downstairs! I had to practically run down to meet her (our room was SO FAR AWAY, did I mention that?), but I caught her in front of Everything Pop and we hugged and jumped up and down. We're at Disney!

Ok, I'll be back with more pictures in the next installment; this one was pretty lame. :surfweb:

Merida

10-26-2011, 01:17 PM

Ha, yeah, "bracing" is a good word! It was definitely something you have to see to believe; I'll do it again for sure.

The robot came out from behind the Animation Courtyard. I don't know what his name was, but you might be able to catch him in the mornings at HS - maybe check out the schedule? He was cracking me up!

I'll make sure to keep an eye out!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0206.jpg

Oh yeah, big long line.

I love wildly inaccurate wait times. I always feel absurdly clever, as through I've seen through their cunning ruse.

But there was another part of the trip she didn't know about - I had managed to get us a room at the Contemporary for two nights of our trip, and had somehow managed to keep it a surprise. I hadn't been able to get Wednesday for some reason, so we could only stay on Thursday and Friday; however, as far as she was concerned, we were staying at Pop the whole time. So for now, I also bought a Contemporary pin for her, and mentally began plans on how to give it to her when we arrived at the CR for our two-night stay. I purchased the pins and made my way out of the park, thinking about my plans for the surprise. After all, it was the one place we always wanted to stay - and we were GOING to! I was so excited to be able to do this for us both! :hug:

And now it was time to head back to Pop, because she'd be arriving soon!

I love the Contemporary so much! Good choice in resorts. :thumbsup2 Surprises are so much fun to plan on vacations.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0215.jpg

I love the theming at DHS, even though chrome wouldn't have been my first choice of building materials in Florida. It's just so space age/atomic-y and always seems very friendly (maybe because there's no corners??).

Missyrose

10-26-2011, 02:01 PM

Joining in! I love that you and your mom are taking a trip to Disney togerther again after all these years!

I can definitely understand your stomach issues. I have Crohn's Disease, so needless to say, I know where EVERY bathroom is in the World!

Can't wait to see how your hotel surprise turns out!

ZehnJahren

10-26-2011, 03:43 PM

I love the Contemporary so much! Good choice in resorts. :thumbsup2 Surprises are so much fun to plan on vacations.

I love the theming at DHS, even though chrome wouldn't have been my first choice of building materials in Florida. It's just so space age/atomic-y and always seems very friendly (maybe because there's no corners??).

This surprise was tough, because I'm a talker and just wanted to call up mom after I booked and shout

"OMGMOMGUESSWHATWE'RESTAYINGATTHECONTEMPORARYOMGBAY LAKETOWERVIEWWOWZA!!!"

...but couldn't - so I tortured DBF by constantly talking about it for a week; I think he must have felt some ear relief once I finally left. And then, I really didn't want to lie at all, so I kept worrying Mom was going to ask me why I was acting so weird, and then I'd have to tell her what was going on. But now that I've stayed there, I'm wondering how I can stay anywhere else, ever. I'm still managing to look forward to staying at the BC or YC next fall, though; I loved walking to one park, so I'm eager to have walking access to TWO!

Joining in! I love that you and your mom are taking a trip to Disney together again after all these years!

I can definitely understand your stomach issues. I have Crohn's Disease, so needless to say, I know where EVERY bathroom is in the World!

Can't wait to see how your hotel surprise turns out!

Hi! Welcome! Thanks for joining in! I just went over to your PTR / TR too; love reading about trips and plans for trips! I definitely got well-acquainted with the locations of each and every bathroom; it was nerve-wracking riding the monorail though, as I was so afraid it would break down and I'd be SOL. Fortunately, that didn't happen. I'm so sorry to hear about your Crohn's - stomach issues are so tough. Do you ever use the GAC? It really saved my trip (of course, dont' feel like you have to answer that if you don't want to).

Stick around; I should be able to get to the "surprise reveal" before the weekend, I hope!

ZehnJahren

10-26-2011, 07:55 PM

So everything had gone smoothly for Mom's trip down (besides her seatmates on the plane, but that's another story!), and we were heading back to the room to drop off her stuff. As we made the hike to the other side of the world (aka room 2436), I very nonchalantly (I hope!) told her that I wasn't happy with the location of the room since it was so far away (true), I had asked for a different room location when I booked (true), and that tomorrow we'd be moving to a closer room (true). She was still reeling from actually arriving, so she didn't say much about it - she trusted me to make the plans! I told her not to unpack too much; we'd unpack in the new room tomorrow.

I quickly changed the subject.

Now that we were at the room, it was time to head out from here:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111012_080817.jpg

And go to... MK??

I had plans to go to Epcot (and ADRs to match), but mom REALLY wanted to head to MK. Well, who was I to say no?? We were both hungry, and I'd read on Belle599's solo TR that Columbia Harbor House had yummy broccoli - so let's go there!

First, Mom wanted a pic to send to her boss at work:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111012_142101.jpg

I had sent her pics of our resort but didn't tell her where we were staying; it was a pic of the inside of one of these bowling pins that helped her boss (a Disfan as well!) figure out the resort.

So we headed down and got on the bus.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111012_143811.jpg

We were excited, and laughing like goofballs already. We sang a song or two on the bus, much to the chagrin of our very dour-looking busmates; that made us laugh.

I was so surprised to see that the bus was taking us right up to Magic Kingdom - I thought that it would take us to the TTC, so when I saw the CR out the window, I grabbed Ma and said "look, look!!" So without her knowing, we got this little preview:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0218.jpg

I almost teared up right then as we had a quick discussion about how cool it would be to stay there and being able to walk to MK, or how cool it would be to stay at the GF, or ANY of the visible resorts from MK. I had to fight not to spill the beans; it was actually difficult to keep from telling her right then. I changed the subject as quickly as I could; but it was RIGHT on the tip of my tongue.

We headed in, but first paused to take this pic:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0219.jpg

And this one:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0221.jpg

We'd be heading to MNSSHP the next night, so seeing the sign was exciting.

Oh my gosh, we're really going in!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0222.jpg

And we're in! Going in first, Mom had a bit of trouble with her ticket, but my AP worked perfectly and in no time we were standing right here:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0223.jpg

As fate would have it, as we walked under the train station (left side) we heard music and saw a crowd in front of us. What was this? The parade! We had perfect timing!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0225.jpg

Our vantage point wasn't too good, and we got shooed away from another place by a CM, so we headed over towards Tony's and got this prime spot by a very nice family:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0227.jpg

I love this guy - even though he's bad (very very bad):

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0229.jpg

This was a cool float, but I didn't get the best picture:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0230.jpg

Usually I'm not a big parade fan, but Mom was so excited it was contagious, and we started waving to the characters in the parade. I made mention to mom - "oh, here's a job you wouldn't dread going to in the mornings". She agreed.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111012_150758.jpg

Hi Ariel! (I played her once, in a play in Germany - although, it was the original, I was Marietta, and I died in the play. :( )

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0238.jpg

First things first: Mom needs a hat. This was a good opportunity to do a little shopping, and get 10% off because of my new AP to boot!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0239.jpg

It was time to head to eat, so we made our way to the Columbia Harbor House by way of this walkway:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0241.jpg

Once we got there, we decided to split some chicken nuggets and went up to the CM to order; mom was promptly serenaded by the bell ringer there, which was funny! She got two songs about how beautiful she was, and then our food was ready so he had to find a new muse.

We went upstairs to eat; it was nice and quiet up there. I took a moment to call Disney Dining and cancel our two (yes two) reservations that night for Epcot.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0242.jpg

We sat near a window so that we could look out onto the park while we ate.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0244.jpg

And then we decided to get out there and ride!

But there was something we hadn't figured on in this whole equation, and that missing link would become pretty clear pretty soon - as a matter of fact, it got very clear the moment we walked out of CHH back into the park.

IheartDDuck

10-26-2011, 08:15 PM

bellanotte10

10-26-2011, 08:29 PM

you were there the same time as me! I keep looking to see if i'll end up in any pictures.

I can't wait to see how your mom reacts! I have a dream that someone surprises me with a Monorail resort, so I want to see someone else get my dream too, especially if its theirs as well!

ZehnJahren

10-26-2011, 08:49 PM

Yay, your mom arrived! That was a really good idea that you came up with, saying that you were not happy with the location of the room and that you were going to be moving. :thumbsup2 Very nice indeed.

Love CHH. I also love eating upstairs. It's so much nicer than sitting downstairs.

I know! I couldn't believe that I came up with a perfect NON-lie to tell my mom that really made sense - she just didn't know that when I said we were moving closer, I meant we were moving closer to MK.

I didn't know about upstairs at CHH until the Dis. This has been such a helpful forum for me - especially reading other's TRs and PTRs. I've gotten great ideas from others!

you were there the same time as me! I keep looking to see if i'll end up in any pictures.

I can't wait to see how your mom reacts! I have a dream that someone surprises me with a Monorail resort, so I want to see someone else get my dream too, especially if its theirs as well!

Hello! Welcome! Love your avatar. :)

Ha, keep looking! I'm going to post as many pics as I can so let me know if you see yourself (how cool would that be??), but we spent a LOT of time at MK - so if you weren't there much, you may not see yourself!

As for her reaction to my surprise - well, it's coming up. I'll tell you one thing, staying at CR was exactly what I always thought it would be. This was a short trip but it was so very wonderful.

ZehnJahren

10-27-2011, 01:38 PM

When I last left you, I said there was something that we hadn't added into our equations, and it smacked us in the face as soon as we exited CHH.

So, what was that?

Well, it was the simple fact that today was NOT a "recommended" day for MK, and we were dealing with people who had been cooped up during the tropical storm only a few days earlier. You know what that means - crowds!

And not just crowds, my friends - really tight, surging crowds the likes of which I didn't know were possible in the MIDDLE OF OCTOBER!

I'd planned Epcot because it was supposed to be the same crowd level but it's a much bigger, more visual park (i.e. lots to look at if we can't get on rides). I didn't think about the fact Mom might want to go to MK first thing; and now we were swamped by people.

We walked around, trying to find something to ride - but even my GAC wouldn't save me now. We saw something I never imagined: the FP line for Peter Pan was almost as long as the regular line! I heard the CM say to someone standing there that it was "a fluke" that he'd never seen before. Everyone just "showed up at once".

We decided to just wander and see what we found. We saw this:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0248.jpg

... and I thought "whoa, even STITCH has a long line - we're in trouble!"

But Ma was happy that MK had been her first park, even if we couldn't ride anything, so we discussed it and decided to monorail it over to Epcot.

First, we stopped for this picture from a Photopass photographer:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0250.jpg

And I took just a moment while we walked to capture our first time leaving the park:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0251.jpg

Aw, we'll be back!

We went out and managed to get right on a monorail, which was good because my stomach was starting to complain. Once we got to TTC, we walked over to the Epcot station but I couldn't get on the monorail. My stomach had gotten worse, so we were essentially trapped at TTC.

We finally decided to take a bus (part of my problem was thinking we'd get stranded on the monorail), but we couldn't find any busses going to Epcot! A guard finally told us we could walk over to the Poly and get an Epcot bus from there, so we started walking. But by the time we got to the Poly, we were starting to think we should have stayed at the TTC.

So we headed back to the TTC, then sat down AGAIN to discuss our options.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0253.jpg

By this time we were both beat by our long days and decided to do the unthinkable - go back to Pop and get some rest instead of continuing on with our day! We were both so beat (her from an early morning at the airport and a long flight sitting with some crazy people, and me from a super-early busy morning after a late late night). We decided to make our way back to Pop in a cab, grab a meal at the food court, and head in for an early night. After all, tomorrow would be a very long day! Cab cost us $20, but the quick trip was worth it.

We made it back to Pop and both grabbed the "Mom's Night Out" special with roast turkey. It was SO GOOD; both the turkey and the mashed potatoes were delicious, and mom really liked the green beans too. The cornbread was filling, and we both topped it with some honey from the condiments set out in Everything Pop.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0254.jpg

MMMMMM!

As mom cleaned up (and attempted not to unpack, ha!), I relaxed with a little Stacey.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0256.jpg

You can see my Sicily Baggalini in this shot - it was a trooper this trip and I can't imagine travelling without it in the future. It carried everything I needed, and everything was easy to find!

Then I called DBF to chat for a little while until I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. It was time for an early sleep; we had a big day planned for Thursday! We'd be going to MK for rope drop (and EMH morning hours), we'd be attending our first MNSSHP, and we'd be undertaking a surprise move to the CR! All in all, it was going to be a busy, busy day!

Missyrose

10-27-2011, 06:27 PM

Hi! Welcome! Thanks for joining in! I just went over to your PTR / TR too; love reading about trips and plans for trips! I definitely got well-acquainted with the locations of each and every bathroom; it was nerve-wracking riding the monorail though, as I was so afraid it would break down and I'd be SOL. Fortunately, that didn't happen. I'm so sorry to hear about your Crohn's - stomach issues are so tough. Do you ever use the GAC? It really saved my trip (of course, dont' feel like you have to answer that if you don't want to).

Stick around; I should be able to get to the "surprise reveal" before the weekend, I hope!
Thanks for checking out my TR! I just put up our entry on our trip to Orlando this morning. :thumbsup2

I used a GAC one year when I was younger and going through a serious Crohn's flare while at Disney. Luckily, the Crohn's has been far more under control since I started going as an adult, but it hasn't always been completely smooth sailing.

I love the groundwork you laid with your mom regarding the room change, it's the perfect cover! I know you planned to go to Epcot, but there's something about going to MK first that really says "I'm at Disney!"

CHH has quickly become our go-to MK eating locale. Sitting upstairs is sooo peaceful!

IheartDDuck

10-27-2011, 06:36 PM

Man, I would have been amazed at the size of the crowds in October too! Normally there is no one there. It definitely had to be the fact that it had been raining so badly and everyone had felt cooped up.

There is no shame in deciding to head back early. We've all done it at one time or another. Don't you love the Mom's meals from POP? They're so very yummy.

ZehnJahren

10-27-2011, 09:17 PM

Thanks for checking out my TR! I just put up our entry on our trip to Orlando this morning. :thumbsup2

I used a GAC one year when I was younger and going through a serious Crohn's flare while at Disney. Luckily, the Crohn's has been far more under control since I started going as an adult, but it hasn't always been completely smooth sailing.

I love the groundwork you laid with your mom regarding the room change, it's the perfect cover! I know you planned to go to Epcot, but there's something about going to MK first that really says "I'm at Disney!"

CHH has quickly become our go-to MK eating locale. Sitting upstairs is sooo peaceful!

Thanks for letting me know about the update - went over and read it right away. I like people who update frequently. :thumbsup2 ha!

It really seemed to work out with the room change; I'm glad we went to MK, simply because you're right - nothing says "welcome to WDW" like walking into the Magic Kingdom. It wasn't my first park of the day, but I'm glad it was my last!

Man, I would have been amazed at the size of the crowds in October too! Normally there is no one there. It definitely had to be the fact that it had been raining so badly and everyone had felt cooped up.

There is no shame in deciding to head back early. We've all done it at one time or another. Don't you love the Mom's meals from POP? They're so very yummy.

I was disappointed at the crowds, to be honest - but still, there was no complaining, as we were at Disney! I really didn't want to head back to the room, but we were the walking dead by the time we got back - I don't know how we'd have made it the entire next day if we didn't get all the sleep we got on Wednesday. I think I ended up with about 9 hours of sleep that night!!

ZehnJahren

10-27-2011, 09:47 PM

Morning broke early in Pop room 2436. My alarm went off at 6:40, and Ma immediately started in with the "good morning, wake up wake up!" that she's done to me my entire life. She'd already been up, taken a shower, and gotten ready by this time.

After her cheery "good morning!", I grunted in her direction about "having a process", "I'm not getting up yet", and generally had my "leave me alone" voice on. I covered my head with the blanket until my snooze alarm went off five minutes later. That was my process; one snooze five minutes after the first alarm. I got out of bed and then it hit me - today was CR day! That perked me right up!

As suggested in the Pop literature, I called a cab and asked them to meet us at 7:15 a.m. for a ride to the Contemporary. My story to Mom was that we could walk right to MK from CR, and we wouldn't have to wait for a bus at Pop or worry about being late. It had been my plan the entire time, even before I booked CR - I wanted to make rope drop pretty bad!

We gathered all our things and headed downstairs. I think Mom may have asked me once what to do about the bags; I think I told her not to worry, but inside I was nervous and excited. She definitely is not the type to ask a bunch of questions, so it had gone smoothly so far!

We paused at the elevator for pics with our mug. Here's Mom:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0259.jpg

And me:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0260.jpg

In that picture, I'm definitely thinking "I'm not going to be able to pull this off for much longer."

We went through Everything Pop, where there were already plenty of people out and about. We grabbed a quick drink:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0262.jpg

Then we headed for the front desk area. At this point, I had little to no idea how I was going to get out the door with these bags without Mom asking questions - but I was sure going to try!

ZehnJahren

10-28-2011, 10:44 PM

As an aside - my hometown, beloved St. Louis Cardinals just won the World Series! So happy and excited!

ZehnJahren

10-31-2011, 09:27 AM

So we had our bags, and were moving through the check-in area, and I was certain Mom was going to start asking questions. I had a question of my own: did I need to actually check out? I asked her to wait with the bags off to the side, and I ran up to a guy at the counter and told him quietly: "We're leaving here to go to another resort; do I need to do anything?" He asked me my room number, clicked and clacked on the computer, then said "Nope, you're all set."

I went back to Ma and said, "alright, let's go" and we continued towards the front of Pop and out to the taxi stand area. I saw Mom looking confused, so I immediately fell into conversation with the taxi stand guy to try to avoid a conversation with her - I told him I called a cab to take us to the Contemporary.

He said "no need for that" and waved over the next cab.

I gave my bags to the man and Mom handed over hers. I think she asked something like "we're taking our bags?" but I said something like "oh, don't worry about it. I've got it all figured out."

I let her get in first, and then I got in. The driver asked "Contemporary?" and I said yes.

We pulled out onto the main road, and I could feel my heart beating in my throat. Right when we pulled out, we saw some construction on the opposite side of the road leading to Pop, and a bunch of cars and buses were backed up, waiting.

I said "Look at that traffic!"

"Yeah!" Mom says. "Wonder what's going on?"

"Who knows," I say. Then I couldn't help myself: "With that construction, I'm glad we're not staying here again tonight."

There was a moment of silence.

"Not staying here?" she asked.

At that point I clammed up. I physically couldn't say anything. I felt like my throat had closed up in anticipation, and so I just sat there for a second. As we sat, I guess she finally realized something was up - she suddenly grabbed my leg and said "Are we staying at the Contemporary?"

I couldn't answer for a minute. She asked again; and then I just said "I told you we were moving somewhere closer."

The look of shock on her face was well worth the anguish of keeping the surprise; she couldn't believe it. Her first objection was that it was too expensive (because she's always thinking of me first), but I told her it was all taken care of and that I'd gotten an unbelievable deal. Then I reached into my purse and handed over her new CR pin:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0268.jpg

I told her all the ways I had "let her know" about the CR over the past week, including the day before. For the next couple of minutes we could BOTH be excited; now that I had someone to share the excitement with, we talked the rest of the way about how we couldn't believe we'd be staying at the CR! I had known for about a week that we'd be able to walk out of our room and onto the monorail; it had to sink in for her now too!

Soon we were here:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0271.jpg

We checked in, left my cell number so they could text us when the room was ready, left our bags with bell services, and then took off like a couple of banshees for rope drop at MK! It was already almost 8 a.m.; could we make it in time?

Here we go!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0274.jpg

and then

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0275.jpg

We started jogging at this point, because we could hear the music:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0276.jpg

Aw drat - just missed the show! We did get to see some fireworks shoot off, and see the characters appear to be getting back on the train (?).

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0278.jpg

Oh well, now that we were FINALLY here, and staying within walking distance to the MK, it was time to hit some rides! You can see my Mom's button - she was celebrating "being awesome" as that was the button I made for her. She got a few comments on it during our trip!

ChattaAlley

10-31-2011, 09:48 AM

I really have been enjoying your TR. I love that you love your mom that much to surprise her. Conteporary was the first place i ever stayed in DW but I don't remember it as it was when i was young. Hope to go back soon.

ZehnJahren

10-31-2011, 11:09 AM

I really have been enjoying your TR. I love that you love your mom that much to surprise her. Contemporary was the first place i ever stayed in DW but I don't remember it as it was when i was young. Hope to go back soon.

Thanks so much! My mom and I are really close, as it was just her and I for a number of years (I have two older brothers, but they lived with their dad growing up), and she's always been so selfless and thoughtful - - I was SO GLAD I could do this for her. Well, really, for US. It is a great memory to have together - staying at the CR for the first time after so many years of "MAN, I wish I could stay there!" My, how the tables have turned. :goodvibes

justakrazymom

10-31-2011, 12:36 PM

caught up and can't wait for more!

IheartDDuck

10-31-2011, 07:30 PM

ZehnJahren

10-31-2011, 07:42 PM

caught up and can't wait for more!

Haha, aw thanks for coming over! I know you're busy, so I'll try to move it along. :)

ZehnJahren

10-31-2011, 07:47 PM

That's just so awesome! You pulled it off!

That's great that she was so excited and happy about it. You're right, the best thing about staying at the Contemporary is being able to walk to the Magic Kingdom. :thumbsup2

She really was excited. There may have been some tearing up as well... When she grabbed my leg, I knew she knew. I couldn't drag it out any longer.

I couldn't believe HOW EASY it was to get to MK. I mean, I knew it was close - - but WOW. And it was WONDERFUL for MNSSHP, and for the next night's Dessert Party. Also, I got to spend the whole day just walking around MK on Saturday and it was so easy to get back for DBF to come and get me that day. I loved it!

Missyrose

10-31-2011, 07:50 PM

ZehnJahren

10-31-2011, 08:17 PM

Awwww, what a wonderful surprise for your mom! I can't believe you pulled it off so perfectly, excellent work! :woohoo: Isn't the Contemporary gorgeous? I just loved the decor.

I got the same CR pin for myself. It's so cute with the little monorail on it. And can we talk about how amazing that walkway to the Magic Kingdom is? Wow, what easy access.

Can't wait to hear about your morning at MK! popcorn::

Ha, thanks; I didn't think there was any way I could surprise her but she's just so easy going - she just never really questioned me in such a way I couldn't put off her questions without much trouble, and if I hadn't said anything, she would have just been shocked at the CR when we got there. However, I'm glad I said something ahead of time, because we got to squeal for the whole taxi trip from then on. :thumbsup2 I didn't buy a CR pin for myself and kind of wish I had!!

I loved looking at all the bricks on my walks over. Plus, it was just the right length to get "warmed up" for all the walking at the parks.

Merida

10-31-2011, 08:31 PM

Busymom85

10-31-2011, 09:46 PM

Enjoying your trip report so far. The Contemporary how fun!

ZehnJahren

11-01-2011, 11:06 AM

Plane seatmates are such a crapshoot. We were in Target today and a baby started screaming and all I could think was thank goodness we wouldn't be flying with babies! Driving takes longer but at least it will only be us two.

I've never taken a cab before (I really like trains) and it always seems so glamorous. Are the taxis at Disney nice?

Yay for moving to the Contemporary! I love that resort so much (no offense to the values or anything, but the last time I was at the values was a school trip and they taped the doors shut at night so there's not a lot of fun memories there).

I wish we could drive - I just prefer having the extra time at WDW and am not too keen on the long car drive if I don't have to. We always drove when I was a kid.

As for the taxis - definitely NOT glamorous! :laughing: Just regular cabs that get a lot of wear, since we always saw them ALL over the place. They're clean, so that's good, but just regular taxis. I didn't even notice any Disney-fication, as one might expect.

Ha, we stayed at a value back in high school for our dance team; only one set of parents went, and our coaches could have cared less if we went out at 3 a.m. - so we did. Often. And it was the best trip ever.

Enjoying your trip report so far. The Contemporary how fun!

Thank you! The Contemporary was VERY VERY nice and I really hope that I can stay there again at some point in the future. It was my first deluxe; and that view! Can't be beat! Bay Lake OR Magic Kingdom view - just beautiful. Pictures to come later!

ZehnJahren

11-01-2011, 11:32 AM

Ah, morning at Disney.

And if it's morning, that means it's time for breakfast!

We made it into the gates around 8:05 a.m., and we were hungry - we'd been up for quite awhile already.

So when we walked past Main Street Bakery, we decided to see what's cooking (and also get my daily bottle of water).

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0280.jpg

I like kitchen stuff, and Disney stuff, so a picture is in order here:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0282.jpg

We salivated over all the food, and finally chose our individual breakfasts (which we ended up sharing, as we did with several meals). I had the egg, cheese, and ham croissant (zomg) and mom had this chocolate chip pastry of some sort.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0283.jpg

We ate in a leisurely fashion, and then it was time to do some rides, since we hadn't done any yesterday. But first?

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0284.jpg

I wanted to walk through the castle when we headed into Fantasyland, and Ma was kind enough to oblige.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0285.jpg

It's funny, because everywhere I'm missing pictures I have videos. However, I'm not going to post them here because mainly they're only for my own amusement. :rotfl: I have a video of us marveling at the Cinderella mosaic as we walked through.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0288.jpg

Now we're in Fantasyland - what to ride first?

Mom's choice!

Snow White! I'm sorry, I was too excited for pictures. But you've seen it, right?

Then? Also Mom's choice:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0298.jpg

IASW! Don't you love the lines during EMH? My camera ALWAYS blurs everything in this place unless I'm very careful (I'm sure there's a setting I'm unaware of), so here's the only good pic I have from the inside:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0297.jpg

We went to Peter Pan. I'm sorry, I don't have pictures. Again, the excitement was out of control. Oddly, they did let me use the GAC, even though there was no FP at that time in the morning. It was so helpful!

Next up, a family favorite:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0302.jpg

This picture was in honor of my mom's "dear brother Dave" - who is not departed from anything but his mind. :laughing: Just kidding, he's super-cool and one of the funniest guys out there.

This was our first time through the new queue - I liked it, but we chose the old queue from then on out.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0303.jpg

Let's go to BTMRR, shall we? Ok! But first, we stopped to see if we wanted to eat at LTT. We looked at the menu (we had ADRs for later in the day), and thought "yeah, we'll come back".

Ok, NOW on to BTMRR.

We walked by this sign, and squealed in excitement. We'll be back!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0304.jpg

We tried the GAC here at BTMRR - they put us in the wheelchair line, which did take longer but was a lot more comfortable to think about having to leave. I felt guilty at going before a girl in a wheelchair who got into line behind us, however. But she was thoroughly enjoying herself in that line; her parents helped her up and she was dancing.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0306.jpg

Alright, back over to Splash! There was almost no line at all - crazy! I stored my camera (I take a gallon sized ziplock and put my entire purse in there) and proceeded to enjoy the ride without taking pictures. It's ok, I have the full ride through on both my phone and camera from last year. :)

The people in the row behind us kept laughing since we were the only people getting the water for most of the trip through.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0314.jpg

Whew! We need a break.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0315.jpg

Ok, we're done! Let's go to:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0317.jpg

But quickly, a pic for my friend's daughter. She loves LOVES goofy:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0320.jpg

Now we headed across the park to Tomorrowland. Mom was on a Space Mountain mission, but my stomach was disagreeing. Hm, what's a good way to relax temporarily in Tomorrowland, while going on a wonderful guided tour of happiness?

THE WEDWAY OF COURSE:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0324.jpg

I don't care what THEY call it; it's the Wedway to me, forever.

And now?

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0329.jpg

We're heading in!!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0333.jpg

Are you really, REALLY going to ride, Mom?

The answer is YES; and take a look at THIS:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0335.jpg

I still laugh until I almost cry every time I see this picture. Just about the funniest thing to me.

Well, now we were hungry and our ADR at LTT was still two hours away! But Mom and I discussed it - let's ditch the ADR (canceling it, of course) and head over to Epcot for Sunshine Seasons! And, of course, we could follow this up with our first ever ride on Soarin'!

Sounds good, let's go! I could use me a little Gran Fiesta Tour, for sure!

On the way out, we ran into these guys. We stood and watched for only a minute; we were on a mission.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0337.jpg

CdnCarrie

11-01-2011, 12:17 PM

Loving the TR!!

ZehnJahren

11-01-2011, 07:30 PM

Loving the TR!!

Thanks! It's helping me relive the trip, so I'm enjoying writing it. :)

Missyrose

11-01-2011, 08:55 PM

Wow, you guys covered a lot of ground that morning! A good mix of rides, some thrill, some nostalgia...the perfect MK mix!

Sunshine Seasons, yum! Good choice. :thumbsup2

ZehnJahren

11-01-2011, 09:10 PM

Wow, you guys covered a lot of ground that morning! A good mix of rides, some thrill, some nostalgia...the perfect MK mix!

Sunshine Seasons, yum! Good choice. :thumbsup2

Yep, we hauled our cookies all around the park that day! Snow White was one we rode when I was very very young (terrified me) and mom had just learned the night before (from me) that it was going to be torn down, so it definitely should be a first ride.

IASW was always a favorite of us both, along with Peter Pan.

And Haunted Mansion has a permanent place in my heart, as it gave me one of the biggest scares of my LIFE back when I was 3 - when I heard the ghost was going to follow me home, I had a FIT and cried and had nightmares for quite a long time. Still do, to be honest. :laughing: And Splash / Space Mountain was a must do as well - we really covered our bases that morning!!!

IheartDDuck

11-01-2011, 10:42 PM

ZehnJahren

11-02-2011, 08:53 AM

You definitely sound like my mom and I. When we travel together, we share meals all the time. Since we like the same things, it really helps with decision making.

You guy got a lot of things accomplished that morning. :thumbsup2

This was the first time we'd been as adults, so I wasn't sure if we'd be sharing or not, but we DID end up sharing a good deal of the time. And BOY, did THAT help the budget out!! We did a lot of "I'll pick up this one, you pick up the next one" and it seemed to even out.

I had a strict budget (although I busted it at the end on a few Christmas shirts for my dad and his wife). I had $50 a day allocated for food, so I had $150 in my budget - I ended up spending $75.82 overall for all meals, drinks, and snacks.

I was glad we got so much done in the morning; the day before had been a bust ride-wise, so we were making up for lost time!

ZehnJahren

11-04-2011, 07:35 PM

So we left MK (but we'd be back for MNSSHP in just a few short hours) and walked over to the monorail to see if we could actually make it over to Epcot today.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0341.jpg

But we got a quick monorail, and had a very short wait at TTA, so before we knew it we were already at our favorite park!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0345.jpg

After all that trouble last night, we were ready to get into the park and have a bite to eat, and then get on a couple of favorite rides.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0346.jpg

We headed towards Sunshine Seasons, where I had so sickly sat and watched DBF eat on our last night on the last trip. I had been so ill that I just laid my head on the table and tried not to cry from exhaustion. Boy, that was fun to relive, right? Ok, moving on:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0347.jpg

I had the turkey sandwich and took a great picture but I can't find it. The turkey sandwich was only decent - I was so hungry that I ate it all but really it had almost no flavor. I was NOT impressed - but it was a lot of food and my stomach thanked me.

So now it's time for our first ride at Soarin'. For the life of me, I couldn't imagine what this queue was like, as I'd never seen pictures of the Concourse area. DBF and I had gotten into line on the last night of our last trip, but as I said before I was so sick that I made him get out of line. Ah, fun times.

Well, this time I was riding.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0348.jpg

We went down the FP line, and I was so surprised at how long the line was once we reached the merge. We stood for probably close to 15 minutes without moving at all once we hit the merge point, and I was starting to think I'd have to leave the line when they finally sat us all. We were lucky enough to get Concourse 3 (or was it C??) and were in the front row; I was going to ask for it, but no need.

It was so sad that there was so much dust on the screen - I would have enjoyed it a lot if you could have really relaxed and been put in the moment. As it were, I didn't enjoy it too much. :(

We went outside and looked towards Nemo.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0352.jpg

We'd never ridden this one either,so it was on the list. Let's go!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0353.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0351.jpg

I decided to try the line here; it was a mistake. We walked through and the line kept moving, but by the time we got to the very very front, I had to get out of line and head to the bathroom. Egh, that sucks.

Fortunately, they told us to come back to the wheelchair exit and we could get right back on! We were on Nemo minutes later.

I was not impressed with Finding Nemo - there was nothing to it! Wow, that was a disappointment; I liked the queue more than the ride. It was a bust at Epcot so far this morning, but I KNEW what could make this whole trip worthwhile and a ride that had never let me down - the Mexico pavilion and a little Gran Fiesta Tour!

So vamanos!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0356.jpg

We stopped in that International Gateway shop, where mom bought a shirt and I got a great ornament to match our ornament from last year. :)

Then, we were heading to our favorite pavilion.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0357.jpg

There was a food stand there, but we couldn't be stopped from our goal.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0358.jpg

Just a little further in now:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0373.jpg

WOW I LOVE this pavilion so much. It's definitely my favorite - and it's got my favorite ride in it too. (yes, I'm a nerd) One reason I have always loved this ride? The line is always nonexistent.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0374.jpg

Now I KNOW I'm at Disney!

While we were in line, there was a little girl in front of us dressed like Rapunzel. When we got close to her, I whispered loudly to my mom "LOOK, it's RAPUNZEL. Mom, it's RAPUNZEL!" When the line curved around, I saw her pulling on her mom's arm and she kept looking at me and smiling from ear to ear. It was ADORABLE. She was certain I thought she was the real Rapunzel ... well, maybe she WAS.

Once we got off the ride, we decided it was time to go see our room at CR! We hadn't received a text saying our room was ready, but it was after check-in time. We wanted a quick nap to prepare for a late MNSSHP, which we'd finally attend this afternoon. Plus, I was DEFINITELY dying to see our room!

The monorail ride back was quick - but NOT air-conditioned! WHAT? How can they do that? The first monorail had air in it, but the second was similar to sitting in a sauna - and I don't do that EVER. I was surprised, but we were quickly at the hotel and off the monorail, walking through the exit queue and heading down the little escalator at CR. Time to go see the room!

ZehnJahren

11-07-2011, 09:33 AM

When I last left you, we'd been doing this:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0378.jpg

... and had most recently been here:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0379.jpg

... and now we needed to check into our room at the Contemporary!

We went to the check-in desk and told them we hadn't gotten a text; they apologized and gave me our room keys - we were room 4404. I like fours, so this was a good sign.

We grabbed our bags from bell services (as we planned on napping for a bit before tonight's MNSSHP and needed our jammies) and headed up in the elevator.

When we made it to the room, we were both completely surprised by the size of the room (after all, we just came from Pop!).

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0385.jpg

This was more like it! Ma and I set our stuff down, and walked outside to see our view. We oohed and ahhed, and then I started in with the pictures:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0386.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0387.jpg

Here's the view from our balcony:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0388.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0002.jpg

We had a beautiful view, and it was a gorgeous day. One of my favorite parts of this room was that although it was sunny outside, once we drew those curtains it was dark and comfortable in the room!

Ok, one more:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0003.jpg

We took a nice nap and woke up feeling a little more refreshed. Before we laid down, both of us stretched our legs well to try and keep the stiffness out; we'd been walking a LOT and I was afraid I'd break myself. Or that Mom would break herself. Both of us were very surprised at how tight our legs were already - I was glad we'd stopped to do some runner's stretches BEFORE napping.

We left the room and marveled at the view:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0390.jpg

Of course I had to stop and take this pretty picture:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0391.jpg

We headed out of the Contemporary, on foot (of course). We were on our way!

Cont. in next post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43174841&postcount=64)

ZehnJahren

11-07-2011, 10:18 AM

And now it was time for us to head to MNSSHP!

(Disclaimer - I don't have a ton of pics from the party - my camera doesn't take the best nighttime shots, and I didn't want to be blinding people all night.)

The walk over was, of course, very nice. We got into the Halloween spirit before we even reached the park with this lighting:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0395.jpg

And here's the obligatory MNSSHP Mickey pumpkin head pic:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0398.jpg

I was hoping to get a decent picture of the castle, but I got this one instead:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0399.jpg

Hey, we're at MNSSHP! Who am I to complain??

We walked around Main Street and wandered around to find something to eat. We grabbed a big chicken sandwich (which we shared) in Tomorrowland and took a moment to enjoy it.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0418.jpg

Then we headed back towards the hub. We saw the crowds gathering for the Villains show, so we waited to see it. We weren't the only ones!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0410.jpg

We usually stayed to the far corner of any shows so we could make a fast getaway if needed. We were on the far right, so here comes Cruella:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0414.jpg

There was a fun interaction here:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0416.jpg

Here comes my personal disappointment of the night: we decided to get on some rides, and headed towards Splash Mountain. It appeared to be closed, so we went over to BTMRR and I asked about the GAC card since there was such a line. The man told me that they "didn't do" GAC on party nights, and that I'd have to go in the regular line. I couldn't make it through that long of a line, so we skipped it. I really wanted to go on for Mom, but I just couldn't get in that line. :(

So we tried Peter Pan. Same story - no GAC on party nights. Ok, ok. There were a ton of people in the lines this night, so we finally made our way over to Pooh, which didn't have much of a line at all. We got in line, then got out of line, then got in line, then one more time out of line, then we got BACK in line and I finally managed to make it on to my first ride ever with Pooh.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0420.jpg

Man, this was the WEIRDEST ride I have EVER been on in my life! Mom and I were laughing hysterically at just how darn ODD it was. Now that I've ridden it once, I don't know if I'll ever go on this again; I might if DBF goes with me this year, just to show it to him. If I'd have ridden this as a child, I'd have had nightmares!!!

We kept wandering, hoping to find a ride with short lines. That was difficult to do, so we just shopped and wandered, shopped and wandered. Mom bought a MNSSHP pin outside of HM, and I bought a MNSSHP shirt.

Now it was time for Hallowishes. This was a very tough show for me to sit through because they kept announcing that they were going to dim the park and to "please stay in your general area for safety". I kept getting images of the park going dark and trying to make it to a bathroom while tripping over tiny children and the elderly.

But we managed to watch it - standing, of course.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0428.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0429.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0431.jpg

After the show, we wandered some more, hoping for shorter lines. Nothing over on the left side of the park, but as we headed through the hub for Tomorrowland we saw the Villains show had just finished again:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0437.jpg

I would have loved a picture of her alone, but she was swamped. This is some of the best makeup done at Disney, if you ask me - this woman could be the REAL Maleficent.

Now it was time for the parade; we managed to get a somewhat decent spot. Before the Horseman or anything else, we heard applause moving down the parade line. We strained to see who it was, but it was just a vendor coming up along the parade route before the Horseman rode. Everyone was applauding him, and he was blushing furiously as he waved a few times to his adoring fans. It was hilarious that you could hear all the applause as he moved through the parade route.

I was very disappointed in my camera tonight - we heard the shout go up that the Headless Horseman was on his way so I turned on my video, but something happened to my camera and it froze up three seconds in. I didn't get a picture OR video of the Headless Horseman, even though I was ready for him. Booo.

Parade crowds:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0441.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0442.jpg

My DBF hates the way Johnny Depp acts as Cap'n Jack Sparrow in the Pirates films. DBF has a HILARIOUS impersonation of the Cap'n where he just runs around saying "I'm Johnny Depp, I'm Johnny Depp!" This pic was just for him!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0445.jpg

We walked around a bit longer, and gratefully saw that the Wedway had no line - so we jumped on.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0449.jpg

That hallway next to Space Mountain is SO DARK - my Ma made the comment that if we got stuck there, she might freak out. I told her I had a flashlight on my Droid, so no worries - we'd get to see the sights (if there WERE any sights) if we got stuck.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0452.jpg

Ah, what bliss!

Alright, midnight had come. Time to head back to the CR!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0458.jpg

Overall, I was disappointed in the party. We couldn't really ride anything, and the "special merchandise" was available for sale the next day! However, it was nice being in a park late.

Once we got back to CR, I fell face-down on the bed. My feet and legs were protesting, and I was exhausted.

"I think I broke myself!" I told mom. She had a laugh, I had a shower, and we both went to bed. The beds at CR were the most comfortable away-from-home beds I've ever slept in!

The plan for tomorrow was HS, Epcot, and MK for my last surprise of the trip!

Merida

11-07-2011, 07:27 PM

Cour10eB

11-08-2011, 12:34 AM

Thanks for sharing!

Terkina

11-08-2011, 07:01 AM

How odd that they didn't accept the GAC on a party night. It's a shame that not everyone (that has a ticket) can enjoy the park on a party night.

ZehnJahren

11-08-2011, 10:26 AM

Oh wow, lots of updates!

That's odd that they wouldn't accept the GAC during the party. Maybe they were expecting lower crowds? I'm definitely keeping my expectations lowered for the Christmas party. I wish they'd sell less tickets or add more stuff or something. The Halloween castle looks really cool!

That's sad to hear about Soarin' - I've never been on it either and everyone talks it up SO much. There are other rides I really love in Epcot (Norway, Mexico, Spaceship Earth) so I don't really need Soarin' to be super awesome cool, except to divert crowds from my rides, I guess. I wish they'd un-Donald-ify Mexico, though. I'm not really sure what it adds. Apparently other people agree with me!

Your room in the Contemporary is really nice. I love the headboards and your view and the white bedding (why do so many of the resorts have not pretty linens??). The inside of the Contemporary is all around really awesome. :)

I was really surprised that they didn't take the GAC too - it did limit what I could do, but what did I expect, really? It's Disney, there are lines! I'm just glad there were other things to do; I don't think the other things were worth the cost, but I'm glad that they were there regardless!!!

I'm ok with Donald in Mexico, although the old "El Rio del Tiempo" was wonderful to me. I love love love The Three Caballeros, it's always been one of my favorite movies, so I'm cool with it.

I was REALLY impressed with CR. We LOVED it.

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading!!

How odd that they didn't accept the GAC on a party night. It's a shame that not everyone (that has a ticket) can enjoy the park on a party night.

Yeah, I was unhappy with it, but thank God that I don't have a really serious disease like cancer - I wasn't in a wheelchair, or perhaps on my last trip, being denied GAC perks. Thank God I am as generally healthy as I am. Thank God.

tlenzendorf

11-08-2011, 08:17 PM

Here I am!

ZehnJahren

11-08-2011, 09:01 PM

Here I am!

Aw hello! Thanks for coming by! Hope you enjoy! :goodvibes

RGirl

11-08-2011, 11:40 PM

ZehnJahren

11-09-2011, 10:51 PM

Just found your report, and I'm really enjoying it! I hope that my DD4 and I are still going on Disney trips together when she is "all grown up."

What a shame that you experienced such long lines at MNSSHP - both this year and last, we have "wasted" a lot of the party doing rides because the lines were just too short to resist. I'm so sorry you didn't have that experience.

LOVE your surprise for your mom! Amazing!!!

Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I loved my trip with Mom - we were already talking about a repeat in a couple of years. :love: Hey, $20 a paycheck for two years is a NICE TRIP! That was part of our discussion too. :laughing:

I actually have an update on my MNSSHP that I'll put up here in a minute.

The CR surprise was probably one of my favorite moments in my whole life. Mom always does so much for everyone else, I was so glad to be able to do something so small that fulfilled a lifelong dream for us both. I still can't believe I managed to get us that room!!!

ZehnJahren

11-09-2011, 11:02 PM

As an aside, I did write a letter to WDW regarding my experiences at MNSSHP.

Besides being unable to use the GAC on the MNSSHP night, we had some additional issues that didn't ruin our trip but definitely made me think about why I spent so much on tickets. I wanted to discuss these issues with Disney - just to make them aware how the items could be construed by the general public.

I received a call tonight and had a good discussion with a member of Guest Services. I told her my concerns, and she said she could understand my frustrations with a few things and that she would be passing on my comments (of course) to the appropriate departments. I mentioned that our overall trip was wonderful and full of great times, and that I would be back in the fall next year with DBF; she immediately told me that once I had solidified our plans next year I should call her and she would "work with me to find a way for us to enjoy the party next year". She was very clear that she wanted to help me do next year what I was "unable to do this year" and encouraged me several times to contact her directly when I knew exactly when we'd be back; I have no idea what that means, but it's nice to think they may do something nice to help me feel better about such a big purchase that had several major disappointments. Maybe you'll hear about it on my TR for next fall. :)

Merida

11-10-2011, 04:40 PM

tlenzendorf

11-10-2011, 08:41 PM

That is a real bummer about the party. We had such a great time! Hopefully they can help you out with your next trip.

ZehnJahren

11-10-2011, 10:06 PM

That's so great! I would definitely call if I were you (if I were me, I'd be way too anxious about the fact that she'd forget who I was, haha, so don't do what I would do!). Fall seems like a really neat time to go with MNSSHP and Food and Wine.

My only exposure to the Three Caballeros was in this sing-along video we had (I don't even know. I remember it vaguely that there was a 3C portion and something about a guy wearing a dunce cap and the Seven Dwarves, I'll look it up.) and the section annoyed me. I should watch the original movie but I've never been able to find it! I guess I'm not impressed by the integration into El Rio del Tiempo - it seems so generic and half-hearted way to shove "recognizable" characters into an old ride for relevancy.

Hah! It was Disney's Sing Along Songs, volume Heigh-Ho. Thank you Wikipedia!

My DBF said the same thing about calling- so she "doesn't forget me". I worked for a theme park for many years and our system was very very good, so I bet Disney's is even better. But still, I have an email from her as well, so that might jog her memory. Of course, she needs to still be working at the park when I go next.

That is so funny about the Sing Along Songs! LOL! How did you find it with just "something about a guy wearing a dunce cap"??? hahaha! :laughing:

Yes, The Three Caballeros was definitely one of my absolute favorites; if you ever get some time, watch it. Probably my all time favorite song in any Disney movie (and I have quite a few I LOVE) is in this movie - Os Quindins De Yaya! Look it up on Youtube; so much fun. I know a lot of people think the movie is either racist or boring, but I guess I was exposed to it young enough that I just love it instead of judge it. :goodvibes

That is a real bummer about the party. We had such a great time! Hopefully they can help you out with your next trip.

I really didn't expect anything - and I don't know if I'd be willing to go to another party if my stomach issues don't let up and I couldn't use the GAC - but it was nice of them to offer to do SOMETHING. We had a great trip all in all, so a few issues didn't come close to making me sad or ruining our trip.

ZehnJahren

11-10-2011, 10:45 PM

Ah, Friday morning. This morning, we decided not to torture ourselves anymore and get a LITTLE more sleep than the previous few mornings. I think we slept until around 8 this morning and it was WONDERFUL.

So where were we heading? Hollywood Studios! Mom hadn't been this trip, and I really wanted her to try TSMM. She was REALLY wanting to try ToT, so that was on her "must do list"; I was looking forward to riding it with her as well. My mom's a daredevil! :woohoo: :love: We also had an ADR at 50s PT that we intended on keeping.

The park seemed pretty empty when we got there.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0465.jpg

I needed a pic of these Cars for a guy I work with who LOVES Cars and LOVES Disney. I posted it to my Facebook as well so he could see it right away.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0466.jpg

We headed in and slowly shopped our way down Hollywood Blvd. Where do you go when you first get to HS? Why, TSMM of course!

We were able to go in the FP line due to my GAC (which was a good thing, because I barely made it through the line even with a FP!), and made our way towards our car:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0470.jpg

I was excited for Ma to ride - I thought she'd have fun!

Not too shabby for a first time! I'm #1, Ma was #2

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0472.jpg

We decided to head over to Muppets, an old favorite.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0473.jpg

On the way over, we took some pics:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0475.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0476.jpg

Finally, we arrived:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0477.jpg

Yay, Muppets! Let's take some pics in the preshow!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0478.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0481.jpg

Alright, let's go see the movie.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0483.jpg

I just love this show. To be fair, I love ALL the 3D shows at Disney especially. I went on ITTBAB with DBF and my trip last year for the first time and really enjoyed it too. I love the whole "4D" experience, even if it's a little corny.

The park wasn't too crowded, so we looked at the clock. We had 15 minutes until our check-in at 50sPT, and discussed running to ToT first but figured we didn't have enough time. There was a long line out the door, but I stood in it and when I got to the front asked if we could go ahead and check in.

No, we could not.

Hm.

So we went back out to Hollywood Blvd to spend some time, and got a few pictures with a VERY sarcastic CM. He took a couple of bad pics whilst making bad jokes, but we got a couple that were ok.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0489.jpg

Alright, 4 minutes passed. Time to go check in!

Man, 50sPT was PACKED! We had about 15 minutes to wait before we were called.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0491.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0492.jpg

The place was too crowded to give two people this 4-person table, but we were seated next to it.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0495.jpg

Our "brother" was into his role, but he only came to our table four times the entire meal - once to introduce himself, once to bring our drinks, once to bring our check, and once to bring our receipt. I was NOT impressed. He got a 10% tip from me on this one - I had to go to a different server after we waited for over 15 minutes once our food had been cleared and no one came by.

So we got the menus:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0496.jpg

The waitress that seated us came back with some napkins so that Ma could spit out her gum; she asked what happened to the gum, and mom sheepishly said she swallowed it. This made the waitress laugh, and she walked off.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0500.jpg

We ordered the trio with fried chicken, pot roast, and meat loaf. We split this - it was pretty good! We both loved the mashed potatoes.

I wanted a drink with an ice cube that glowed. Again, it took forever to get a server that wasn't OUR server to go get me the drink (no one could find our server). It was super-sweet so I didn't drink much, but the cup became a souvenir for a little girl in our family and the ice cube became like MY MOST FAVORITE THING EVER!

NOW it was time for ToT. Mom and I went over to the hotel and got in line; we went right through. Once we got to the "boiler room", my stomach started up - the absolute worst time, as I really wanted to ride this with her for her first time. By the time we got close to the elevator, my stomach was not having it and I had to leave the line. I was so angry that my stomach wouldn't' behave for one damn minute so I could ride! I convinced my mom to ride without me, and I exited via not-so-droppy elevator to make a dash to the bathroom, where I sat in the stall and had a bit of a cry. I was frustrated and sad; my stomach was finally getting to me mentally.

Mom LOVED ToT; I was trying hard not to start crying again when she told me about it because I was so disappointed. I bought her a shirt that commemorated her ToT ride - the shirt with Mickey looking in to the elevator and says "I suggest you take the stairs" on the back. She was excited, and bought herself a ToT pin for her growing lanyard.

Alright, it was time to head back to the hotel. We were going to MK tonight and wanted to relax ahead of time. I had a secret - I'd booked the Wishes Dessert Party for the two of us for tonight!

We wandered towards the front.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0502.jpg

More meandering.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0503.jpg

Alright, we're CR bound.

RGirl

11-10-2011, 11:20 PM

Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I loved my trip with Mom - we were already talking about a repeat in a couple of years. :love: Hey, $20 a paycheck for two years is a NICE TRIP! That was part of our discussion too. :laughing:

I actually have an update on my MNSSHP that I'll put up here in a minute.

The CR surprise was probably one of my favorite moments in my whole life. Mom always does so much for everyone else, I was so glad to be able to do something so small that fulfilled a lifelong dream for us both. I still can't believe I managed to get us that room!!!

What a wonderful relationship you and your mom have. :lovestruc I just love reading things like this. I hope that I will have such a great relationship with my daughter when she is grown.

Now off to read your updates! :woohoo:

RGirl

11-10-2011, 11:30 PM

ZehnJahren

11-11-2011, 01:46 PM

What a wonderful relationship you and your mom have. :lovestruc I just love reading things like this. I hope that I will have such a great relationship with my daughter when she is grown.

Now off to read your updates! :woohoo:

Thanks - I hear that alot from other moms, even in my everyday life. The thing is, my Ma and I are very sarcastic, so usually if we're bugging the other one we just make it into a joke; that means there aren't a lot of serious arguments (not that we got out of my teen years unscathed!!). I'm lucky I have her for a mom, and I'd do anything I could for her. She'll be visiting us for Thanksgiving again this year; she has the whole week up so she's coming up early and I'm taking an additional day off work and we are COOKIN'!

Great news that Disney is trying hard to make things right. :thumbsup2

I'm sorry that you had some disappointing DHS moments. We had some not-so-stellar server experiences last month too, although not at 50s (we didn't eat there). So sorry that you missed out on ToT. :sad1: Much of my trip was spent on that ride thanks to my 4-year-old DD! :scared1:

Yeah, I was disappointed to miss out on Mom's first ride on ToT. I had ridden it earlier in the week - this was just a hard one to miss out on. I'm glad she liked it though!

Oliquig

11-11-2011, 05:52 PM

ZehnJahren

11-11-2011, 09:18 PM

Hey, I found your TR! It sounds like you had a great time despite the issues. Wow, CR looks so beautiful, I am jealous.

I have been going back and forth about a GAC myself. I have similar issues, due to radiation last year, and there is no waiting "to go." I totally understand the frustration and annoyance. I get upset, which of course, makes it worse. I hate going to long movies or festivals or fairs where I'm not sure what the bathroom situation is. I'm glad you contacted DW about your issues, not just for yourself, but for others who suffered the same.

Looking foward to the dessert party, I am hoping to get reservations myself!

Thanks for the reassurance on getting the GAC; I struggled with it for a bit, but I'm so glad I got one. I would go so far as to recommend one to you as well if you have a similar problem. We actually didn't use it on every ride, only when I saw a long line that made me nervous. Otherwise, we just went through the regular line (IASW, HM, TTA, Nemo, etc). But if I had any real concern, the GAC made it possible to mostly avoid getting out of line. It really changed my trip for the better, and made it better for my mom too (less waiting for no reason, less leaving the line at the last minute, more riding rides).

Merida

11-11-2011, 10:24 PM

My DBF said the same thing about calling- so she "doesn't forget me". I worked for a theme park for many years and our system was very very good, so I bet Disney's is even better. But still, I have an email from her as well, so that might jog her memory. Of course, she needs to still be working at the park when I go next.

That is so funny about the Sing Along Songs! LOL! How did you find it with just "something about a guy wearing a dunce cap"??? hahaha! :laughing:

Yes, The Three Caballeros was definitely one of my absolute favorites; if you ever get some time, watch it. Probably my all time favorite song in any Disney movie (and I have quite a few I LOVE) is in this movie - Os Quindins De Yaya! Look it up on Youtube; so much fun. I know a lot of people think the movie is either racist or boring, but I guess I was exposed to it young enough that I just love it instead of judge it. :goodvibes

I really didn't expect anything - and I don't know if I'd be willing to go to another party if my stomach issues don't let up and I couldn't use the GAC - but it was nice of them to offer to do SOMETHING. We had a great trip all in all, so a few issues didn't come close to making me sad or ruining our trip.

Haha, it helps that it's a sing-along video named Sing Along Songs! I also have spent hours on google and wikipedia ad thus have killer google fu after years of practice.

I'll keep an eye out for it.. it always amused me that it was Jose, Panchito and then Donald. I know that they were introduced through Donald, but the three names just don't flow together very nicely, you know? Especially when they're just put together (like in the Mexico ride) with little history or context.

More Hollywood Studios! Yay! I love the Muppets too (though I really hate It's Tough to Be a Bug. Just not a bug person). I'm always sad when people say they skip it, it's not like there's that much other stuff to run to get to in Hollywood Studios.

I love the theming of Prime Time, but I don't think I'd want to eat there. Not sure I like the server antics; your server would be my ideal one! Love those boomerang-print tables with the chrome. So cute!

ZehnJahren

11-11-2011, 11:06 PM

ZehnJahren

11-11-2011, 11:09 PM

Haha, it helps that it's a sing-along video named Sing Along Songs! I also have spent hours on google and wikipedia ad thus have killer google fu after years of practice.

I'll keep an eye out for it.. it always amused me that it was Jose, Panchito and then Donald. I know that they were introduced through Donald, but the three names just don't flow together very nicely, you know? Especially when they're just put together (like in the Mexico ride) with little history or context.

More Hollywood Studios! Yay! I love the Muppets too (though I really hate It's Tough to Be a Bug. Just not a bug person). I'm always sad when people say they skip it, it's not like there's that much other stuff to run to get to in Hollywood Studios.

I love the theming of Prime Time, but I don't think I'd want to eat there. Not sure I like the server antics; your server would be my ideal one! Love those boomerang-print tables with the chrome. So cute!

Yeah, you have a point - Jose, Panchito, and Donald?? I never thought of that! Donald - who NAMES these ducks?? :laughing:

How can you skip Muppets? It's a classic, for real. As for ITTBAB, to me it feels like one of the few things that is available in Animal Kingdom - I'm just not a big fan. Mom and I didn't even seriously discuss the possibility of going to AK, although I kind of wish we had now that the trip is over!

I wanted a server who was really into it at 50sPT, but ours was just pretty lackluster. I still tipped him at 10%, but that was only because I really feel like you HAVE to tip 10%. If he'd have done any less, I'd have asked for a manager - he was that non-attendant. I thought about asking for the manager for a bit, because he really just never came by. He didn't fill drinks, he didn't check on our food, he didn't come by with the check - nothin'. I wish he'd have been a little spunkier, that's all. :yay: However, the meal was good and we didn't drink enough to need refills, so we were good enough. But I probably won't go back.

IheartDDuck

11-13-2011, 02:34 PM

ZehnJahren

11-14-2011, 04:45 PM

Okay, I had to get caught up.

Beautiful room at the Contemporary. It's a huge difference from POP, isn't it? That view was beautiful too.

That's really stinks about the party! I had no idea that they wouldn't allow you to use your GAC. That's not really very good for people. I'm glad that you contacted Disney though and that you received a call on it.

I feel so bad about your ToT experience. To get that far and to have to leave at the last moment. That really stinks. :sad1:

Hello again! Hope you had an awesome trip!!!

I was disappointed about the party for sure; I never thought I'd have such issues this time around. I guess, you go to Disney and think "oh, these things might happen at home, but I'll be a medical marvel once I step foot in WDW." But that never happens. Still, we had a great trip!

ToT was probably hands-down the BIGGEST disappointment. I couldn't believe I didn't get to ride with Mom.

More updates are forthcoming, but now I'm dealing with multiple conundrums.

1) When do we go to WDW next? We were going to go end of September, so I could use my AP, but then I thought maybe over DBFs birthday the week before Thanksgiving of 2012 (and maybe then, some of the new Fantasyland would be open...??); yes I'd have to pay for tickets, but crowds would be decent and it wouldn't be STIFLING HOT like it would end of September. Seemed like a good idea, even with the possibility of hurricanes. I also planned on doing a short solo trip in Jan / Feb / March or end of April, and I wanted one solo trip this winter to get out of the cold, so I figured I'd just watch the weather in Chicago and then take off when the weather was good enough.

but...

2) Now we're talking about doing a trip for DBF and I the last week of April to miss hurricane season and some of the huge summer crowds, plus get nice weather. Hopefully the big Easter crowds would have dispersed and we'd get decent crowds (no 8/9/10s...). No big parties or anything going on; but DBF does NOT like it hot. I love the hot weather, but I want him to enjoy everything as well - he's fine with really warm, but not so keen on super-hot. Then, I could do my solo trip in September or October and catch the new Fantasyland stuff if it's open, or enjoy it hot hot hot if it's NOT open.

What to do, what to do!?!? Long trip in April with a solo in October or September (all using my AP), or long trip in Sept / Oct / Nov with a short trip over the winter (using my AP only if we go in Sept or Oct)? I need to figure this out, because we want to rent points!!!

IheartDDuck

11-14-2011, 09:06 PM

Hello again! Hope you had an awesome trip!!!

I was disappointed about the party for sure; I never thought I'd have such issues this time around. I guess, you go to Disney and think "oh, these things might happen at home, but I'll be a medical marvel once I step foot in WDW." But that never happens. Still, we had a great trip!

ToT was probably hands-down the BIGGEST disappointment. I couldn't believe I didn't get to ride with Mom.

More updates are forthcoming, but now I'm dealing with multiple conundrums.

1) When do we go to WDW next? We were going to go end of September, so I could use my AP, but then I thought maybe over DBFs birthday the week before Thanksgiving of 2012 (and maybe then, some of the new Fantasyland would be open...??); yes I'd have to pay for tickets, but crowds would be decent and it wouldn't be STIFLING HOT like it would end of September. Seemed like a good idea, even with the possibility of hurricanes. I also planned on doing a short solo trip in Jan / Feb / March or end of April, and I wanted one solo trip this winter to get out of the cold, so I figured I'd just watch the weather in Chicago and then take off when the weather was good enough.

but...

2) Now we're talking about doing a trip for DBF and I the last week of April to miss hurricane season and some of the huge summer crowds, plus get nice weather. Hopefully the big Easter crowds would have dispersed and we'd get decent crowds (no 8/9/10s...). No big parties or anything going on; but DBF does NOT like it hot. I love the hot weather, but I want him to enjoy everything as well - he's fine with really warm, but not so keen on super-hot. Then, I could do my solo trip in September or October and catch the new Fantasyland stuff if it's open, or enjoy it hot hot hot if it's NOT open.

What to do, what to do!?!? Long trip in April with a solo in October or September (all using my AP), or long trip in Sept / Oct / Nov with a short trip over the winter (using my AP only if we go in Sept or Oct)? I need to figure this out, because we want to rent points!!!

Oh, the tough decision making that comes with planning WDW trips, right? The next time I'm going is over New Years this year. Then after that, we don't have anything on the horizon, because we're actually planning on going to Europe for two weeks in the summer, so I'll actually be going to Disneyland Paris for a day.

I was thinking about taking a short trip over F&W again, because we had such a good time, and I think a short trip focusing on F&W would be a lot of fun.

I've never gone in April before. Personally, I like September / October / November as an option. I've never had major problems before with hurricane season. If you're raring to go, you might feel like you get more bang out of your buck to go sooner when it's cold. But I'm also a bad influence, being all like "oh, go now!" :laughing:

ZehnJahren

11-14-2011, 09:28 PM

We had finished meandering HS, and we were definitely feeling the wear and tear of several days of gogogogo at WDW. We decided to head back to CR and either take a nap or get some food; either or both would be great. We were just TIRED, and Mom had two blisters that were forming. We needed a break.

So we got on the bus and headed back to CR, barely keeping our eyes open at this point.

But once I got back, I got on the phone with DBF, and woke up a little. As I sat on the balcony, savoring my beautiful Bay Lake view, I thought, "you know what I REALLY need? Pool time." So I asked mom if she was interested and she said yes, but first she had something else to do (I don't remember what). I got dressed and headed down.

The pool was nice and cool, and the day was gorgeous.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0506.jpg

I kept looking up to see if I could see Ma on our balcony, but no luck. I had grabbed us two towels and two seats, though there weren't a ton of people down there.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0511.jpg

Got in the cool pool, then popped back out to soak up the sun.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0507.jpg

While waiting for Ma, I decided to try out my waterproof pouch for my camera (which I planned on using at Ft. Myers the next week). So in we went: camera, pouch, and me!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0518.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0519.jpg

Suddenly Ma appeared. It turned out she'd been on the other side of the pool since she couldn't find me!! Once I got out of the pool to grab my camera, she recognized my swimsuit and came over.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0520.jpg

Alright, we'd relaxed a good deal and we both felt sort of relaxed (though a nap would have been better), so we started to get ready to head over to MK for our final night at the parks.

Can you tell I'm still a little tired?

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0526.jpg

Mom and I both were a little slap-happy.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0528.jpg

We headed towards our room and noticed that there was a door at the end of our "hallway". Curiosity took me over (as it so often does), and I told ma we should go check it out.

We found a nice little balcony and took some pictures:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0532.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0533.jpg

I kept hoping for a monorail behind us, but we weren't interested in waiting.

After these pics, we knew we needed to get to MK for our last night. We'd go grab a bite to eat and then hit every ride we could on our last big hurrah. Also, Mom was unaware that I had booked us a special surprise tonight - the Wishes Dessert Party! I took some prescription meds for my stomach in the hopes it would really, really help tonight and off we went.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0536.jpg

RGirl

11-14-2011, 09:46 PM

Awww - a little pool time feels so good after all that walking!

Can't wait to hear about the dessert party! I thought about booking it for last month, but I had already booked so many things that I knew we would end up canceling that I didn't do it. :rotfl2:

ZehnJahren

11-14-2011, 09:50 PM

We walked over to MK (man, CR was the best resort choice EVER!) and started our ride blitz.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0538.jpg

I don't have the order written down, but we started riding all the rides in Fantasyland and took a turn on the Wedway (of course). We had a funny ride on Snow White - I was videoing the ride (yes, I know you can't see anything, but I also know it's going to be torn down) and the part came where the alligator snaps at the vehicle. I saw it at the last moment and said "OH CRAP!" really loudly, which made the woman in the vehicle laugh along with us.

I kept looking at the clock; I knew we needed to be at the Dessert Party at 8:20 - but Mom didn't. We'd eaten at 50s PT around 2, so we'd been tided over for awhile. I just needed to keep mom away from a big dinner. I think we ate at the bakery again but I just can't remember!

We headed for mom's first viewing of Philharmagic!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0543.jpg

Ah, I love this show!!!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0544.jpg

I was trying to kill some time, but mom wanted to ride IASW again. When I looked at the clock, I saw that it was around 8:10, so we just couldn't make it through the line before our reservation. I told mom that I had one last surprise for her, and steered her away from Fantasyland. As usual, she didn't ask any questions. :)

When we got near the Tomorrowland Terrace, I asked a man there how to get into the dessert party. He said "oh, it's that way but you need reservations" - to which I answered "I have reservations; thanks for the directions" and took Ma down to the entrance.

When they came to seat us, the man asked me if I made reservations really early. I said "I really don't know" - and as he walked us towards the seats, he said "you must have; these are the best seats in the house."

We were at the very very front, in PRIME viewing for Wishes!! This table was unbelievable!

We went and got dessert (delicious!) and I started taking pictures:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0552.jpg

The MSEP was also going on!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0546.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0555.jpg

Mmmm dessert.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0557.jpg

I also took some pics of Tomorrowland - isn't it BEAUTIFUL at night??

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0560.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0549.jpg

Still waiting for the show:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0563.jpg

By the way, these pictures are all FROM OUR SEATS. Wow.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0564.jpg

Right before the Magic, Memories, and You show started up, a family moved up to watch from the front. The (tall) guy in the group had a big Goofy hat on, and never took it off - I thought it very, very rude but since he wasn't obstructing my view, I didn't say anything. I heard others complaining, but noone said anything. If he'd have been in my way, I'd have definitely said SOMETHING.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0569.jpg

I LOVED the MM&Y show. That part where the castle "blasts off"??? WOW!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0567.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0570.jpg

Once MM&Y was over, we just needed to wait for Wishes. We saw a Wedway vehicle stopped on the tracks; Mom said, "maybe they're stopped so they can watch the fireworks?" I said, "wouldn't that be kinda mean to the others on the ride?"

And then it was here!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0580.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0581.jpg

Brings tears to your eyes. I kept tearing up. This was our last night; so once the fireworks were over, it was TIME TO RIDE, BABY.

We took off over to Pirates; we saw the Tiki Room on the way, but never went in:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0584.jpg

Another great adventure on the high seas!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0587.jpg

ARRRRRRRR!

After this, we went on a ride blitz, hitting everything we could. At the end, we made our grand finale with two rides on BTMRR and a ride on Splash. When we got off SM, it was 8 minutes to park close - and with blisters and all we decided to make a mad dash to HM for one last ride. Amazingly, we made it with about 2 minutes to spare, and enjoyed our happy haunts - but when we exited the ride, it was after 11. MK was closed. It was time to go.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0588.jpg

tlenzendorf

11-15-2011, 10:10 AM

ZehnJahren

11-17-2011, 08:45 AM

Last month we were going from HS to MK after Fantasmic was over. The line for the TTC was out of control! We ended up getting on the bus for the Contemporary and walked over. What a great walk! It was even nicer since Wishes had just started when we were walking.

Yes, it's amazing the difference both getting to CR instead of MK, and in walking over. I definitely from now on will keep CR in my head as an "easy-to-MK" location, whereas it never before really got on my radar as somewhere I could go and then get to MK. Aw, I miss it! :)

ZehnJahren

11-17-2011, 08:46 AM

I have really been slacking on this TR lately; I think, like many others, coming to the end of the TR mentally feels like the trip is ending again.

But as we know, all good things MUST end, so I have plans on finishing our/my last WDW day before this weekend. Thanks to everyone who has been following along - the end is coming soon. :goodvibes

ZehnJahren

11-17-2011, 08:57 AM

Oh, the tough decision making that comes with planning WDW trips, right? The next time I'm going is over New Years this year. Then after that, we don't have anything on the horizon, because we're actually planning on going to Europe for two weeks in the summer, so I'll actually be going to Disneyland Paris for a day.

I was thinking about taking a short trip over F&W again, because we had such a good time, and I think a short trip focusing on F&W would be a lot of fun.

I've never gone in April before. Personally, I like September / October / November as an option. I've never had major problems before with hurricane season. If you're raring to go, you might feel like you get more bang out of your buck to go sooner when it's cold. But I'm also a bad influence, being all like "oh, go now!" :laughing:

Oh man, your comment was sandwiched between my two updates and I didn't even see it until right now! (and that was because I was going back to re-read my "conundrum" and see if anything "came" to me)

I am running into problems because I keep thinking I'd like to see the new Fantasyland part open up, and that means late next year. But I'd like to get as much use out of the APs as I can - so far, I've already made my money back on it, but I would like to get some cheap vacations now!

I've never gone in April either - everyone says it's so busy the whole month, but the crowd calendars on TP and easyWDW don't necessarily agree - they're almost the same numbers for the week I want to go in April as the numbers I got when we went in October (actually, April is lower!).

Decisions, decisions. I'm still training for the Princess Half Marathon; hopefully registration will stay open long enough for me to decide whether or not I'll be up to par by that date. At this point, I don't know - I got sick for a bit and it pushed me pretty far off course!

RGirl

11-17-2011, 08:37 PM

What a great night at the MK! Your seats for the dessert party were amazing! But I can't believe that guy didn't take that hat off. Wow.....

ZehnJahren

11-18-2011, 11:21 AM

What a great night at the MK! Your seats for the dessert party were amazing! But I can't believe that guy didn't take that hat off. Wow.....

I found out a little later that they seat parties of two at these tables. We sat and watched the whole show in comfort, and were just thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Both of us got a cold, cold drink and I got a big bowl of (very creamy and delicious) ice cream for the show; it was so wonderfully relaxing, I know that I'll do it again when DBF and I go for our trip next year. Even if the parks aren't crowded. It was very nice, and I'd completely recommend it.

As for the hat, I kept thinking about saying something, but finally realized I wasn't the Polite Police. This guy wasn't blocking my view at all, so who was I to point out his rudeness? I tried to just let it go and enjoy our fireworks. Yes, the fireworks were ours. :)

ZehnJahren

11-18-2011, 08:15 PM

After our ride blitz at Magic Kingdom last night, I thought that we wouldn't be getting up very early this morning - and I was right.

Mom and I woke up around 8:30 a.m.; I knew right away that we wouldn't be going to any parks this morning. Mom's blistered feet were done for at this point - there would be no last-minute dash to MK, our trip together was coming to a close. She hadn't even begun to pack.

After another wonderful night in the Contemporary bed, I journeyed down to the front desk in hopes of begging them to sell me a few pillows. I cannot sleep on any pillows at home - we have more than 15 different pillows that I have to rotate through, but I can only sleep a few nights on any of them before pain and suffering sets in. I had my first few nights of comfortable sleep in years at the Contemporary, and I was determined to leave that hotel with a few of those heavenly pillows.

I spoke with an "Earning My Ears" cast member at the front desk, but it turned out that the pillows were not for sale, they had none extra to sell, and there was really no place to buy them. I'm still searching today, but I do admit I let some tears slip. I haven't had sleep like that in years, and I would have paid good money for them. The front desk CM even told me just to take them and worry about the cost later, but my conscience wouldn't allow it. ... Also, I was afraid that I'd get them home and get a $500 charge on my credit card for pillows. :laughing: So I left the front desk, dejected.

I went back to the room and opened the patio door one last time to enjoy the beautiful weather and the view. The lock broke in my hand when I tried to open it. Well, at least it waited until we were leaving! I called maintenance, and Ma and I sat on the beds looking at each other and waiting for the clock to wind down the time for us to leave the room.

We had a knock on the door. It was maintenance, but they thought the room was empty and had come to fix it. I told them we were leaving very soon, but they insisted on coming back later.

Finally, I realized what time it really was and said "HOLY CRAP MOM, YOU'RE GONNA MISS YOUR BUS" and we took off on a run to the lobby with nary a backward glance at our beloved room. When we got down there, we found that we had BARELY caught her bus; it was all loaded up, the doors to the bottom storage had been closed, and the driver was climbing aboard. We said we thought that was her bus, they double-checked and saw it was, and one of the porters took off running to catch it. It was so quick, they took her immediately and we only got a few seconds to hug goodbye and then she was dashing to the bus. She got on the bus and it took off within moments.

I watched her board; I watched it go. Maybe there was one more tear.

Thanks for the GREAT memories, Mom.

:love:

kirrrby

11-18-2011, 08:33 PM

ZehnJahren

11-18-2011, 08:54 PM

As I watched the bus go, I felt a little lonely and a little excited. What was I going to do with the rest of my day? A text on my phone told me that DBF was already at the airport in Chicago; he'd arrived early and was lounging about the terminal. He'd arrive to pick me up at the CR around 3:30 or 4 p.m.; I had a full day to myself.

We hadn't gone to Epcot much, but I was bushed, beat, and flat out exhausted by this point. The easiest thing to do seemed to be dropping my bags off at the bag check and walking over to MK; and that's JUST what I did.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0595.jpg

Oh boy, I am ALREADY TIRED. But I'm still at Disney, so I'm smilin':

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0596.jpg

Wow, this walk didn't seem so far last night.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0597.jpg

Am I even getting anywhere?

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0599.jpg

Maybe I need a rest and should just sit down for a minu... OOOOH MONORAIL!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0600.jpg

It honked at me; that made me jump and laugh and got me moving.

Alright, alright, let's go to MK!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0601.jpg

Look! Look!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/IMG_20111015_111857.jpg

Today the goal was multiple: I wanted to do some shopping, I wanted to do some wandering, and I wanted to just enjoy myself.

Ahhh, let's go.

First, towards Tomorrowland.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0602.jpg

Hey look, there's a bathroom hidden over here! I never knew!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0603.jpg

Hey look, we were here last night! I need a pic!

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0605.jpg

I didn't go into Tomorrowland; I walked the back way around the castle instead and ended up here:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0606.jpg

Look, it's the bigtop tent! Why does this remind me of that old show "Dumbo's Circus"? I don't know but I LOVED that show as a kid. We'd sometimes catch it on accident on my grandparent's satellite dish (in the 80's!!!) and I LOVED IT. Even now I can hear the theme song in my head and see that cat-woman jumping off the train - "Dumbo's Circus, DUMBO'S CIRCUS, is coming to visit YOU". Yay!

Anyway, moving on.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0608.jpg

I can't wait until that wall is down; it's so ugly.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0609.jpg

Moving on.

I went in this store and browsed, seeing a few items I might need to return for before this trip was through. I thought this was a cool display outside:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0611.jpg

No no, that pic sucks. Let's get closer:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0612.jpg

Nice!

More strolling was in order:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0613.jpg

Maybe I'll go ride Haunted Mansion.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0614.jpg

Eh, not with that line. No thanks.

This was a good opportunity to kind of take things in and imagine myself on a solo trip.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0615.jpg

I :love: HM.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0616.jpg

I started walking towards Splash and BTMRR.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0617.jpg

This sight had caught me and mom unaware just the day before. It was so cool to see our hotel from MK!!! We had kept saying "oh look, it's our hotel" every time we could see it.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0620.jpg

I was trying to catch an unusual pic, but probably just taking the same pic a thousand had before me:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0623.jpg

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0624.jpg

cont. in next post due to image restrictions (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43284522&postcount=100)

RGirl

11-18-2011, 08:54 PM

I found out a little later that they seat parties of two at these tables. We sat and watched the whole show in comfort, and were just thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Both of us got a cold, cold drink and I got a big bowl of (very creamy and delicious) ice cream for the show; it was so wonderfully relaxing, I know that I'll do it again when DBF and I go for our trip next year. Even if the parks aren't crowded. It was very nice, and I'd completely recommend it.

As for the hat, I kept thinking about saying something, but finally realized I wasn't the Polite Police. This guy wasn't blocking my view at all, so who was I to point out his rudeness? I tried to just let it go and enjoy our fireworks. Yes, the fireworks were ours. :)
Hmm, parties of two, huh? We may have to give the dessert party a try on our next trip. ;) Whenever that may be.... *sigh* :laughing:

I wouldn't have said anything to Goofy Guy either. If he had actually been blocking my view though, I probably would have asked him if he could possibly remove the hat. ;)

After our ride blitz at Magic Kingdom last night, I thought that we wouldn't be getting up very early this morning - and I was right.

Mom and I woke up around 8:30 a.m.; I knew right away that we wouldn't be going to any parks this morning. Mom's blistered feet were done for at this point - there would be no last-minute dash to MK, our trip together was coming to a close. She hadn't even begun to pack.

After another wonderful night in the Contemporary bed, I journeyed down to the front desk in hopes of begging them to sell me a few pillows. I cannot sleep on any pillows at home - we have more than 15 different pillows that I have to rotate through, but I can only sleep a few nights on any of them before pain and suffering sets in. I had my first few nights of comfortable sleep in years at the Contemporary, and I was determined to leave that hotel with a few of those heavenly pillows.

I spoke with an "Earning My Ears" cast member at the front desk, but it turned out that the pillows were not for sale, they had none extra to sell, and there was really no place to buy them. I'm still searching today, but I do admit I let some tears slip. I haven't had sleep like that in years, and I would have paid good money for them. The front desk CM even told me just to take them and worry about the cost later, but my conscience wouldn't allow it. ... Also, I was afraid that I'd get them home and get a $500 charge on my credit card for pillows. :laughing: So I left the front desk, dejected.

I went back to the room and opened the patio door one last time to enjoy the beautiful weather and the view. The lock broke in my hand when I tried to open it. Well, at least it waited until we were leaving! I called maintenance, and Ma and I sat on the beds looking at each other and waiting for the clock to wind down the time for us to leave the room.

We had a knock on the door. It was maintenance, but they thought the room was empty and had come to fix it. I told them we were leaving very soon, but they insisted on coming back later.

Finally, I realized what time it really was and said "HOLY CRAP MOM, YOU'RE GONNA MISS YOUR BUS" and we took off on a run to the lobby with nary a backward glance at our beloved room. When we got down there, we found that we had BARELY caught her bus; it was all loaded up, the doors to the bottom storage had been closed, and the driver was climbing aboard. We said we thought that was her bus, they double-checked and saw it was, and one of the porters took off running to catch it. It was so quick, they took her immediately and we only got a few seconds to hug goodbye and then she was dashing to the bus. She got on the bus and it took off within moments.

I watched her board; I watched it go. Maybe there was one more tear.

Thanks for the GREAT memories, Mom.

:love:
:sad1: I hate to see your mom leave. :sad2:

And I totally understand about the sleep thing. I am a TERRIBLE sleeper, so if I found something that helped, I would be crying if I couldn't take it home with me.

ZehnJahren

11-18-2011, 08:55 PM

Cont. from previous post (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43284522&postcount=100)

Ok, my stomach won't allow me to get on any rides. Maybe I'll just take a relaxing sit here at the exit for Splash:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0625.jpg

I went in the Splash gift shop, where I looked in vain for new merch to buy DBF a souvenir. He loved loved LOVED Splash on our trip, and was a big fan of Brer Rabbit - he said he'd like to LIVE in the ride, and I agree! I found a nice Brer Rabbit bobblehead and bought it for him. They wrapped it up nicely, and I headed towards Adventureland.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0628.jpg

How do ya do?

I thought I'd go see the Tiki Room for my first time. Rides weren't working out for me, but maybe a show would be ok?

The show was just about to begin when I went in. But my stomach was acting wonky, and right at the last minute, I chickened out and headed out the same doors I went in through. I got this pic on the way out:

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0630.jpg

I was tired, disappointed, and frustrated. Even though I was right by Pirates, I just couldn't bring myself to try any rides. I found a little store that had some interesting stuff, and I called my stepmother to ask my Dad's shirt size. I got her shirt size at the same time, and got them both good WDW shirts they can wear at the boat in the summer. Christmas is solved!

I needed a break. I sat down at a hidden little area and relaxed.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0632.jpg

I was thinking about how perfect the nook would be to breastfeed in - it was cool, quiet, and calm, cut off from the park. It would be perfect for a time-out too. But when I got up, I noticed the HUGE security camera in the right hand side of this cabinet! WHOA!

I headed toward the hub, where I saw a FP photog. I handed her my camera and asked her to "take a picture of me somewhere" and waved my hand around. All angles were good. She, however, couldn't stop laughing over the fact I'd asked for a picture "somewhere" - she said that was her favorite phrase all day.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0633.jpg

Time for more wandering. I found Cinderella's wishing well.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0634.jpg

I was beat and completely weighed down by my purchases. I looked at my watch and saw that DBF should be landing in Orlando within a half hour. As hard as it was to decide, I knew it was time to leave and head back to meet him at CR.

I headed for the entrance again, browsing the stores as I went.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0638.jpg

I felt sad that I didn't know when I'd use my AP again.

http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g383/trtapdisney/DSCN0639.jpg

I took a nice, long video of the front of MK, trying to capture it all, then headed out and back to the CR. DBF would be here soon to get me, and then we'd be off to Ft. Myers for our week at the beach.

ZehnJahren

11-18-2011, 09:15 PM

There is actually a way you can get the pillows! Or at least REALLY close to them. When we stayed in GF for a night the resort front desk told us to look at this website: http://www.disneyresortcollection.com/ We bought one of the King Ultra rest pillows. They were pretty affordable when it comes to Pillows. But the higher quality you go, the higher the price.

Thanks! When I saw the Disney Hotel Collection catalog, I was ready to call right then and there, but when I saw the pillows were a completely different manufacturer, I balked. DBF is a computer whiz, and he appears to have tracked down the exact pillow the resorts had, but we have to buy a case of them if we're going to get them direct from the manufacturer. With Christmas coming, I don't have the extra money right now (I am a pretty much cash-only kind of girl) - I'm hoping we'll still find a way after Christmas is over! There'll be 12 pillows, but we have two bedrooms with 4 pillows in one and 6 in the other, so that'll take 10...

However, if we can't, I'll definitely take this into account. I've been past desperate for a good pillow for a very long time. It would almost be worth it to just stay in the Contemporary again for a good night's sleep.

ZehnJahren

11-18-2011, 09:21 PM

:sad1: I hate to see your mom leave. :sad2:

And I totally understand about the sleep thing. I am a TERRIBLE sleeper, so if I found something that helped, I would be crying if I couldn't take it home with me.

Wow, somehow your comment got sandwiched between my updates! You have great timing!!!

I was sad to see Mom leave. It was definitely the kind of trip I'd like to live again. I think if we DID go again, I'd really want her to go to AK. Looking back, I wish we'd have hit it, but we were on limited time and it had been so long since she'd been... I know what we did was right, now I just need to get her back so that she can go to AK! I can't wait for her to come visit for Thanksgiving so that we can look at all the pics and video and relive it all!

As I said in the reply above this one, we found the pillow and manufacturer but we have to buy a case. It's a lot of pillows and a lot of money, and we didn't research too closely yet. I'll probably spend some time researching while I"m off next week for Thanksgiving.

RGirl

11-18-2011, 10:25 PM

ZehnJahren

11-20-2011, 08:40 PM

:( I'm sorry you weren't feeling well enough to ride or even see the Tiki show. But, wow, you managed to get a great pic in Adventureland! :thumbsup2

Glad you figured out the pillows - I hope you are able to get some and that they help with sleep at home too.

Another mom/daughter trip sounds good to me. I will sign on for that TR too. ;)

I still had a good time, even if I couldn't ride.

I hope that there is another mother and daughter trip, and I'm still around to report on it! :)

teekathepony

11-21-2011, 08:29 AM

Phew! All caught up!
So far it sounds like all in all, you guys had an amazing trip. It's too bad that you had to skip a few things because you weren't feeling up to it, but it does sound like a great trip regardles!

Merida

11-22-2011, 09:05 PM

Oh, I fell behind!

Love your night in MK! Night pictures are my favorite and you got a great table at the Dessert Party! People who wear big hats make me grumpy since I'm short; usually they're pretty nice about taking them off but I HATE having to ask.

How nice to find a pillow you love! I've found I don't really like normal-sized pillows but instead have a lot of smaller throw type pillows that I like much better. But I can sleep pretty much anywhere, so have yet to invest in actual, nice pillows (we finally got a down comforter and it is AMAZING. Totally understand the need for nice bed linens).

Walking around MK looks so nice and restful. It's kind of funny that they keep the Mickey and the Beanstalk theming around; do they even still sell Fun and Fancy Free? I loved the harp from that short SO MUCH.

I like the 'zoomed out' pictures, it's so odd to think how close the lands are together when I don't think of them that way. It's much more separated in my mind when actually you have a wild west mountain train next to a river boat next to a stately mansion. It provides a nice sense of perspective :)

That wishing well is one of my favorite stops but I don't think I've ever looked at the bottom. How cute!

katt789

12-12-2011, 10:18 PM

Aaaand I'm all caught up!! It looks like you guys had an awesomely amazing trip, it made me excited for the surprise trip I'm taking my mom on in Sept! :banana:

ZehnJahren

12-13-2011, 10:03 AM

Wow, I didn't come back to this TR because I didn't see any comments in my control panel; one showed up today and I found a few people had commented!

Phew! All caught up!
So far it sounds like all in all, you guys had an amazing trip. It's too bad that you had to skip a few things because you weren't feeling up to it, but it does sound like a great trip regardles!

It WAS a great trip, and I was ok with missing a few things.

Oh, I fell behind!

Love your night in MK! Night pictures are my favorite and you got a great table at the Dessert Party! People who wear big hats make me grumpy since I'm short; usually they're pretty nice about taking them off but I HATE having to ask.

I like the 'zoomed out' pictures, it's so odd to think how close the lands are together when I don't think of them that way. It's much more separated in my mind when actually you have a wild west mountain train next to a river boat next to a stately mansion. It provides a nice sense of perspective :)

That wishing well is one of my favorite stops but I don't think I've ever looked at the bottom. How cute!

We got an awesome table at MK for the dessert party! It was funny that the guy even commented on how good it was. My mom was surprised and we really enjoyed the night. I'll do it again for sure!

I couldn't believe how close the CR was - every time I saw it from the park both mom and I got SO EXCITED and would comment on it every time. The stay at CR was some of the best money I EVER spent! :goodvibes

Aaaand I'm all caught up!! It looks like you guys had an awesomely amazing trip, it made me excited for the surprise trip I'm taking my mom on in Sept! :banana:

Aw, I'm ready to go back with my Ma too! We talked about a DL trip for her 60th in the hopes that my brother could make it down with his family (they live in CA); however, it seems that my brother's kids aren't big fans of DL anymore, though, and that's the only reason we'd have gone to DL. Hm, maybe we could make it a Mom and Me trip out there too. :)