The Bear and the Bow: Christmas with the Mouses - Update 5/24 [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

Merida

01-01-2012, 02:27 PM

First, to all my new followers:

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I hope everyone is having an enjoyable New Year’s Weekend; our healthy new year started out with a day of cinnamon rolls, popcorn, and smoothies while FINALLY going to see the new Muppets movie. We both really enjoyed it but it definitely won’t overtake Muppets Christmas Carol as my favorite Muppets movie. It falls somewhere after Muppets from Space (the opening sequence is so cute in the Muppet House) and Muppet Treasure Island as a generally good film, but not outstanding. We’ve moved on to our traditional Star Wars marathon for today (4-6 only; I can’t watch the new trilogy for the same reason I can’t commit fully to Harry Potter – too many simple mathematical mistakes in timelines, etc. Things like Ben Kenobi or Charlie Weasley’s age really jump out to me and I spend far too much time rationalizing things. At least Harry Potter is of an overall higher quality than the new Star Wars trilogy).

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I’ve been going through my pictures and trying decide what to do for our travel days. Despite our lengthy trip, I have maybe 60 pictures from the road (my camera was stored in the back so I only had my 3GS as well. As much I love my phone, the camera isn’t much to write home about). When the two of us travel, Bear drives and I either sleep or read. I hate highway/freeway driving and Bear gets nervous when I drive, so we don’t take turns. Since entering grad school, I’ve had very little time for personal reading since there’s so much assigned reading to do. So when faced with about 8 hours (due to sunsets) of prime reading time, picture taking fell by the wayside. I was averaging about 2.5 books a day and quite a few of the 60 pictures are pictures of pages in lieu of sticky notes or annotation as reminders.

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Pretty much the only other thing I’m good at on a road trip is making commentary on the pop songs that come up on the radio. I can’t navigate from a map (I get turned around when trying to decide if the map and I are facing the same direction) and I can never make a quick decision if we should stop to eat, get gas, or stretch our legs at a rest stop. I also tend to want to get out at the worst rest stops.

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So Bear was usually the one to identify things like trains, cars pulled over for speeding, roadkill, interesting license plates, and other traditional road trip imagery. Not that there was very much in Kansas! I was working my way through a book of con artists and looking up every once in a while when we passed a field of windmills. The two of us also play a half-hearted game of Zitch Cow during these trips and I was continually looking up to make sure Bear wasn’t cheating (I’m pretty sure some of those cows were actually the small shrubs that are the native Kansas tree).

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The only other interesting part of Kansas was watching new windmills being installed. While the trucks containing parts were usually right next to the freeway, the actual windmills were further back (in the background of the picture). I always forget just how large the windmills are, especially since they are so serene and peaceful when in operation. I love watching windmills and I probably spent the third largest chunk of my time in Kansas watching them spin since we tend to drive on blustery days.

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Most of our stops were out of necessity since I had packed a small mini-mart’s worth of snacks in the back seat of the car. Sometimes, like a memorable gas station/Quizno’s combination store in Missouri, were themed interestingly. For some reason, the town had a Wonder Woman/Superman theme that extended to even the smallest details, like the bathroom. The Quizno’s was excellent but gas was steep $3.49/gallon and we were more in the $3.09/gallon price range that extended throughout most of the freeway.

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Finally making it out of the Kansas/Missouri/Illinois area into Tennessee/Georgia was possibly the best moment of the car trip. The explosion of color occurring outside our car made me check to see if the road had changed into gold brick; Baum knew what he was doing, making Dorothy’s home state Kansas.

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However, even the verdant plantlife and sporadic horse farms (the only road trip game better than zitch dog is zitch horse) couldn’t hold my attention forever and I again buried myself in books. Along the way to Tallahassee, we stopped in Peachtree City, GA to visit a college friend of Bear’s. He works for the National Weather Service and gave a quick tour of the town. Although he disparaged the surburgatory nature, the town has golf cart lanes. How cool is that? I would love to live in a place where I could motor along in a little golf cart versus a normal-sized car. We stopped briefly in Tallahassee to pick up a different friend, we’ll call him Mr. T(eddy Bear), who would be touring Islands of Adventure with us.

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We finally pulled into Orlando at around eight that night. We were staying off site for the night of December 14th and had tentative plans to explore downtown Orlando before turning in early (we had gotten very little sleep in between Peachtree City and Tallahassee) and then head out as soon as possible to check in at Port Orleans. We ended up heading out for drinks and appetizers at Bear and my favorite restaurant, Cuba Libre. Bear tried to orient me to my location, but all I knew was that we were incredibly close to the Peabody and I couldn’t go in and see the ducks. Instead we watched the Christmas lights, looked around the shopping center Cuba Libre was in, and (on my end) watched everyone take the exits to Disney.

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I couldn’t convince Bear to take the Disney exits and it was a long night and one disappointing continental breakfast later until I finally saw this. We were finally at Disney.

archdandy

01-02-2012, 08:44 AM

Stringbean&Wingnut

01-02-2012, 01:38 PM

That's awesome that you're able to read in the car - I used to be able to when I was a kid, but now I can barely read a sentence without getting nauseous! Glad that your drive didn't seem to be too bad!

Yay for making it under that Disney arch!!! :cool1::cool1:

Merida

01-02-2012, 10:24 PM

Joining in!!!! Your description of Bear being as old as the hills made me laugh - I am less than 2 months older than Wingnut, and he LOVES to go on about how OLD I am. And that I will always be older. And did he mention old? :rolleyes1

Can't wait to hear more!

The best (worst?) part is that Bear has a bit of a bad back so he always complains when he gets out of bed, eliciting more 'old man' cracks. It's just so easy. How could I pass that up??

I'm joining in and can't wait to hear about your trip! Ahhh! You've got me so excited for our trip in a week. I kept thinking you guys were closer to the same day as us but I guess it was a little bit further off. :goodvibes

Yeah, our trip was a bit awkward with dates because we were in so many different places. I want to try a January trip but Bear is convinced that it turns frigid as soon as January rolls around (of course, he actually lived in Florida so I'm sure he has a better idea of Florida weather than I do but still. NO CROWDS).

YOU HAVE A HEDGEHOG AND CITED YOUR SOURCES BE STILL MY BEATING HEART

Totally agree on the name change for The Bear and the Bow, by the way. Did you hear that since they've started working on The Snow Queen again, they've changed the name to "Frozen"? I don't like this trend of using generic one-word titles for Disney movies, but idk maybe I'm just being dumb.

I'm excited to hear about your trip! c:

My mom's a librarian, if I didn't cite sources I'm pretty sure she would hunt me down and.. lecture me. Or something. Ha, our hedgehog is too weird as a pet. He hides food in his bed so he doesn't have to come out during the day. I'll have to upload some pictures of him (most of them have the cats photobombing because they're obsessed with cameras).

IF THEY MESS UP SNOW QUEEN I QUIT LIFE. Seriously, Snow Queen and Twelve Dancing Princesses are my favorites and they are perfect just as they are. And calling it 'Frozen' misses the whole point, I think, because it makes Snow Queen sound like Frozone-turned-evil when she's so much more than that. And quite frankly, the strength of the Snow Queen story is Gerda (I mean really, who has strong feelings about Kai? NO ONE THAT'S WHO) and the movie's focus should be on her.

Joining in! Can't wait to hear about your trip! Oh, and I'm totally jealous that you have a hedgehog! :cool1:

Thanks! We love our hedgehog, even though he isn't exactly the most hands-on pet. Usually they enjoy swimming and activities, which is super fun to watch - but ours doesn't. He does, however, excel at sticking his head in a toilet paper tube and running around which is almost as cute as swimming. But he's very low key and doesn't smell like all of those guinea pigs/hamsters/class pets that I brought home over the years.

Merida

01-02-2012, 10:50 PM

Woohoo an update! :cool1: Wow! Georgia looks so much brighter and more vibrant than Kansas. I hope the drive wasn't too terrible. I hate driving long distances and I love to read (I use most of my spare time reading) but for I can't read in the car because I get nauseous, so lucky you! :) I can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip.

I actually think Kansas is very pretty, in small doses. It reminds me a lot of Scottish moors and my Secret Garden phase (okay, by phase I mean like my entire life but let's roll with it) and wind mills! I love wind mills! But to drive across it is really draining (there's also this weird part at the end where the freeway becomes a toll road and you have to do all this zigzagging which I don't recommend!).

You know, everyone I know seems to get motion sick when reading! I've never had any problems. Of course, I fall asleep really easily in any mode of transportation so I don't read as much in the car as I would like.

That's awesome that you're able to read in the car - I used to be able to when I was a kid, but now I can barely read a sentence without getting nauseous! Glad that your drive didn't seem to be too bad!

Yay for making it under that Disney arch!!! :cool1::cool1:

See?? Everyone seems to grow into car sicknesses. Like allergies or lactose intolerance. I keep waiting for it to be my turn! :rotfl:

Too bad we'd be driving back underneath it like an hour later. :(

Merida

01-03-2012, 07:44 PM

My plan for the morning of the 15th was to get up early, scarf down some waffles at our off-site hotel (which had been very nice! We had a lovely pool view but I can’t remember the name. Bear does most of our non-Disney planning), and quickly run over to Port Orleans and check in before making it to Universal for rope drop (or their equivalent).

Needless to say, this didn’t quite work out. We were pretty much on time up to the waffles; post-waffles turned out to be a bit of a mess. Bear likes to use Tom Tom for traveling and our Tom Tom really does not like Disney. It took us a few tries before ending up at Port Orleans (though that was really Bear’s fault, not Tom Tom’s). Check-in also took ages despite us being in an incredibly short line. There were maybe three windows open and it was forever for one of them to open up. Of course, once we got called up by Darrell for our check-in, we probably hung out there for twenty minutes or so, getting paperwork, asking about room requests, and getting our room charges and dining plan worked out. The original plan called for us just leaving everyone’s luggage (ours and Mr. T’s) in the car until we came back from Universal. Darrell, however, was a super-awesome-amazing Cast Member and found us a room that was ready which put us further behind schedule.
Having gotten directions to Magnolia Terrace, we dashed back to the car and reloaded everyone. We weren’t entirely sure where to drive or park once reaching Magnolia Terrace and the loop was deceptively long. This, along with an inauspicious lack of elevators and directions to our actual room, combined to give us a sense of foreboding about our room. I was happy we were in the mansion section but Darrell hadn’t shown us exactly where the room was and we were in too much of a rush to determine exactly where we were in Riverside. But we loved the room interior and rationalized that we would only use the elevator twice – when loading and unloading our luggage – so we didn’t really need to know how to get to the elevator. Given that it was close to 30 minutes past the time we had wanted to be at Universal, we closed up the room and wandered back over to the car. Even running late, it was just too tempting to admire Riverside’s landscaping.

Being conscientious travelers, the three of us had all bought Islands of Adventure tickets the night before. Bear’s and my tickets were the electronic Will Call, which took approximately 30 seconds to collect from the terminal.

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Islands of Adventure (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6631607709/) by wingsfive (http://www.flickr.com/people/56860480@N03/), on Flickr

Mr. T, on the other hand, had a Florida resident ticket waiting for him at Will Call and needed to stand in a really long line. Bear and I stood around waiting awkwardly in the little courtyard before the turnstiles.

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Suns (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6631608797/)

The entrance to Islands of Adventure is probably my favorite part of the park. I love the theming choices here, the architecture and all the signs and finally being away from Citywalk.

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Adventure Tours (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6631619075/)

I thought that Citywalk was supposed to something similar to Downtown Disney but… it wasn’t. There was some not-very-exciting restaurants (a Burger King burger bar? Really?) and you had to pay for parking. I think. It wasn’t very clear because Tom Tom got us lost on the way to the Universal Parking Garage of Death (I’m pretty sure it’s about as large as the Sahara Desert. Large numbers of people have to get lost in there annually).

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I honestly could have spent a lot of time exploring Port of Entry, especially because it emptied out very quickly. Thematically I liked the entrance better than Main Street – Main Street doesn’t really ‘connect’ to the other lands but it makes perfect sense to go through the Port of Entry to get to different Islands of Adventure.

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The lighthouse isn’t quite as dramatic an icon as Cinderella’s Castle but I’m not sure that anyone actually realizes that it’s supposed to be. I mean, it looks like a tower, but… it’s not a very effective lighthouse. Where would the Keeper live? Where are the jagged rocks that endanger ships? Can ships even fit in the lake? Also, those steps seem like they’d be very dangerous in a storm which is when you’d want the lighthouse light to be lit.

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Plus, there are tigers. Magic Kingdom would greatly improve as a result of adding more animals.

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Anyway, I was dragged through Port of Entry, primarily by Mr. T, who was incredibly concerned about us getting to Harry Potter World late. Touring with – and actually being with – a third person was slightly disconcerting. Bear and I sort of tagged after Mr. T for most of the morning until I realized this would mean we got nothing done.

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I can’t decide if I like the view of Hogwarts across the lake. It looks so ominous and foreboding and… that’s not what Hogwarts is supposed to be? I mean, it doesn’t need to be sparkly and white but it definitely doesn’t fit in the skyline and give the same feelings as in the book. Maybe if there was something else there with it? I’m not sure, but it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the park quite yet.

Stringbean&Wingnut

01-04-2012, 05:54 AM

Merida

01-04-2012, 11:34 AM

That's awesome that the CM was able to find you an available room when you checked in! But I'm sure you guys definitely just wanted to keep to your schedule!

I agree, Hogwarts really doesn't seem to fit in with the scenery there, but I'm sure that the designers wanted to make sure you could see it as much as possible, continuity or not!

Yes! We were just kind of chatting and then he gets on the phone and does the 'whisper whisper whisper' and types something and then turns around and whispers to the lady behind him and then types some more..

and this goes on for, like, five minutes...

and then we have a room! Yes!

Yeah, that seems to be the theme with Universal/Islands of Adventure. Individually the theming was pretty good but it didn't flow together as a whole park. Everything was competing for your attention and you were very aware of all the theming instead of it being an immersive experience, in my opinion.

Also: has everyone heard the Mumford & Sons cover of 'Not in Nottingham?' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBKE4xm5c-o) I wish there was more Robin Hood (also more from the Bill Peet films) in the parks!

Merida

01-06-2012, 08:19 PM

Mr. T, even as a Florida resident, had yet to go to Harry Potter World (I will never remember the full name, it’s awful!) and was starting to get worried about crowds and timing (hint: there were no crowds today). He hurried us along through Seuss Landing and the Lost Continent, insisting there would be time for pictures and exploring later (this would come true; I think we spent the most time that day in those two sections!). The one thing I noticed on our madcap journey through slow walkers, strollers, and Whovians was how jarring the transitions were in Islands of Adventure.

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I know there isn’t much in common between Harry Potter, the Lost Continent, and Dr. Seuss, but they could’ve tried. I didn’t notice any “breaks” between the lands to emphasize the ‘island’ part (Bear assures me there was, I only remember the one between Toon Lagoon and Jurassic Park) but I feel like this would be helpful. A nice, solid bridge and river would be a nice palate cleanser especially between the incredibly stylized Seuss Landing and the Lost Continent! It wasn’t so bad between Lost Continent + Harry Potter, except for the whole “snow” thing in Hogsmeade.

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But we were inside – finally! With a glorious Hogwarts Express (best part of the whole series, let’s be real. A magical train? With awesome snacks? Sign me up!) I loved the details around this part of the park as well – even going so far as to put up a train schedule. However, overall, I think that the new 'Harry Potter World London' expansion (http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201112/2824/) (also, Gringotts train ride! I love that all theme parks are listening to my pleas for trains-based attractions. MORE TRAINS!) is sorely needed. The Wizarding World is cramped and just.. lacking.

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I’m not sure what, but it doesn’t seem like Hogsmeade. A lot of this is because it seems to be a bit of a mishmash between Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade; adding a ‘London’ branch should clear some of that up, hopefully. And really, the theming is amazing. There’s just not enough. The stores that are open (which is disappointingly few) and cramped and crowded. Beautiful, yes, but I couldn’t enjoy any of it because there were always people everywhere – and this was a relatively low crowd day!

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To be honest, my favorite part was the cat in the Gladrag’s window. Adorable and it moved! The inclusion of technology here was very well done and very subtle as well. It didn’t jump out and scream ‘YES TECHNOLOGY AREN’T WE COOL’ but instead enhanced the shop windows.

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Hogsmeade (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641993743/)

We headed up towards the castle and the ride; unfortunately Mr. T (who is incredibly tall) couldn’t fit in the ride seats comfortably. This definitely gave us a negative bias to the ride – why wouldn’t they make this more accessible? Since the queue was only 30 minutes, we decided to explore the castle and Mr. T would hop out of line at the normal point.

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Wiseacres (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641993597/)

Again, it felt just a little more forboding in here than would be my preference. There were lots of neat details, but it was definitely Movie Hogwarts and not Book Hogwarts (especially the House points jars, but I’m still bitter about the scene in the first book/movie where Slytherin has totally won and then the staff/Dumbledore are jerks and are all ‘lol We like Gryffindor better, you lose.’ How silly to do that to children! Give Gryffindor the points in private, don’t make a large group of children excited to win and then take it away in public).

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Telescope (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641993877/)

Ironically, the homiest part of the castle was the classroom. I liked all the knick-knacks scattered around because it looked well-used and like people were there! The castle tended towards sterile at times, but that’s the nature of the beast. Again, the moving portrait technology was nicely implemented, even though we rarely sat through a whole ‘scene.’

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Globe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641993981/)

The castle walkthrough was much better than the ride for us. Bear and I went on it alone together (if that makes sense..) and neither of us were very impressed. It was like the ride designers decided to throw in every major plot point from 7 books into a two minute ride. It didn’t work. It was frenetic and impossible to keep up – there needs to be a ‘down’ point to really emphasize a climax. Plus it seemed scary for the purpose of being scary. Any one of the “villains” would have made an excellent ride, the designers just needed to simplify. Also – enchanted benches are no doombuggies. The ride vehicles could’ve done with better designing but the movements were fun.

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Pigeon (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641994307/)

We headed back towards Hogsmeade, wanting to stop for lunch and a drink. I finally found my pigeons – I remembered there being quite a few more – and followed it around the street as Bear and Mr. T purchased their butterbeers. Both enjoyed them but confessed that mainly for the foam.

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We checked out the Three Broomsticks but no one was really feeling British-type food at the point. It seemed too heavy after our Cuban-heavy day the day before. The Three Broomsticks also filled up quickly and no one wanted to stand in line for food that they didn’t want.

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Honeydukes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641994613/)

Luckily there was more of Hogsmeade to explore. The Hogsmeade specific shops were well-done – Honeydukes was probably my favorite. The boys had their butterbeer which made navigating narrow aisles filled with rambunctious children difficult.

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Chocolate Frogs in Window (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641994827/)

I tried to keep my shooting to a minimum as Mr. T and I walked Bear through more Harry Potter lore. Bear and I usually have a book we read together at night (we just finished up Narnia recently, Percy Jackson is up next. I have a ridiculous amount of children/YA fantasy at my disposal) and we may just have to add Harry Potter to the list!

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Chocolate Frogs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641994927/)

It was kind of embarrassing to be standing in the middle of Hogsmeade explaining chocolate frogs, it seemed as though most people there were diehard fans (going by the robes they were wearing; Gryffindor was the most popular).

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Given that they are both larger gentlemen, Bear and Mr. T pushed me quickly through Zonko’s, eager to get back outside. The dragon kite was probably my second favorite thing and Bear had to navigate me around more than one stroller as I tried to frame it correctly. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the shot and ended up stepping on at least one child. Can’t win ‘em all!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7026/6641995011_cd1d70dd7f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641995011/)
Butterbeer (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6641995011/)
Butterbeers long gone, Mr. T suggested another round before we headed out to try and make a Sinbad show (Bear’s one request of the day). The cast (team?) members at the butterbeer carts (and Harry Potter in general!) were some of the best in Islands of Adventure. I can’t imagine working in a place like Harry Potter World – the sheer amount of people that crowd in there, day after day, would be stifling. But they seemed to enjoy their jobs, debating the merits of frozen versus non with Bear (he ultimately decided on ‘non’, having gotten frozen before). As we left, we continued to try and convince Mr. T to go on his favorite rides (including the Hulk; none of them were any I was familiar with, not being a thrill ride connoisseur) . He had been unsettled by not fitting into Forbidden Journey (we failed to convince him that it wasn’t worth his time, we were being a wee bit heavy handed). Instead, the Lost Continent – home of no size restrictions – was our next destination.

(I'm sorry this isn't more exciting, it's been a long week and this took me exactly fifteen minutes to put together while watching one of Bear's disaster shows. Next time!)

marDgreen88

01-06-2012, 10:37 PM

Hi! I'm joining in (a little late) and enjoying so far. I love the way you write. :goodvibes

Nermel9

01-07-2012, 09:23 AM

I'm so sorry I got so far behind, but I'm caught up now! Had to laugh when you explained why you can't watch Star Wars 1-3, I have issues with those episodes too! I have a very hard time believing that Natalie Portman is Luke and Leia's mother. And that she would get involved with a 6 year old (isn't that how old Anakin was when she met him? :sad2:). And that THAT is how Darth Vader became Darth Vader. I felt they didn't spend enough time on that...they could have used 3 movies just to explain how he went from some heroic Jedi to the most evil villain ever, and they used what, like 15 minutes in the last movie?

Anyway, on to the Disney stuff...well, Florida stuff I guess! :rotfl:

Wow, that seems like it was a long drive to Florida! :eek: It's a nice way to see the country, though!

I don't know why check in always takes so long at some Disney resorts, the line can be so short and you will still wait for like 3 hours. And now they have that annoying person who will ask you what your name is while you're standing in line, and tries to go get your folder if you have done online check in, but then they can't find your folder and it just turns into a big mess and instead of it saving you time, you just get stressed out (haha, this happened to us at CSR in October!)...just give me my room key and let's go!! :scared1:

Islands of Adventure looks nice. We always want to go there but we end up skipping it. I think we're actually going to go the next time we go to Disney, to sort of break up the days, my DH tends to get sick of all things Disney lately, so maybe he will enjoy this. Harry Potter World looks really nice, but...I've never read the books, never seen the movies. So I would probably just skip it if we went. Although I would like to try that butterbeer, that sounds amazing!

Can't wait to read more! :banana:

archdandy

01-07-2012, 01:37 PM

YOU DIDNT LIKE THE FORBIDDEN JOURNEY?! :eek: How is that even possible? Haha. I thought it was amazing! I agree that each of the shops were way over crowded and it made it difficult to enjoy being there. I'm curious, did Bear enjoy his butterbeer more when it was frozen or when it wasn't?

Merida

01-08-2012, 07:59 PM

Hi! I'm joining in (a little late) and enjoying so far. I love the way you write. :goodvibes

Thanks! It's definitely not too late, I'm kind of slow! To be honest, I'm awful at any sort of consistent writing voice, so it will most likely change during the report! :laughing:

I'm so sorry I got so far behind, but I'm caught up now! Had to laugh when you explained why you can't watch Star Wars 1-3, I have issues with those episodes too! I have a very hard time believing that Natalie Portman is Luke and Leia's mother. And that she would get involved with a 6 year old (isn't that how old Anakin was when she met him? :sad2:). And that THAT is how Darth Vader became Darth Vader. I felt they didn't spend enough time on that...they could have used 3 movies just to explain how he went from some heroic Jedi to the most evil villain ever, and they used what, like 15 minutes in the last movie?

Anyway, on to the Disney stuff...well, Florida stuff I guess! :rotfl:

Wow, that seems like it was a long drive to Florida! :eek: It's a nice way to see the country, though!

I don't know why check in always takes so long at some Disney resorts, the line can be so short and you will still wait for like 3 hours. And now they have that annoying person who will ask you what your name is while you're standing in line, and tries to go get your folder if you have done online check in, but then they can't find your folder and it just turns into a big mess and instead of it saving you time, you just get stressed out (haha, this happened to us at CSR in October!)...just give me my room key and let's go!! :scared1:

Islands of Adventure looks nice. We always want to go there but we end up skipping it. I think we're actually going to go the next time we go to Disney, to sort of break up the days, my DH tends to get sick of all things Disney lately, so maybe he will enjoy this. Harry Potter World looks really nice, but...I've never read the books, never seen the movies. So I would probably just skip it if we went. Although I would like to try that butterbeer, that sounds amazing!

Can't wait to read more! :banana:

The other thing is that there's like.. 32 years, canonically, between Phantom Menace and A New Hope, making Obi-Wan in his fifties in A New Hope. No way that he was a general with all sorts of wacky adventures and retired and forgotten within a thirty-two year time period! Phantom Menace is my favorite of the prequels, just for the podracing scene and the Weird Al song parody. MORE WACKY OBI-WAN SHENANIGANS, LESS ANGSTY JEDI (also, less putting in Hayden Christensen into the end of Return of the Jedi I'm looking at you, Lucas).

It is a nice drive, the only problem was we had both done the drive about, oh, 18 months ago? I moved to Colorado from Pennsylvania and Bear from Florida and.. well.. Kansas doesn't change that much in that time! At least I got to hit Nashville/Atlanta instead of Ohio/Pittsburgh (I'm from the Philadelphia region) this time. :laughing:

Maybe because I was paying for everything OOP that day, but Islands of Adventure just didn't seem worth the price. I'm not really a fan of any of their properties (though if they switch out Marvel for DC I'd go - or even update the Marvel area with new movies. I like Dr. Seuss but now I've seen everything and Harry Potter is not worth the $200+ by itself). Harry Potter World was definitely built for the hardcore fans (lots of people in robes, lots of stuff word-for-word from the books, so very 'inside-joke-y'). I think I would rather go to Sea World or do a non-theme-park (I'm a museum junkie) if we left property next time.

The check-in CMs will go over every itty-bitty detail. Like seriously reading the pamphlets to you. How do I know this? Bear asked for all the information. Seriously. Twenty minutes is probably a lowball on our time at the counter. If at all possible, he likes to get information from an 'official' source (versus me and the Internet) so we got to hear all about the dining plan and the Christmas party and the Christmas decorations blah blah blah. I was ready to grab our keys and run but I got outvoted (Mr. T was watching cartoons and wanted to stay ;)).

YOU DIDNT LIKE THE FORBIDDEN JOURNEY?! :eek: How is that even possible? Haha. I thought it was amazing! I agree that each of the shops were way over crowded and it made it difficult to enjoy being there. I'm curious, did Bear enjoy his butterbeer more when it was frozen or when it wasn't?

I think a lot of it is that I'm really not that big a fan of thrill rides for the sake of thrill rides! I like it when there's a story that makes sense; throwing all the monsters at you one right after another was kind of cool, but also kind of confusing? Like, I couldn't put together the ride with stuff from the books. I think the technology and everything was amazing, they just need to take a breather and not use every single special effect in the book. It's similar to the stores, where there just isn't enough room/time to fully develop everything so they cram in all the stores/ideas into a too-small space and then I get a headache and a soda spilled on my shoes. ;)

Hm, I think he liked it nonfrozen, but more because that CM was very generous with the foam part. :goodvibes

Merida

01-09-2012, 12:35 PM

(This is a little later and a little briefer than I was planning but we just got two new foster cats and.. kittens win out over trip reports. I mean really, kittens)

We exited Hogsmeade, Bear and I trying uselessly to convince Mr. T to try to seats for some of the other thrill rides for which he had been excited. This was probably the biggest strike against Universal – not everyone can fit on the seats and a lot of our day was spent discussing this (not very fun and happy!). Mr. T also kept interjecting that it was not like this at Disney and, well, I just wanted to go to Disney!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7150/6667350431_0f8667ff4a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667350431/)
Lost Continent Deco (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667350431/)

So we headed in the Lost Continent to see some shows. Bear had – for some inexplicable reason – gotten it into his head that he needed to see the Sinbad show. Given that it was currently halfway through a performance, the three of us decided to finish any extraneous butterbeer we had and then head into Poseidon’s Fury.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6667351333_27589396af_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667351333/)
Poseidon's Fury (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667351333/)

Now this is probably about the time where everyone will swear off reading my reports for the conceivable future due to my bad taste but – I love this show (I also don’t care about the tarp over Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom. REBEL). On my high school senior trip, I’m pretty sure the only three things we did in Islands of Adventure were the Cat in the Hat ride, Jurassic Park, and this show. It’s just so awful and awesome at the same time. The big water tunnel? The fact that this mystical piece is hidden right in plain sight? The really enthusiastic actors (both live AND in the movies)? All add up to a truly excellent time.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6667352673_150a7638a5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667352673/)
Poseidon's Fury Deco (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667352673/)

And – to make matters worse – we, as a group, liked the Lost Continent area better than Harry Potter. It was less crowded and more things to do (since we didn’t want to leave Mr. T by himself again). Also the ducks in the fountain were pretty adorable. On the ‘birds Merida loves’ scale, ducks outrank pigeons by a considerable amount.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6667353675_1b5f5dfd4d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667353675/)
Sinbad (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667353675/)

By the time we escaped the archeological dig, it was time for Sinbad. We shuffled over to the theater which was blissfully empty. I could pick any seat I want! Given that I badger Bear into getting to a movie theater outrageously early (or wait five months for the point in which no one is going anymore) to get my specific seat, this immediately made me more favorable to the show.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7173/6667354619_357b517216_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667354619/)
Sinbad Ship (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667354619/)

And it was a good thing, too, because this show isn’t as spectacular as Bear had promised. It was corny and not always in a good way; the ‘pop culture’ jokes from the sidekick were awful (and I’m pretty sure there was one that bordered on Islamophobia which – not cool, IoA.). There were cool stunts (the princess had on gold sneakers. Awesome. And the lighting-the-villain-on-fire bit was very nicely done) but the story and interesting characters just weren’t there. Not that I really expected them from a 20-minute theme park show, but it would’ve been nice!

Also Bear and Mr. T made fun of me for the rest of the day because it took me legitimately half of the show to realize that it was just a skull on the mast (see above picture) and not a full skeleton of some creature. In my defense, I was at an awkward angle so could only see parts of the octopus behind the ship and assumed the skull + octopus were parts of the same animal. It’s an easy mistake to make, I swear.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6667355515_51c0016fc1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667355515/)
Christmas Decoration (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667355515/)

Having finished pretty much everything the Lost Continent (besides some browsing in the marketplace), I was finally able to drag everyone into Seuss Landing. I had fond memories of Cat in the Hat and I really really wanted to go on the train. For some reason, the boys were more willing to concede on the train than Cat in the Hat (I mean, obviously trains are usually the coolest things around but this is Cat in the Hat! And not the slightly awkward sequel, the original).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6667356423_dcf7dbc724_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667356423/)
Mulberry Street Store (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667356423/)

But it was getting more cloudy and we made the executive decision to ride the indoor/outdoor train when there was definitely no rain going on (we were also trying to escape some very determined Whovians. Characters milling around randomly definitely isn’t as great as people make it seem).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7173/6667357185_3aac1ee697_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667357185/)
Sneetches RIde (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667357185/)

I hadn’t realized that the train was themed primarily around the Sneetches, I had been under the impression that it was a medley of Seuss stories. But the general consensus was that Sneetches are cool, so who was I to complain?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6667358209_5b9a49a563_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667358209/)
Sneetches (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667358209/)

Fishing Sneetches are probably my favorite Sneetches, star or no. The train was fun and, to my chagrin, much better than the Cat in the Hat ride. Some sort of swamp cooler is used in the Cat and the Hat building and it was so humid inside. We only had a three minute wait and that was more than enough! The actual ride itself was looking very worn down; it needed to be repainted and have more things added to it. There was lots of ‘blank space’ in between figures and you could see into the workings of the ride. It was not as vibrant as fun as.. six-ish years ago. I know we waited a ridiculous amount of time in line (45+ minutes) during my senior trip and I wouldn’t wait that time now.

After deciding against Thing 1 & Thing 2 cat shirts (really, the only option left to buy anymore. Couple Thing 1 & 2, children/family Thing 1 & 2 were everywhere in the parks. I guess it’s harder to make matching T-shirts for Universal compared to Disney?). We grabbed a quick lunch in Circus McGurkus (a resounding ‘meh’. You really need counter service places to be full in order to get fresh hot food and it was a ghost town inside Circus McGurkus). There was one more ride that we needed to go on – Spider-Man.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6667358839_f8d014afdb_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667358839/)
Spider-Man (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667358839/)

Mr. T had made some noise about wanting to go on the Hulk coaster, but didn’t want to make us wait. He insisted this was the actual reason even though we assured him we didn’t mind; he had waited for Bear and I on Forbidden Journey after all. We didn’t press him and moved on to Spider-Man. This ride is so cool – and what Forbidden Journey is supposed to be.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6667359559_b2d1f0bc99_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667359559/)
Diner (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667359559/)

Yes, they throw pretty much every well-known (and a few that aren’t!) Spider-man villain at you, but there’s time in between. And a decent storyline throughout the ride. It makes sense, oddly, to have these established villains coming at you as you drive through the city. It doesn’t make sense to have a dragon, Aragog, and dementors all coming at you in Forbidden Journey (Hogwarts is supposed to be rather safe.. and why does Hagrid have a dragon anyway??). The technology is old and slightly outdated in Spider-man so the Forbidden Journey should have easily been streets ahead of Spider-man but it’s not.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7172/6667360237_aaa9630802_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667360237/)
Despicable Me dolls (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6667360237/)

After coming out of Spider-Man, which was, defying explanation, a walk-on, all three of us were stumped. No one was willing to offer an opinion on what we were going to do next. We were at that point where Mr. T was feeling awkward about imposing on our vacation and I was feeling ready for him to leave Bear and I alone. Bear was oblivious to everything and was considering another butterbeer. Since that was the only opinion anyone had – and there was still half a park to walk around – we agreed to wander through Toon Lagoon and Jurassic Park on the way to Harry Potter and reevaluate when necessary.

marDgreen88

01-12-2012, 06:53 PM

Merida

01-13-2012, 07:20 PM

Whoops, thought I’d get this up this morning, but better late than never right (actually, I rarely hold to this philosophy and hate being late. I’m punctual to a fault)?

Anyway, we had just gotten off Spider-man (aka one of the best rides in the park) and didn’t really know what to do. We hit the bathroom quickly and then just kept walking. There really isn’t much to ‘discover’ in Islands of Adventure; there’s one main path that winds through the park and not many things that truly ‘branch’ off.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7020/6685342123_432b94c6bc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342123/)
Toon Lagoon (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342123/)

Toon Lagoon was a quick pass-through for us; we don’t get the newspaper and thus don’t read many comics. And while I’m at least familiar with everyone in Toon Lagoon, none of them are sentimental favorites. Unless they decided to amp up the Rocky and Bullwinkle concentration by, like, a thousand, that is.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6685342207_67c1fd3324_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342207/)
Toon Lagoon Deco (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342207/)

But still, somehow I managed to miss Dudley Do-Right growing up (being content with Jem, Captain Planet, Rainbow Brite, My Little Pony, and Batman).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6685342411_175e2a6ecc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342411/)
Toon Lagoon - Ripsaw Falls (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342411/)

Mr. T tossed around the idea of going on Ripshaw Falls, but it was a cool, ‘tut tut, looks like rain’ sort of day and Bear and I hate getting wet on rides. He decided against riding by himself (possibly the seats? I’m not sure) and, as we neared the Jurassic Park entrance, had an excellent idea.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6685342475_9ce4e65f1b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342475/)
Jurassic Park Lamp (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342475/)

He steered us towards the big drop from Jurassic Park: the ride (they need better name differentials here) to try and convince Bear he wouldn’t get wet at all. We in Chez Bear and Bow greatly enjoy dinosaurs in all shapes and forms and it didn’t take much to nudge Bear towards the queue. Unfortunately the line for the lockers was immense – and I was pretty sure Mr. T wanted to do something by himself with Bear – so I headed into the dump shop while the two boys ran into line, barely beating out the bag line groups.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6685342553_44fe0b8079_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342553/)
Jurassic Park Tree (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342553/)

They only had about a ten minute wait + ride but the gift shops in Islands of Adventure are boring. I know that there’s lots of diversity in the merchandise, but they’re still boring. The trees were distractingly fake-looking (not that Disney puts real pines everywhere, but these were bad quality trees) with just normal ornaments.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6685342641_35ac61e784_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342641/)
Jurassic Park Gift Shop (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342641/)

I didn’t particularly care for any of the merchandise either, but my parents never encouraged souvenir shopping on our vacations so it may just be me.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6685342803_07e92bb38f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342803/)
Jurassic Park: The Ride (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342803/)

I wandered outside to the ‘dock‘ and watched the boats come in; I did spend about five minutes trying to figure out the dryer that is placed there. For some reason, I missed the directions and was positive it was some sort of piece of theming. It’s not, for those who are wondering, and it costs like $5 for a really quick dry.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7154/6685342947_f57aa15db4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342947/)
T-Rex (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685342947/)

Eventually – after about a year of waiting – Bear and Mr. T came back and I dragged them over to the educational section of Jurassic Park. There’s an impressive amount of stuff down in there, including a simulation ‘dig’ and a ‘machine’ to splice your DNA with a dinosaur’s. It was fun and indoors and not very crowded – all add up to a winner.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6685343045_937e740de2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343045/)
Jurassic Park (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343045/)

After finishing there was another entry in the endless series of ‘What do you want to do next?’ Seriously – that was how boring our day went after leaving Seuss Landing. I’m not sure if it was the weather or trying to figure out the dynamics of the three of us or whatever else, but this part of the trip didn’t really gel for Bear and I. Since we were close to Harry Potter, and had nothing better to do but unwilling to call it quits at 3PM, we headed back for butterbeer.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6685343159_849346347a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343159/)
Signpost (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343159/)

Thank goodness for the butterbeer carts – our day would’ve been a good hour, hour and a half shorter if they hadn’t been there. Mr. T asked if we wanted to go on Forbidden Journey again – no – and if not, would we mind stopping in Ollivander’s?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6685343299_9e55fa379f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343299/)
Hogsmeade (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343299/)

The line wasn’t too bad and we duly shuffled in. It seemed as though quite a few people weren’t sure why they were in line (Bear included) and Mr. T and I gave a quick overview of the experience. We did get a very nice glimpse of Ollivander as he ducked out in between sets.

And then we finally got in Ollivander’s. And then – despite having two cameras, two iPhones, and Mr. T’s camera phone in their possession – neither Bear nor Mr. T decided to photograph what happened next.

I was chosen to find a wand!

It was actually kind of weird, because Mr. Ollivander’s spiel is lifted pretty much directly from the book and I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to do things improv-style or supposed to do what was in the book as well. (Mr. T later informed me that I was not as entertaining as I could’ve been. It definitely would’ve been helpful to see the show before I did it). But we got through it and a 15.25”, yew (yessss), phoenix feather (yesssss again), rather bendy wand chose me. I didn’t end up buying it because this thing was the Big Baby Vinylmation of wands, through no fault of its own. Perhaps fewer skeletons at the bottom and more phoenixes? I do wonder who designed the wands and why they put skulls or skeletons on all of them (no lie).

We browsed through the connecting (jampacked) gift shops for awhile, discussing wands and Ollivander’s (we figured that I was chosen because I had waved at Mr. Ollivander while in line, in case anyone was wondering. I think he scopes out the line in between groups).

It was still an excellent way to end the day and definitely improved our (okay, mine. Bear still insists that he didn’t take any pictures because he was too focused on me being famous. I think he likes the park better now too, if only because he likes when other people think I’m special).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6685343437_94ecdf1f70_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343437/)
Seuss Landing Tree (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343437/)

We browsed our way out of the park, being much more inclined to find small pretty details. Our primary focus was Seuss Landing since we had covered the Lost Continent pretty well earlier in the day – Seuss Landing was also, coincidentally, much closer to the exit.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6685343559_acf8ac9cb5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343559/)
Seuss Landing - Lorax trees (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343559/)

The Whovians were out in full force, having all apparently come from Who-Mart and were now ready to meet new people. I seriously think almost the entire character budget are spent on these guys; they’re certainly of a much higher quality than the superheroes.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6685343695_d0743a5fb7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343695/)
Croissant Moon Bakery (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685343695/)

I really wanted to stop in the Bakery when we got back to the Port of Entry but Mr. T wanted to stop at the restroom again and, well, I didn’t want to spend any money when we had Deluxe Dining and Disney Rewards dollars waiting for us at Port Orleans.

We only got lost once getting back to the car (this would soon become our record for quickest return to car) and exited (after about 30 minutes of driving) the massive parking garage.

We were going back to Disney!

Merida

01-13-2012, 07:37 PM

I just can't believe that in the most popular section of the park that the seats would be too small/awkward for some people. Seems like poor planning!

On the other hand, Seuss Landing looks adorable!

Yeah, there's really not much space in Islands of Adventure in general (except Toon Lagoon, we found). They're expanding Harry Potter into Universal which should help with some of the crowds, I think. They did the best they could with their space (ironically, having Walt Disney's problem with Disneyland! :rotfl:)

It is! I love Seuss Landing, it's so cute and done very well. It's definitely faded a bit from what I remember but it still works. I wish Disney had done something similar for the Muppets (I know there was stuff planned that never got realized).

Merida

01-14-2012, 02:22 PM

We parked behind Magnolia Terrace in what would soon become our special parking space and tried to figure out where our room was, exactly. Past a quiet pool, up a flight of stairs, around a corner and – – our room! Bear and I were reenergized by finally being in our vacation spot (this trip had actually been delayed six months so we were more than ready for vacation) and didn’t want to hang around in the room

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6685377879_99afe03228_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377879/)
Riverside Refurbed Room (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377879/)

I convinced Bear to come with me to pick up our refillable mugs; I was really really excited for the possibility of citrus white tea whenever I wanted and as much as I wanted. Mr. T turned down the offer – he was more tired and sore than Bear and I and had no reason to see how far our room was from the Mill.

We had never checked out the room view or anything, so to our great surprise, if you walked the away from the parking lot side, there was the Sassagoula River. We technically had a river view room (plus lots of trees) that had pretty much direct access to the bridge to the main pool and Riverside Mill. Our check-in cast member, Darrell, was pretty much the most awesome person in the entire world and, as we crossed the bridge, literally started singing his praises.

Inside the Mill, we wandered around a bit before finding mugs and drinks and getting everything settled. Bear, having finished before me, checked out some of the DVC pamphlets on the omnipresent DVC stand in the lobby. There still wasn’t someone manning it (he also looked when I was checking in, which lead to the Abbot and Castello routine of Bear asking a question, me answering it, and then Mr. T, in all his infinite Florida Resident wisdom, promptly repeating my answer with slightly different wording. To be fair, I do tend to hedge my answers as to not sound like a know-it-all (adding in lots of ‘I think’ or ‘If I remember correctly’) but not-so-deep-down I really [i]am a know-it-all and do not need other people to validate my answers). So remembering this morning, I wasn’t quite ready to go back to our room yet and suggested heading down for beignets.

This hadn’t exactly been the plan originally and I hadn’t bothered to bring my camera to the Mill with us. But Bear agreed with me about needing a break (and beignets) so our walk to French Quarter went unphotographed. This turned out to be a good thing because that walk was probably a highlight of our trip. Maybe just because it was so nice to be by ourselves after Islands or because the weather and sunset were so lovely, whatever it was, we really fell in love with Port Orleans during that walk.

French Quarter was nice, in a different way from Riverside. Funnily enough, we explored French Quarter more than Riverside during the trip due to our frequent beignet excursions. I don’t think there’s one we necessarily like better than the other, with the exception of Alligator Bayou. Just not our style. And French Quarter’s food court has those scary statues/deco (not even sure what to call them) hanging up, but the cobbled streets more than make up for that!

We picked up two orders of beignets, figuring Mr. T would want some, and power walked back to Riverside. Beignets, Bear assured me, were not as good cold. We had each tried one in the food court (delicious) and did not want the others to go to waste.

In the room, Mr. T was on the phone (like always) and we hustled him through finishing the call, eating his beignets (I helped by eating one of them) and getting ready for dinner at Downtown Disney. We were meeting one of Mr. T’s friends at Earl of Sandwich for dinner and I wanted some time to look through the shops beforehand.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7146/6685375389_6c369bec01_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375389/)
Boatwright's (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375389/)

Camera bag repacked, we headed down to wait for the boats. These boats are the best idea ever and I’m now hardpressed to choose a resort to stay at that isn’t on the river.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6685375477_d1f4e7f0c4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375477/)
Riverside Mansions (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375477/)

The views, the nice captains, the relaxing rides, the excellent music (which changes according to where you are, which I found adorable. Bluegrass for Riverside, jazz for French Quarter, and then more “traditional” once we headed towards Saratoga Springs) were all wonderful, especially when you consider the nightmare stories about DTD buses.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7014/6685375587_faca228194_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375587/)
Downtown Disney Carousel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375587/)

I had never been to Downtown Disney before and wasn’t exactly sure what was there. I was dragged past an art store, a Christmas store, and a kitchen store because the boys didn’t feel like ‘shopping’ – they were too hungry. Given that I had suggested Earl of Sandwich, they sat down on a curb with menus to decide while I watched the carousel.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6685375679_7dfff08355_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375679/)
Carousel Horses (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375679/)

I was fairly confident we would end up going to Earl of Sandwich anyway, so I tuned out the discussion. I love carousels; we still have a few originals near my hometown. Bear doesn’t appreciate them the same way so I rarely have a chance to ride one.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7168/6685375769_90a62e6233_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375769/)
Carousel Horses (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375769/)

I still didn’t ride one that night; I wasn’t sure if you had to pay to ride or anything and the boys’ discussion was winding down. Bear wanted to go to the Lego store and I wanted to go to World of Disney and our time was running short.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6685375919_384495e1a3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375919/)
Carousel Horses (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685375919/)

So I said goodbye to the ponies (the carousel was starting up again anyway) and followed Bear and Mr. T. They had decided on Earl of Sandwich (like I had figured) and were eager to see the Lego statues.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6685376013_0c0cf2ee3c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376013/)
Lego Dwarf (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376013/)

The Lego store and surrounding area were packed. There was a dance party thing going on nearby and people on stilts and all sorts of exciting things going on, so I’m not sure if that’s normal?
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6685376117_6049779d67_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376117/)
Bluebird (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376117/)

Or is it always really difficult to take pictures of the statues? With other people using flashes and walking in front of me and the poor lighting in the area, I spent more time admiring them than photographing.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6685376221_7bf26da1e4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376221/)
Lego Dwarf (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376221/)

My favorite was the Maleficient dragon followed by the Toy Story rocket. But the Toy Story rocket was obviously held up with poles/other means (based on the center of mass) so I think the dragon fight was more skillfully done.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6685376327_c8064669ae_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376327/)
Lego Heads (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376327/)

Bear headed off to go search for a keychain the moment we stepped in the store, taking Mr. T with him while I went around more slowly.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6685376533_17d50e91f9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376533/)
Lego (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376533/)

It took forever to realize that these are set up as Lego bricks. I’m not very proud of that but I do like them! I miss having all my old Lego sets around; my parents weren’t into the model type of Lego so I had mostly free range Lego.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6685376405_1c0b170c04_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376405/)
Lego Store (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376405/)

I was glad that they didn’t have those silly “girl Legos” that just came out. The ones with the different people shape? The only purpose of Lego people is to have them all be the same so you can make up wacky outfit and body combinations. Also “regular” Lego are plenty girly enough without changing around the sets and everything.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6685376639_50670bf2e9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376639/)
Lego Gringotts (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376639/)

I do have to say that Lego Harry Potter was better set up than Wizarding World of Harry Potter – how awesome is the Lego goblin?

After admiring the sets (Bear was particularly enamored with the spaceships; I liked the trains), we headed out.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6685376737_40d5ab235a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376737/)
Pumpkin Carriage (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376737/)

World of Disney is close by, so we headed in. I secretly wanted to get Bear interested in Vinylmations

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7003/6685376933_d984ed7907_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376933/)
Stitch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685376933/)

Instead we got stuck in the stuffed animal section.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7028/6685377051_f28bed20db_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377051/)
Mickey (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377051/)

Which is not always the worst place to be stuck in.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6685377183_2a1c14d581_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377183/)
Technicolor Mickey (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377183/)

Everything is soft and squishy, though I tend to stay away from Toy Story toys. I can’t bring myself to buy anything from Andy’s gang because, well, they’ve been abandoned already – especially Jessie. Like, she had a song about it. I couldn’t in good conscience buy a Jessie and then – as is inevitable – misplace or get rid of her.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7014/6685377301_a5bcf26e8e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377301/)
Figment Pin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377301/)

I asked Bear if he wanted to do pin trading (Figment!), but that was a no. Honestly I didn’t really want to do pin trading, I’m not good at interacting with people. I dragged him over to show him Vinyls but he wasn’t quite convinced of the process. The women who were in charge of the trading box were busy helping another customer so I didn’t have a chance to put the best Vinylmation foot forward for Bear – yet.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7027/6685377425_eb5e22c307_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377425/)
Ornament (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377425/)

We found Mr. T and quickly ran through the Christmas section, trying to find T-shirts. I wanted to show Bear the Up-themed castle shirt as a hint that this was a souvenir I wanted.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/6685377575_5c6673e152_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377575/)
Ornament (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377575/)

The shirt was too big for me but I loved this ornament. Mr. T’s friend – Sara? Maybe? We’ll go with that – called him, saying that she was just going to park and then meet us at Earl.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6685377651_04f0ddd95b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377651/)
Earl of Sandwich (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377651/)

We waited outside of Earl of Sandwich for a few minutes until Sara arrived. Honestly, she was a very nice person but she was insistent on giving Bear and I Disney advice. And it was stuff like ‘Go to Toy Story Mania first!!’ Which I don’t really need.

Bear and I finished up our sandwiches quickly – I had the meatball one, which was excellent! It was just crowded in there – and said our goodbyes to Mr. T and Sara. It was probably close to 9PM at that point and we had had a busy day. It also seemed more polite to let Mr. T and his friend have some time by themselves.

Just in case Mr. T came back late, we made tentative plans of getting up between 6:15 and 6:30 the next morning for our Grand Floridian Café reservation. Mr. T assured me that this would be plenty of time for him, so don’t worry!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6685377753_01761ec876_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377753/)
Mickey Head (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6685377753/)

One boat ride, a quick trip to refill our mugs, and a shower (for me) later, Bear and I were tucked in bed, enjoying a Phineas and Ferb marathon. I honestly don’t know what time Mr. T got in that night; within an episode, I was asleep.

Nermel9

01-15-2012, 07:50 AM

Stringbean&Wingnut

01-15-2012, 07:56 PM

:laughing: I STILL have not been to EOS! Maybe someday...

I love all of the structures and colors around the Lego store. It's so fun there! I think the new Toy Story Buzz and Woody structure is so cute!

IheartDDuck

01-15-2012, 07:58 PM

I'm here! Going back to catch up!

archdandy

01-18-2012, 05:11 PM

It looks like I missed quite a bit while I was in disney! It's always hard to be somewhere on vacation and be with other people. DH and I have thought about going with his brother and his wife to disney before but we don't always get along on non-stressful theme park days so it probably isn't a good idea! I hope you got the chance to go back downtown because there is so much there to see!

Merida

01-19-2012, 12:00 AM

I'm sorry I missed so many updates, I'm so far behind!

IOA looks, well...not really like my type of thing! :confused3 We always say we're going to go and then we don't, and I think there's a reason for that! I don't care about Spider Man, I know nothing about Harry Potter, and comic strips? Does anyone read those anymore? :sad2: I do think the Seuss section is cute, and the Jurassic Park ride looks fun, but anything else seems like it would annoy me quickly! That's awesome that you were chosen to get a wand though, even I know what a big deal that is, knowing nothing about HP! :rotfl:

I love the new rooms at POR, it's about time they changed them! I loved the boat ride from POR to DTD, it sounds like it's really nice at night! We only used the boat once and it was during the day.

I love all of your DTD pictures! I haven't been in the Lego store in a while, but the displays look really cute! I love World of Disney, I could spend hours in there! :thumbsup2

Isn't EoS the best place ever? There are so many places I want to eat at DTD, but I can't bring myself to not eat at EoS! Ugh, I can't stand Disney advice from random people...DIS'ers, yes, but random people no. There are times when people at work find out I'm going to Disney and they'll tell me things to do and I can't deal with it, I just have to smile and nod and try to escape! :rotfl2:

It's okay! I've been bouncing around other trip report, I'm super behind on some and have read others like twenty times! It's weird how some times certain writing/photo styles are more interesting (or type of trip! I read like all the recent Disneyland Paris trip reports this past weekend).

Probably the one failure of Islands of Adventure was that it couldn't get me to care about anything in the park! Like, I'm not normally all about the Wild West and mining towns in real life, but I still really like Big Thunder Mountain. There's just something missing from IoA that keeps it from being a vacation destination for us.

Yes, Port Orleans is so nice and peaceful. They're even making Alligator Bayou much more palatable! It's a Disney miracle! I do wish Disney would update the website with new room pictures, I had to go searching the Internet to figure out that places like Yacht/Beach Club aren't entirely outdated with ugly bedspreads.

I liked Earl of Sandwich pretty well, but it wasn't my favorite sandwich ever. Maybe if it hadn't been so crowded (and I had picked a better sandwich! The Cannonballs was good but not what I was feeling that day). I do really want to go back but there's just so many good places in Downtown Disney! I definitely liked it a lot more than I thought I would and I'm pretty sure I will always get lost in World of Disney. There's just so many different kinds of stores to look in; I actually can't imagine what Disney was like in the souvenir heyday. To me, a souvenir novice, there's WAY more choice/variety than I could ever deal with and I can't believe there used to be more.

:laughing: I STILL have not been to EOS! Maybe someday...

I love all of the structures and colors around the Lego store. It's so fun there! I think the new Toy Story Buzz and Woody structure is so cute!

Earl was nice, but really crowded and I have had better sandwiches (I mean, the bread was good but not, like, amazing. I was pretty tired so it's not an objective review though!)

I know! I really wanted to play at the little tables outside but they were always swarmed with kids. Plus I wasn't really certain of the hygiene there... ;) I wish they would add some labels to the statues; I can't remember which dwarf is which one was which!

I'm here! Going back to catch up!

Yay! There's really not very much yet (esp. Disney) because, well, I'm slow and easily distracted by things like wedding photography (why are they all so pretty?!).

It looks like I missed quite a bit while I was in disney! It's always hard to be somewhere on vacation and be with other people. DH and I have thought about going with his brother and his wife to disney before but we don't always get along on non-stressful theme park days so it probably isn't a good idea! I hope you got the chance to go back downtown because there is so much there to see!

Haha, not really! School and our impossible foster kittens have really slowed down my efforts of going through pictures and such. Yeah, after talking with my boyfriend we've agreed that other people can come with us but a) they don't interrupt our morning routine/mornings in the parks b) OWN ROOMS and c) we don't spend all day with them.

We did go back to DTD a little on our last day, but just to grab some last minute souvenirs (my castle blanket!) and ended up getting lost after parking by the movie theater. So we definitely got to see more accidentally!

Merida

01-24-2012, 10:11 PM

Okay, I've fallen really far behind in the past week! School started and since both Bear and I are entering the last stretch of our masters' program, we've had a lot of talking to do about future plans and sort of mapping out the next few years (vacations included ;)). It took us a lot longer than we had thought because, well, we're scientists and will research everything! I've got the next batch of pictures edited and uploaded and will try and get the next post up tomorrow/before the weekend.

ZehnJahren

01-25-2012, 03:29 PM

Really enjoying the pictures along with the story so far. You've got a lot of great pics but my favorite is probably all those lego guy heads. Looks like a tiny toy massacre. :)

Merida

01-25-2012, 11:18 PM

I did mean to get this up earlier but last night was the (election year, no less!!) State of the Union. It’s like the Super Bowl and the Oscars all in one! For me, amateur political nerd and West Wing aficionado , at least. And Elizabeth Warren and Maurice Sendak were on the Daily Show/Colbert Report as a perfect follow up. Tomorrow I'll start editing my poor neglected table of contents and subscribed threads folder! :goodvibes Thursday is, by all intents and purposes, Friday anyway. Perfect time for some trip report reading.

But back to December:

I had set up a wake up call, hoping I’d finally get to hear Stitch. Mr. T had assured me that getting up at 6:30 for our 7:30 reservation (ed. note: on further reflection, the reservation has to have been for between 7 and 7:15AM based on the when I got to the Magic Kingdom. I don't know why I keep thinking it was 7:30. Any time before, like, 9AM is roughly the same time anyway.) at the Grand Floridian would be just fine.

It turned out he was partly right; I jumped out of bed around 6 and, moving slowly to not wake anyone up, was finished pre-6:30. Bear woke up shortly after and stumbled around, gathering things up to take a shower. By the time he was finished, Mr. T was still not awake and ready. The Grand Floridian Café is a tradition for Bear and I and I had moved this reservation because of Mr. T and now I was going to miss it.

I was thoroughly grumpy by the time I had hustled everyone out to the car. Bear fussed with the GPS, trying to find the quickest route. Mr. T was definitely not helping, chatting away in the back seat as my anxiety level was quickly ramping up. Bear knew this, of course – we had talked about changing around reservations again because of this exact scenario, and managed to drop me off at the Grand Floridian before driving off with Mr. T to park. I managed to get lost in the lobby – there’s a reason Grand Floridian isn’t my favorite resort – before checking in ten minutes late to Grand Floridian Café.

I had a few minutes to wander around the lobby – keeping the correct exit in the corner of eye the whole time. Bear and Mr. T weren’t very far behind me, though I’m pretty sure this is mostly Bear’s doing.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6729122129_223bf9c664_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729122129/)
GFlo Lobby (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729122129/)

Or possibly the fact that I was starting to call every thirty seconds practically, trying to give him completely unnecessary and overly complicated directions. However, despite my best effort to the contrary, we all made it back to the restaurant.

Like pretty much always, the GFC was pretty empty. Just us, some older gentlemen, and a young family (the little girl had killer sparkly striped shoes). I’m assuming that everyone else was staying was at the Grand Floridian because they would meander in and out, coming back with extra things at random.

Still, one French toast and two citrus pancake orders later, I was starting to get jumpy again. Mr. T was such aslow eater and I was missing valuable park time on my own and with Bear later in the day, since Bear still had to drop Mr. T off at the airport.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6729123175_26d9fdbb80_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729123175/)
Gingerbread House (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729123175/)

But I managed to contain myself until we came to more organic end to the meal and then again while Mr. T had to check out the restrooms. The lobby was slowly becoming more crowded.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6729124239_e3d96091f6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729124239/)
Swan Ornament (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729124239/)

I’m not sure if it was for the monorail or the Grand Floridian Café, as neither were very full yet still.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6729125289_03d31f3f71_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729125289/)
GFlo Christmas Tree (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729125289/)

In fact, most of them seemed to just want to stand around the lobby and walk into all of my pictures. But we were finally corralled into one area in the lobby, right next to the main tree. While I may not be able to find a restaurant, I am always able to point the way to the nearest monorail station. It’s a gift.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7008/6729137401_18a84721c3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729137401/)
The Monorail (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729137401/)

I also tend to have good monorail timing as one was just pulling up as I dragged Bear and Mr. T outside. It may have been the ugliest monorail possible – brown – but it was there. And there were empty cars! Yay!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6729139527_cbab57b75f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729139527/)
Lagoon (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729139527/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6729147665_b4cdff6e1d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729147665/)
GFlo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729147665/)

Does anyone know what that boat is? Is it one of those Speed Racer (Mice? Drats, I forget the name) that you can rent? Or is it just possible to yacht up to the Grand Floridian?

Based on some reports, I half-expected the monorail to fall off the beam on our trip to the Magic Kingdom. But it didn’t! We all survived with no delays and a super quick trip in to the station.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6729148473_9d7374af88_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729148473/)
Monorail Station (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729148473/)
And it was only 8:30. Thirty minutes after rope drop, but still earlier than we had planned with our original Crystal Palace reservations. Bear and Mr. T were making plans to ride the monorail after dropping me off but I wasn’t really paying attention.

Why should I? I was maybe thirty seconds – more probably since there was a little girl in front of me – from one of my most favorite places. In the early morning! All by myself!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7013/6729149217_d746cbb107_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729149217/)
MK Entrance (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729149217/)

The weather wasn’t the best, still overcast, but it didn’t seem like a rain-y cloud cover (technical description) and it was a good temperature. Bear pulled me back to direct me into the bag check line.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6729150187_526dd6b291_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729150187/)
MK Entrance (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729150187/)

“No rides until I get back, remember?”

“No problem!”

Famous last words.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7173/6729151663_3e7cfd663f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729151663/)
Clock Tower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729151663/)

I’m sure we broke a million rules, but Bear entered the park with me, thus activating his ticket before he left. I had a half-formed plan of running around the Magic Kingdom for about an hour – maybe 90 minutes – grabbing fastpasses and taking pictures while waiting for Bear to get back.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6729153055_6d89d5b6f9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729153055/)
Clock Tower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729153055/)

It would be no problem to wait to ride something until Bear came back. The not-quite-as-wonderful breakfast had already melted away as I walked through the turnstiles.

“Hey, we’re leaving…” Bear tapped me on the arm. “You want my ticket, right?”

“Oh yeah, love you too, bye.”

And finally – finally! – I had some time to myself. Bear and Mr. T went off monorail joyriding.

My vacation was starting.

Merida

01-25-2012, 11:27 PM

Really enjoying the pictures along with the story so far. You've got a lot of great pics but my favorite is probably all those lego guy heads. Looks like a tiny toy massacre. :)

Ah, I love those heads! Apparently so does every small child in the vicinity of the LEGO store as I stood there, rather naively, waiting my turn for a good 5+ minutes. When I was younger, LEGO people were always my favorite toy people to play with because - unlike with Barbies, American Girl dolls, etc., etc. - I could enact crime scenes (or dastardly heists) with ease. There were a LOT of serial decapitators in my LEGO towns (what no I did not read too many mystery novels as a kid). :rotfl:

Stringbean&Wingnut

01-26-2012, 05:19 AM

marDgreen88

01-26-2012, 11:39 AM

Being late is one of the worst feelings, isn't it? Very frustrating. Glad everything worked out though! Okay, so was the date the 16th? I was at Epcot that morning and yeah, it was definitely overcast. Anyway, YAY for the Magic Kingdom! Ahh so beautiful. I'm looking forward to seeing what you did with your alone time. :goodvibes

Merida

01-26-2012, 02:27 PM

Ugh, how frustrating that you were afraid you were going to miss your breakfast! I've never seen the GFC packed that early though, I'm sure it wouldn't have been a problem if you were a few minutes late! How fun that you had some MK time to yourself!

It totally wasn't a problem, it was more the fact that I had been assured that we didn't need to follow my timetable and we would be okay getting up thirty minutes later! And then we were - surprise, surprise late. I'm just a very punctual person and Mr. T is much more flexible with time and other people's routines, so we tend to clash on these things. If we would've had a longer combined vacation, I would've brought it up but it wasn't really worth it so I just had to be grumpy privately and nice publicly and then complain to Bear afterwards! And because that took waaaay too much effort for a vacation, the guys just got loads of private time to catch up while I went on and did my own thing and everyone won! Yay! :goodvibes

Being late is one of the worst feelings, isn't it? Very frustrating. Glad everything worked out though! Okay, so was the date the 16th? I was at Epcot that morning and yeah, it was definitely overcast. Anyway, YAY for the Magic Kingdom! Ahh so beautiful. I'm looking forward to seeing what you did with your alone time. :goodvibes

I know! It was partly my fault because I had gone over the schedule a lot with Bear and we both had agreed on important things (i.e., the Grand Floridian breakfast) but I don't think we ever made that very clear to Mr. T. In our defense, this was our first time traveling with someone so now we know for next time. :)

I think that was the 16th! I like overcast mornings because they're usually a nice temperature. Bad for pictures but at least I was able to wear all the layers I wanted to bring in for the Christmas party! And Magic Kingdom is always pretty so it doesn't really matter (though Bear keeps asking me why the sky is so grey in my pictures; apparently he didn't look up until he came back from the airport! :rolleyes:)

Merida

01-28-2012, 03:40 PM

Okay, this is kind of short because I really need to go through more pictures. Kittens and research and housework never seem to be very conducive to a picture-editing mood though!

I was finally by myself and I had a plan – hit up as many Fastpass machines for when Bear got back to Magic Kingdom. I had a camera, our tickets, and only slightly behind schedule. What could stop me?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6729154573_5003a685b6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729154573/)
Magic Kingdom Tree (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729154573/)

Apparently the mass of people that were all stopped right in front of the train station.

Who knew that Pooh and Tigger were that magnetic, drawing everyone into their little hub in front of the tree. We had waffled on what week we were going to come down to Disney; I had pulled for this one (which was, honestly, the earliest we could come) due to “low crowds.” Had I been wrong?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7164/6729155549_94bde315d7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729155549/)
Main Street -> Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729155549/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7023/6729156515_c0007b5908_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729156515/)
Main Street Arcade (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729156515/)

Honestly the trip down Main Street to the main ‘hub’ of Magic Kingdom was not my best moment of the trip. Everything wasn’t quite how I had imagined it would be – and all during our awkward breakfast I had been imagining the most awesome, crowd-free, super fantastic photo opportunity morning possible.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7163/6729157419_fb27dd3a36_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729157419/)
Cinderella's Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729157419/)

That.. was not quite the case.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6729158309_bd634d73f6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729158309/)
Cinderella's Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729158309/)

Even ‘in the moment’ (and especially now, comparing that day to others), that morning’s crowds were not that bad at all. People were just bottlenecked on Main Street. Yes, there were no empty street pictures for the Castle. And people kept walking in front of me. But I would take so many Castle pictures later on that day (and our other MK evening) that the dismal first morning didn’t even matter.

But I was still slightly panicky – I had flippantly promised Bear mounds of Fastpasses by the time he got back and what if I didn’t have them?? He probably hadn’t taken me seriously but my poor old social anxiety/Asperger’s riddled brain wasn’t thinking very clearly with all the crowds.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6729159297_529c50bb9d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729159297/)
Magic Kingdom Bridge (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729159297/)

So my previous early morning Magic Kingdom went out the window and I snapped some pictures nervously while trying to come up with a new plan.

Except I tend to come up with awful new plans that are based entirely on my instincts – instincts that are not always grounded in real life.

So on this prime Magic Kingdom early morning, I headed past Crystal Palace (wishing I was in there eating puffed French toast instead of having to deal with the burden of collecting prime Fastpasses)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7171/6729160475_2f49020df1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729160475/)
Adventureland (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6729160475/)

Adventureland!

Primarily because no one else was going in there (obviously no one was willing to enter into a battle royale with me for the crème de la crème of Magic Kingdom prizes: Jungle Cruise Fastpasses).

Stringbean&Wingnut

01-28-2012, 05:54 PM

I hope that you were able to score some FP's!! It seems like there just isn't a time anymore with low crowds! We were surprised at how busy the parks were during our trip too! :sad2:

IheartDDuck

01-28-2012, 07:14 PM

Ugh, everyone always seems to get bottlenecked on Main Street. I think people are just so distracted by the castle that they don't know what to do. :laughing:

I hope you're able to succeed in getting some primo fastpasses.

Merida

01-29-2012, 11:14 PM

I hope that you were able to score some FP's!! It seems like there just isn't a time anymore with low crowds! We were surprised at how busy the parks were during our trip too! :sad2:

I mean, the crowds were technically low, especially compared to around Christmas. And once I got used to them, they weren't a problem, but I think people have selective memories of these things? Like, I clearly remember being all by myself in Adventureland and looking through some pictures, there was a decent crowd in front of me! I have no idea where they went after that sign, though. I know people complain about pricing but I honestly wouldn't mind paying more if there were fewer people in the parks (I am clearly not one of those generous souls who want all children to experience Disney World many times. I would actually prefer them to be far away from me, especially in the "off season"! :rotfl:).

We actually came home with FPs. Once I get worried about something, I go into overdrive fixing things. :rolleyes:

Ugh, everyone always seems to get bottlenecked on Main Street. I think people are just so distracted by the castle that they don't know what to do. :laughing:

I hope you're able to succeed in getting some primo fastpasses.

But it wasn't the castle as much as Winnie the Pooh? Like, Winnie the Pooh is everywhere, we can all keep moving people!! I understand why Main Street is set up the way it is (big castle reveal and all) but sometimes it's very frustrating when you're trying to get into the actual park as quickly as possible.

I did pretty good today, but nothing can really beat our AK day with our ultimate FP mission. :cutie: (I don't even know what this supposed to be an emoticon of, but there's no sly ones... so.. I've just started to use random ones).

__disneygirl

01-30-2012, 02:03 AM

Merida

01-30-2012, 01:35 PM

Hey, I am finally all caught up with your TR! I really like the way you write... especially because it's completely different from anything else on this board and that is refreshing!

Your assessment of the Wizarding World seems to be one par with most of the other things I have heard, except everyone usually says Forbidden Journey is amazing. The main reason I haven't been there yet is that so many big fans like me seem to be super underwhelmed with the area as a whole. I remember before it was announced that Universal was doing it, there was a rumor it would be Disney and I CRIED I was so excited. What Disney could have done with it... is too amazing to even think about. I'm still excited to eventually go and will be decked out in my Slytherin garb, though.
I've never been to IoA but Seuss Landing was always what I wanted to see most, and it bums me out that you said there's blank space and so on.

When I go there, I really want to just take it for what it is and not compare it to Disney so much, but Disney's standard of quality is just so much higher than the rest of the world's and it shows in things like that. I hate the Six Flags we have here in NJ so much even though I love riding the rollercoasters, because they try to be like Disney but then fail at really delivering anything spectacular and a lot of their attempts are just embarrassing.

Oh I am so jealous you got selected at Ollivanders! I heard they only choose kids. You're so lucky, that must have been awesome.

Wow, I love the Lorax Trees!

YAY Disney!!! Lately I have this obsession with POFQ. I don't know why, but I just love it now even though I've never even been there. It looks so gorgeous and fun and I think i'd even like the freaky huge decorations at the food court. I don't know, it's something different at least. I've always wanted to visit to try the beignets, but now I realllly wanna stay there.

Ahh the Lego goblin is so awesome! And Hagrid!

Mr. T sounds annoying. You're a good sport.

The GF is so beautiful. I've always wanted to eat at the GFC but I heard it's been pretty bad lately!

You are such a good girlfriend for not going on any attractions without your boyfriend. Then again, it's always more fun to share it with someone else. I can't wait to read more!

Haha, thanks! I go back and forth on whether or not that's a good thing. Annnd then I realize that it's silly to care! :rotfl:

Ugh, silly disappointing WWoHP. Not that I'm expecting wonders and amazement out of Avatarland (seriously Disney, LOOK AT DISNEYSEA AND ADD JULES VERNE LAND. Or Beastly Kingdom. Or Studio Ghibli or any idea that is not incredibly stupid), but it was just so squished. And a really quick visit if you don't want to go on really dubiously rethemed roller coasters. Seriously, Disney was able to loosen some of the reins at TokyoDisney and that turned out to be mind-blowing, so why couldn't they do it here? Just shove Harry Potter into MGM, no one would quibble (well, people would, but I don't care about them). They would have to bend their no adult costume rule but that's not a dealbreaker for me.

I wouldn't mind so much if everyone wasn't trying to copy Disney's success; if you're clever enough, it can come off well and work, but I've found very few people clever enough and it falls flat. Like, if Universal wants to be big roller coaster/thrill ride park, great! Do that! Focus on that and making that experience the best it could be instead of doing a halfway job on Cat in the Hat that looks old and broken down within five years.

Seriously? I didn't know that about Ollivander's. I mean, I know I don't look 23, but I certainly don't look eight! Though it does make sense to limit it to the approximately age 11 crowd (adults have no fun :( ).

The Lorax is a freaking amazing book and the upcoming movie is a travesty. Ahem. Stupid Cheeto CGI movie (go awaaaay from movies TSwift, you already have a career).

I felt REALLY bad about not liking any of Bear's friends because we were a long distance relationship for ages, so we never knew each others' friends. And that can get weird sometimes and Mr. T is (was?) his best friend. And then Mr. T left and he was all 'OMG THAT WAS SO ANNOYING NEVER AGAIN' (okay, that might be a paraphrase) and I felt vindicated. It's more that Mr. T is ~trying to find himself~ right now, which whatever, but you can still be a good friend to your bff in the midst of your existential crisis/personality transplant/brain slug possession. :rolleyes:

POFQ was so cool - even eliminating my cobblestone street bias. Our next trip, we're totally staying there. The whole Port Orleans complex is so pretty and I like being able to walk between the two (and sneak mugs into the dining halls at both for some more free drinks, oops). We always meant (by we, I mean Bear here) to go on a photo tour of the two resorts but ran out of time.

I thought GFC was one of the few to get pretty good overall reviews? We only go there for breakfast and it takes a special kind of place to mess up French toast. All three of us enjoyed the meals and - I must admit - the bathrooms are spectacular. Overall, the interior of the GFlo rooms/theming of GFlo aren't my favorite (we really like Port Orleans), but I can't deny that it is good at what it is!

I wasn't that good of a girlfriend. In my defense, it was only two rides (one that he doesn't even like that much!) and they went on a monorail tour (no faaaaair) and then got stuck in traffic. Four hours is a loooong time to spend in MK with no rides whatsoever! :littleangel:

Merida

01-31-2012, 03:52 PM

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6796141695_0c986853e5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796141695/)
Adventureland (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796141695/)

My first instinct was to continue towards Jungle Cruise – it has fastpasses, we like it, we plan on riding it. And there was no line!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6796141833_bab3307517_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796141833/)
Adventureland (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796141833/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7142/6796141937_43025e16c0_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796141937/)
Adventureland (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796141937/)

And then I realized that would be a tremendously stupid idea (and thus establishing how really terrible my instincts are). Why waste primo fastpass time for Jungle Cruise? No one else was doing it. Or the Tiki Room. Or the Carpets.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6796142029_5ccff13d79_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142029/)
Adventureland Architecture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142029/)

So I wandered around; Adventureland has some of my favorite theming, especially in the Aladdin area. When I was younger, I went through a British Children in Boarding School phase (a lot of these books were my mother’s, so it was 1960s and prior British Boarding Schools mixed with Dianna Wynne Jones. Though calling it a phase is rather dubious because hello, best fictional trope EVER). And in every single book, the traditional ‘oh look how naughty the children are!!’ scene is that someone manages to get a hold of an unexpurgated copy of the Arabian Nights. So it became my life’s mission to track down my own copy (I’d read expurgated copies at that point; however, in between this time and the time of finding the unexpurgated Arabian Nights, I burned through pretty much all of my mother’s romance novels as well. So the unexpurgated Arabian Nights was kind of a let down, though I am now a Julia Quinn stan 4 life (Penelope Featherington, light of my life; Colin Bridgerton, best male romance lead EVER). If you haven’t read – or have, I don’t really care – and want to read any of them, send me a PM. I may or may not have a sizable collection of romance novels on my external harddrive. And you really should read them! Shockingly, I have like a thousand and one feelings about the Bridgerton ladies (and Colin) but they can be summed up as: too cute!!).

Anyway, the Arabian Nights (in one form or another, Shannon Hale has an excellent retelling; which – on another tangent – I love fairytale retellings. My collection of romance novels is matched only by my YA fiction collection and fairytale collection (those two often overlap though). And science books in general, I guess. Maybe I just have a lot of books) has been a meaningful part of my life for a long time and I like seeing it ~in real life~, though obviously in an edited/non-traditional format.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7149/6796142175_e0a453fa24_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142175/)
Tiki Room (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142175/)

So there I was: all by myself in Adventureland, taking really silly pictures (Adventureland isn’t its best on cloudy days) and someone starts talking to me.

“Hey, whatcha doing?”

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6796142301_6e56a9549f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142301/)
Magic Lamp (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142301/)

Naturally, I practically jumped out of my skin. Was I doing something wrong?? No one told me I couldn’t be here!! Clearly the best response to this situation was to ignore it and take more really awful pictures so it seemed like I really belonged there (really, I have tons of A-land pictures of which I’m sparing everyone from seeing).

“Hey, don’t be shy, we’ve been waiting for you!”

That is – no lie – what was said next. I really hope it’s not just me, but that’s totally creepy, right? Hannibal (not the cool one with the elephants who used vinegar to conquer Italy, the serial killer one) vacations at Disney!! And has been waiting for me.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6796142465_cf13bb7864_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142465/)
Hidden Jasmine (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142465/)

Or it was just Aladdin.

Close enough.

I suppose someone didn’t realize that everyone hates Adventureland at 8:30AM and had sent out Aladdin, Jasmine, and their handler to loiter under an overhang. And I’m guessing they were really bored and wanted something to do? Well, I was kind of in the same boat so I stopped fake-taking pictures and headed over.

“Hey, you’re finally here!” Aladdin razzed me for a good five-ish minutes about ignoring them; I figured my serial killer defense wouldn’t hold up here, so I went with it. Jasmine was totally nicer and asked if I was travelling alone today.

“Well, no, I’m actually here with my boyfriend and his best friend. Only now his friend has to go home so they had to go to the airport because he has to go home... to Chicago… on the plane…” I’m not the most concise person ever.

“Really? You didn’t want to go? That sounds like a fun trip!” No, Jasmine, it really wouldn’t have been, I didn’t want to be stuck in a car with them forever! We chatted a little more about the day, what I was going to do, what they were going to do (I was trying to be polite, but in hindsight that’s a really stupid question. ‘Oh yes, we’re just going to stand here in preparation of being mobbed by thousands of small children.’)

Eventually I did have to move on. Time was still moving on and I had fastpasses to collect.

“You should get your boyfriend a magic carpet! That way you won’t have to wait so long for him anymore.” Aladdin agreed with me about the gross injustice about having to wait for my boyfriend before going on rides, so I thanked him for the suggestion and headed out.

I’m really glad I stopped for them, even though before the trip I was pretty anti any waiting for meet and greets (I totally wasn’t waiting here, so it doesn’t count! In all seriousness, this M&G totally changed my mind on M&Gs in general. I still wouldn’t wait in long lines for the characters but maybe they are fun even for social incompetents like myself). But just having them be all nice and sweet and interested in me was very bracing.

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/thisweather/gifs/charlotte_happy.gif

So, nose metaphorically repowdered, I headed off into Frontierland (I’m guessing).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6796142687_2f228e85cd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142687/)
Miner's Cove (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142687/)

I headed towards this sign (I have no idea what this sign is or where it’s from) and proceeded to take like five thousand pictures of it, all while trying to reach Bear on his phone to tell him all about Aladdin and Jasmine (he had Bluetooth, so it was safe!). I couldn’t reach him so I gave up on the sign and headed deeper into Frontierland. Destination? Big Thunder Mountain.

__disneygirl

01-31-2012, 04:29 PM

Haha, thanks! I go back and forth on whether or not that's a good thing. Annnd then I realize that it's silly to care! :rotfl:

Ugh, silly disappointing WWoHP. Not that I'm expecting wonders and amazement out of Avatarland (seriously Disney, LOOK AT DISNEYSEA AND ADD JULES VERNE LAND. Or Beastly Kingdom. Or Studio Ghibli or any idea that is not incredibly stupid), but it was just so squished. And a really quick visit if you don't want to go on really dubiously rethemed roller coasters. Seriously, Disney was able to loosen some of the reins at TokyoDisney and that turned out to be mind-blowing, so why couldn't they do it here? Just shove Harry Potter into MGM, no one would quibble (well, people would, but I don't care about them). They would have to bend their no adult costume rule but that's not a dealbreaker for me.

I wouldn't mind so much if everyone wasn't trying to copy Disney's success; if you're clever enough, it can come off well and work, but I've found very few people clever enough and it falls flat. Like, if Universal wants to be big roller coaster/thrill ride park, great! Do that! Focus on that and making that experience the best it could be instead of doing a halfway job on Cat in the Hat that looks old and broken down within five years.

Seriously? I didn't know that about Ollivander's. I mean, I know I don't look 23, but I certainly don't look eight! Though it does make sense to limit it to the approximately age 11 crowd (adults have no fun :( ).

The Lorax is a freaking amazing book and the upcoming movie is a travesty. Ahem. Stupid Cheeto CGI movie (go awaaaay from movies TSwift, you already have a career).

I felt REALLY bad about not liking any of Bear's friends because we were a long distance relationship for ages, so we never knew each others' friends. And that can get weird sometimes and Mr. T is (was?) his best friend. And then Mr. T left and he was all 'OMG THAT WAS SO ANNOYING NEVER AGAIN' (okay, that might be a paraphrase) and I felt vindicated. It's more that Mr. T is ~trying to find himself~ right now, which whatever, but you can still be a good friend to your bff in the midst of your existential crisis/personality transplant/brain slug possession. :rolleyes:

POFQ was so cool - even eliminating my cobblestone street bias. Our next trip, we're totally staying there. The whole Port Orleans complex is so pretty and I like being able to walk between the two (and sneak mugs into the dining halls at both for some more free drinks, oops). We always meant (by we, I mean Bear here) to go on a photo tour of the two resorts but ran out of time.

I thought GFC was one of the few to get pretty good overall reviews? We only go there for breakfast and it takes a special kind of place to mess up French toast. All three of us enjoyed the meals and - I must admit - the bathrooms are spectacular. Overall, the interior of the GFlo rooms/theming of GFlo aren't my favorite (we really like Port Orleans), but I can't deny that it is good at what it is!

I wasn't that good of a girlfriend. In my defense, it was only two rides (one that he doesn't even like that much!) and they went on a monorail tour (no faaaaair) and then got stuck in traffic. Four hours is a loooong time to spend in MK with no rides whatsoever! :littleangel:

I actually am expecting Avatarland to be amazing, not because I'm a fan of the film (I've never even seen it, it just doesn't interest me) but because I know that James Cameron and his team share the same obsession with attention to detail as Disney does, and from seeing the trailer I know it's a visually stunning film. So I'm sure that area of the park will be breathtaking just like the rest of the park, but with a little twist. But I REALLLLYYYYY wish they would bring whatever insanely talented and flawless people that designed Tokyo DisneySea over here and get something going. SHEESH.

"And then Mr. T left and he was all 'OMG THAT WAS SO ANNOYING NEVER AGAIN' (okay, that might be a paraphrase)"
hahaha ok even if you're paraphrasing, that must have been such a relief. Could you imagine if he was all "Sigh, I miss Mr. T! It was so fun having him here! I'm gonna go call him!"? I've never had a serious boyfriend but I feel like meeting friends of a guy I'm seeing or just friends of friends is always weird unless they're REALLY cool, which they never are. I always wanted to have that ~group of friends (like on TV) where you all meet through each other and everyone loves everyone and it just doesn't happen.

:rotfl: Okay, I seriously cracked up at Aladdin aka Hannibal Lector harassing you. That is just too funny. I went on a solo trip when I was 18 and whenever people randomly spoke to me I was always alarmed. It just kills me that he said "Whatcha doin?" Like, I'm picturing it now as cartoon Aladdin saying it and oh man there would have been lots of awkward giggling if this happened to me. And duh Jasmine, why would someone want to drive to the airport instead of being at the Magic Kingdom or Agrahbah or Adventureland or whatever? Girl, you know better than that. :rolleyes:

Nermel9

01-31-2012, 05:50 PM

Stringbean&Wingnut

01-31-2012, 07:02 PM

That's too funny that Aladdin was bored and chatty that morning! Sounds like a fun character interaction! That definitely would have startled me too! :laughing:

Merida

02-01-2012, 02:36 PM

I actually am expecting Avatarland to be amazing, not because I'm a fan of the film (I've never even seen it, it just doesn't interest me) but because I know that James Cameron and his team share the same obsession with attention to detail as Disney does, and from seeing the trailer I know it's a visually stunning film. So I'm sure that area of the park will be breathtaking just like the rest of the park, but with a little twist. But I REALLLLYYYYY wish they would bring whatever insanely talented and flawless people that designed Tokyo DisneySea over here and get something going. SHEESH.

Have you see Fern Gully and Pocahontas? I'd just save the five thousand hours it takes to watch the movie then. And that's the biggest problem! People cared more about other previous movies with similar themes than Avatar. Yes, Pandora is lovely and the 3D was great, but theme parks are, by their very nature, 3D. And.. that's all there is to Avatar. Pretty graphics, but Imagineers can make anything and everything stylish and immersive - and they can do it with in-house properties. Without James Cameron (which, how can you NOT get along with JKR but CAN get along with James 'Made Kate Winslet Cry' Cameron? I wouldn't want to be the JCam-Disney liaison!) being anywhere near the project.

Avatar's pretty much a reaction to Harry Potter, and that's fine. WDW needs expansion but Avatar won't replicate Harry Potter. Even people who haven't read/seen Harry Potter can give a summary or recognize the main characters (Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Voldemort, muggles). I don't know many people at all who care anything about Avatar - they never knew names, plots, anything. It was pretty was about as deep as it went. And that doesn't make for a very good following. I doubt many new visitors will come to Disney over and over again just to see AvatarLand; at least, not in the hordes that WWoHP came. The emotional connection to the franchise is missing.

Which is why it's kind of silly to base a whole land - not just one ride, which would be smarter - on a single movie franchise. A franchise that Disney doesn't own OR control (I can't ever see JCam releasing control). So I've seen it once, what's going to draw me back? Not character meets (no idea who they are and just meeting Random Blue Person 44 doesn't excite me). Not food (military food? Yuck. Pandorean food? Don't remember if it was ever even mentioned, so clearly not memorable). Not souvenirs (there's that one flying thing that would make a neat plush, but why would I buy it? I can't even remember the name! Or what it does! Especially compared to the more artisanal feeling of the rest of AK). Disney's run into this problem - the Ariel ride at DL, Toy Story Playland, and probably CarsLand as well. When you pin a whole land's success on one franchise, it can get old and stale REALLY fast. And how are you going to add on? The Fantasyland expansion is incorporating new experiences and characters (Belle, circuses) into Fantasyland. And you can't put new franchises/ride experiences into AvatarLand.. because then it's AlienWorldLand or something and you need to put more money into it to fix it. It's just such a rigid theme for a park - like, I may not like parts of Fantasyland or Adventureland, but I can still find things that I DO like, which is why I head back to them over and over again. Don't like Avatar? I have no reason to ever head back there, especially if it's not in the way of Everest or the Safari.

I mean, obviously I could be wrong - DisneySea proves that they can do style and non-Disney things (but again, DisneySea didn't pick one movie but did more general lands that can be expanded more easily and aren't dependent on what's popular right now. And 20K Leagues could eat Avatar for breakfast, it's that cool), but I'm skeptical because they don't really have that momentum in US parks Or the money.

If that makes sense? Expanding Animal Kingdom is good, but none of the other bits are really movie-based (except for a few little things, like Dinosaur, and look how popular that is) so a whole movie themed land doesn't fit into the overall park. And it takes away any possibility of putting in Beastly Kingdom (maybe that's what so irritating? Avatar is probably one of the last major expansions for quite some time. And it's Avatar. There's so many amazing ideas that have been passed around - both fan and official - that it's a letdown to "just" get Avatar).

/end word vomit

"And then Mr. T left and he was all 'OMG THAT WAS SO ANNOYING NEVER AGAIN' (okay, that might be a paraphrase)"
hahaha ok even if you're paraphrasing, that must have been such a relief. Could you imagine if he was all "Sigh, I miss Mr. T! It was so fun having him here! I'm gonna go call him!"? I've never had a serious boyfriend but I feel like meeting friends of a guy I'm seeing or just friends of friends is always weird unless they're REALLY cool, which they never are. I always wanted to have that ~group of friends (like on TV) where you all meet through each other and everyone loves everyone and it just doesn't happen.

:rotfl: Okay, I seriously cracked up at Aladdin aka Hannibal Lector harassing you. That is just too funny. I went on a solo trip when I was 18 and whenever people randomly spoke to me I was always alarmed. It just kills me that he said "Whatcha doin?" Like, I'm picturing it now as cartoon Aladdin saying it and oh man there would have been lots of awkward giggling if this happened to me. And duh Jasmine, why would someone want to drive to the airport instead of being at the Magic Kingdom or Agrahbah or Adventureland or whatever? Girl, you know better than that. :rolleyes:

Yeah, Bear is my first serious boyfriend (and honestly, I can't understand people who have multiple ones because it's hard work and I don't want to go through the whole process of meeting people/families, etc. again. So.. he's kind of stuck with me! :rotfl: I'm such a romantic). TV friends have ruined me for real life, I swear. Meeting Bear's high school friends was so awkward! Because they were all 'we will convince you to break up sig. others we don't like!!' and I was all '....salty-language-that-isn't-allowed-on-the-DIS' (I have been informed that this isn't ~what they meant~ but.. yeah. It's still awkward to listen to them trash other old significant others, especially when I'm really shy around new people and thus don't make ~fast friends). WHY ISN'T MY LIFE A SITCOM (ps, have you seen New Girl? I've heard that it gets way better after the pilot so I've been considering getting caught up. I have a lack of sitcommy goodness in my life right now).

Haha, I think Jasmine was just trying to be ~normal~ and Aladdin was all 'Screw this, I'm bored' and decided to be as weird as possible. She was really nice and kind of embarrassed about Aladdin, I think. But still - who picks going to the airport over anything else ever (okay, me if I'm craving Au Bon Pain)??

Merida

02-01-2012, 02:48 PM

I love your Adventureland pictures, they're really pretty!

Oh god, Aladdin harassing you like that creeped me out at first! :scared1: Jasmine seemed like she was grasping for questions to ask you, though! :rotfl: It seems like they were really sweet though, and I'm glad they made you feel comfortable! I'm still not brave enough for a meet and greet with a face character. A non-talking character and I'm fine, but one that can speak to me, forget it, I'm so nervous! I really have to get over it! :laughing:

Thanks! Or rather, Photoshop thanks you. :rotfl: It's a horrible addiction!

I KNOW. Not that I would get seriously hurt in Disney or whatever, but the fight/flight instincts def kicked in for a couple minutes.

See, I'm opposite. I get so awkward when I can't see the person's ("person") face. Or have them talk to me (what if I'm really annoying and they can't tell me/make me go away???). idk, it was really a low-stress event because there wasn't anyone else waiting (this is not true for later in the night!) so it was more being chill with some people who totally randomly happened to be dressed like Aladdin and Jasmine! Yay!! And they talked to me first, which is a big plus. And if worst comes to worst, at least they'll forget about me when all the hordes of people come into Adventureland.

That's too funny that Aladdin was bored and chatty that morning! Sounds like a fun character interaction! That definitely would have startled me too! :laughing:

It was! I was always super jealous of people having these fun and creative interactions AND THEN I DID IT! I felt so proud of myself :thumbsup2 (It's the little things in life that make me happy nowadays :goodvibes)

ZehnJahren

02-01-2012, 11:16 PM

Merida

02-03-2012, 10:31 AM

This is a pretty worthless post - but I'm going to get super caught up on everything tonight and maybe even an update in the same week! We're supposed to be in a Storm of the Century right now (THIRTY SIX HOURS!!! FEET OF SNOW!!!) and I don't tend to do my best 'real' work when there's a chance of accumulation that's measured in feet. Also, I don't tend to leave my house (counting down the hours until I'm back...). My office window has excellent mountain and snow views, I'm easily distracted and it's Friday. We already have a good 5-6 inches so there will probably be lots of snow pictures and Cirque du Soleil tangents (Bear and I went last night, right before it started snowing).

For anyone who has seen the video of Kristen Bell and the sloth- that is so totally me right now you have no idea. Most of the times I can hide my weather nerdery but this is totally not one of them.

marDgreen88

02-08-2012, 11:08 PM

Okay, so I already read your update, but for some reason I just never commented! Then I remembered the reason I hadn't commented was because I really had no idea what to say! I'm lame, I'm sorry. :laughing:

I will say that your Aladdin encounter cracked me up! I would have been so freaked out!

I promise in your next update that I will be a more active commenter. :thumbsup2

Merida

02-12-2012, 09:32 PM

This has taken me ages! In my defense, my week (okay, 10 days) has gone something like this:

1. Get 12 inches of snow
2. Still have to go to work
3. Sister has baby!
4. Still have to go to work
5. Homework is due for the class I TA
6. Professor leaves, leaving me to fend off hordes of angry students
7. At its peak, I get 6 emails/hour plus people dropping by my office
8. Still have to do my own work
9. Read a thousand pages on fastpasses (v. important!!)

So now I’m going back and forth between grading papers and writing this and thinking about doing the dishes. 2 of the 3 will definitely be done tonight (and I may squeeze in a shower! Pure luxury.)

After two or three tries, I gave up trying to reach Bear on the phone to excitedly relate my Aladdin/Jasmine meet and decided to start focusing on my surroundings.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6796142687_2f228e85cd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142687/)
Miner's Cove (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142687/)

Given my oh-so-firm anti-Splash Mountain stance, I headed up towards Big Thunder Mountain to finally grab fastpasses.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6796142835_6f58993911_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142835/)
Big Thunder Mountain (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796142835/)

Big Thunder has some of my favorite themeing (minus the Line of Death) but I never spend time back there. Like it’s always a straight shot to grab FastPasses and then gone. We’ll come back and stand in line but that’s all. No exploring necessary!!

Given that I was alone, this would’ve been the perfect time to explore and see what was in the area.

Instead I broke a FastPass machine and had to go to the attendant, head bowed in shame. I don’t even know what I did but it definitely stopped distributing the return cards after I put my room key in.

The FastPass attendant hemmed and hawed over my machine but eventually decided it would be easier – and safer – to gently usher me out of her region before other machines mysteriously stopped working. She was very nice about it and gave me a second FastPass free without asking to see Bear’s ticket or anything.

My park ticket had been ‘counted’ for a FastPass so I now technically had a free FastPass to use to resync up the cards. Excellent! I could ride rides! See characters! Do anything!

Except, of course, all the things that Bear wanted to do with me. Rats.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7011/6796143001_bc6f08c0ca_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796143001/)
Tom Sawyer's Island Map (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796143001/)

I headed out of Frontierland, still puzzling over the best way to optimize this FastPass windfall. Big Thunder, Space, and Splash were absolutely out of the question. Haunted Mansion and Small World had no Fastpass. And – after a quick check on my phone – I realized that none of the lines were long enough for FastPass anyway.

In retrospect I should’ve grabbed something for Winnie the Pooh because (spoiler alert!) we never went over there. Bear isn’t a big Pooh fan and never wanted to waste a FastPass on it. But I was still naively convinced that Bear would be back in the park shortly, leaving me no time to actually ride Pooh.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6796143155_ae55c4abda_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796143155/)
Br'er Rabbit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796143155/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6796143313_da18af8649_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796143313/)
Pecos Bill (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6796143313/)

The crowds – “crowds” – were starting to pick up in Frontierland, especially compared to Adventureland. One family would consistently step in my way every time I went to take a picture – I have a very lovely sequence of ‘Man in Ball Cap Walks by Pecos Bills.’ They were very nice people but were obviously unaware that there was very limited un-scrimmed real estate in Frontierland to photograph.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6848892225_e9546edafe_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6848892225/)
Haunted Mansion (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6848892225/)

This is actually my favorite view in Magic Kingdom (not all those other ones that I say are my favorite. It’s really this one. At least it is on Sunday the 12th of February at 8:18PM MST). I stayed here for quite a bit; it was very peaceful and everything looks so nice. Not haunted or wild or anything. And the two lands blend very nicely together; even though none of the major “pieces” would ever be seen in the same location in the real world, they still fit.

Also I really wish my house had a corner tower and conservatory. I always pictured Mr. Boddy living there (Tim Curry optional) and would have died for a murder mystery dinner theatre bit inside (or near) Haunted Mansion.

I know the historical importance and blah blah blah of Liberty Square but I would also be totally in favor of a Salem/Northeast U.S. land that expanded the Haunted Mansion. And no one really cares that much about Liberty Square, right? There’s not much going on and you wouldn’t have to replace too much of the existing structures.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7022/6848892281_4968203733_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6848892281/)
Fantasyland Lamp (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6848892281/)

Alas, I am not a consultant for Disney Parks and thus all of my brilliant theme park ideas will never see the light of day. It’s unfortunate because I’m sure Liberty Square is a very nice place but I was getting bored and antsy so it was onwards – to Fantasyland!

(okay, this was kind of awful but my brain hurts after going through those homework papers. I am not meant to be a teacher ever. Grading hurts my soul. Also I maybe forgot a lot of my pictures at school. :rolleyes1)

IheartDDuck

02-12-2012, 09:47 PM

marDgreen88

02-12-2012, 10:15 PM

I'm glad you finally got a fastpass! Haha.

I'm a wimp and would therefore be too afraid to eat dinner in the Haunted Mansion. Even with other people around me!

You take really good pictures, btw. Impressive. :thumbsup2

OH and P.S. Congrats to your sister on the baby!

Merida

02-13-2012, 01:29 PM

Such beautiful photos. The adventureland one with the tiki masks is really something! Very original, and pretty.

I also really like your Jasmine photo. Again, is another original point of view. But it's so weird that Aladdin would come talk to you. It's like, instead of a character interaction, Aladdin had a guest interaction. I wanted to do some characters on my trip but I was just to sidetracked with people watching and rides. And where I parked the rental car. A good 15% of my brain was constantly obsessed with where I parked the rental car. For real.

As for the inevitable Avatar expansion, I think it's ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. "Dear Disney, could ya please PLEASE do something, ANYTHING, with Hollywood Studios? PLEASE???" *sigh*

Thank you! I can see all the places I want to improve with my pictures and sometimes I forget why I took them in the first place.

You've completely summed up a lot of my issues with the meet and greets. Like, I can never forget that they are people as well as the character! And then I get all awkward in trying to be respectful of both the person and whomever they're portraying (it's kind of worse with the non-face because you can't see their face or anything). But they were totally talking to me as people who just happened to have a flying carpet without really pushing the 'We're real live characters!!!' bit. I do enjoy watching them with kids because they're usually really cute but I don't need that kind of interaction so I've usually avoided them (it seems kind of rude to get a picture and then scram!)

We tried SO HARD to remember where we parked our car but inevitably, every day we would remember the section but not the row. We defaulted back to where we were on the first day (row 35 or something). It was awful! I wish they'd number the spaces because even if we got the row number right, we'd forget where we were in the row! Now we just leave after everyone else so that our car is the only one left. :lmao:

I know.. Not that Avatar is bad in visuals or stuff like that, it's just not where I'd prefer to see money go! I know that I care more about Disney park history than a lot of guests (though not as much as some people on the Internet! Thank goodness for the Internet: making me feel better about my life and choices since 1998) and thus I have different expectations and standards, but I can't see a way Avatarland won't be a disaster.

Okay, so I already read your update, but for some reason I just never commented! Then I remembered the reason I hadn't commented was because I really had no idea what to say! I'm lame, I'm sorry. :laughing:

I will say that your Aladdin encounter cracked me up! I would have been so freaked out!

I promise in your next update that I will be a more active commenter. :thumbsup2

Haha, it's okay! I know I go through fits and spurts of reading-no-commenting/commenting-no-reading/commenting-AND-reading and then always end up writing novel length comments when I finally have ~inspiration~. I'm not really that chatty/social in real life (never engage in small talk with me, I am the WORST), so I don't mind comments/no comments! Some times it's just nice to read along and wait until there's something that you REALLY want to say or discuss, you know? Seeing page views go up is enough to assuage my ego. :rotfl:

Seriously, though, if you're lame, then I totally am as well for the sheer number of revisions/rewrites most of my comments go through. It can take me days to write up something at times and then another update was posted and it's back to the drawing board for me! ;)

duckylady

02-13-2012, 06:29 PM

marDgreen88

02-13-2012, 06:33 PM

Seriously, though, if you're lame, then I totally am as well for the sheer number of revisions/rewrites most of my comments go through. It can take me days to write up something at times and then another update was posted and it's back to the drawing board for me! ;)

Hahaha I do the same thing. Like most of the time I'll leave my computer sitting open on someone's update while I leave the house and then I'll come home, read it again, and write what I want to say on a macbook sticky note. SO... we can be lame together. However, sometimes comments just spit out of me... like this one. So there's that! :laughing:

Merida

02-14-2012, 10:29 AM

Hahaha, IMO it would have to be Tim Curry at Mr. Boddy! I couldn't imagine another one!

Mr. Mustard: How many husbands have you had?
Mrs. White: Mine or other women's?
Mr. Mustard: Yours.
Mrs. White: Five.
Mr. Mustard: Five?!
Mrs. White: Yes, just the five. Men should be like kleenex, soft, strong and disposable.
Mr. Mustard: You lure men to their death like a spider with flies!
Mrs. White: Flies are where men are most vulnerable!
Mr. Mustard: That's right!

Sorry sorry sorry, I just couldn't resist!!!

I get from the tone of the post that Bear didn't make it back when you expected him to? Sorry that you missed Winnie the Pooh!

I love that movie so much. It's always applicable and I know approximately zero people that've seen it. I can't even get Bear to watch it! Mrs White is my favorite in the movie (Flames, flames on the side of my face!!) but I have a soft spot for Miss Scarlett (and the fact that she moves first in the game, haha) too. Clue was probably my first franchise (I had the games and the movies and the books, which shows my ~true devotion~ because they were pretty awful, even for whodunits). I'm kind of dreading the remake - it's such an 80s movie that I can't see it working any other way?

Yeah, he had estimated that it would take something like 90 minutes/2 hours. He was actually gone for maybe 3 hours? An excruciatingly long time to wait when Space Mountain lines are 20 minutes max!

I'm glad you finally got a fastpass! Haha.

I'm a wimp and would therefore be too afraid to eat dinner in the Haunted Mansion. Even with other people around me!

You take really good pictures, btw. Impressive. :thumbsup2

OH and P.S. Congrats to your sister on the baby!

I knooow…. I'm the worst at getting things done in the morning (thus why I have a 45 minutes morning buffer on my work day which allows me time to do nothing on the Internet).

I thought about that and I think I probably wouldn't eat very much either. But I LOVE holiday-themed food (she says as she inhales her bag of conversation hearts) and I never really do Halloween things on my own. Ooooh, or a death day party (a la Harry Potter). That could be fun and more Haunted Mansion-y than just a murder mystery dinner theatre thing.

Thanks! And thanks from my sister as well (my wallet, however, is cringing. There's just so many cute baby things to buy! And it's like a rule that all aunties must spoil their nephews, right??)

kmaria

02-14-2012, 08:05 PM

Popped over from my thread 'cause i finally noticed the link in your sig. :) Your photos are awesome!!

Nermel9

02-15-2012, 06:42 PM

So I wrote this looonngg comment on my phone last night to your latest update and Avatarland, and right when I was about to post it, my phone just shut off. :mad: I was so mad, and it was so late I just gave up and went to bed. Stupid Iphone. Stupid technology.

Basically, I have no interest in Avatarland. I haven't seen the movie, and have no intent to do so. So I couldn't care less that they are going to spend 3 years building a land about a movie that I don't care about. I know it was a popular movie, but are people really obsessed with it? I know NOTHING about Harry Potter. But I do know that people that like it are obsessed with it. Same with Star Wars. I feel like if they wanted to compete with Harry Potter World (or whatever it is!) they should have just done a huge expansion in DHS with a Star Wars theme. How awesome would a Star Wars land be? Or Lord of the Rings? OMG. Every time I watch LOTR I wish that Disney owned the rights to those movies. I'd kill for a LOTR ride! Star Wars and LOTR have been popular for YEARS. Avatar? Can't remember the last time I heard someone bring up Avatar.

I wish they went with the Beastly Kingdom idea, and did a land with that theme in AK instead. That would have been amazing. :confused3 Oh well. At least we're getting a new Fantasyland.

On to your update...I'm sorry you broke the FP machine, however, I LOVE that you used the phrase "hemming and hawing"...or "hemmed and hawed." You never hear people say that anymore. :thumbsup2

I love your favorite view in MK, anytime the Haunted Mansion is in the background, it's a great view! And a Salem area would be so cool...I do love Liberty Square though! I wish there was a little more to it, though! :)

jecskc

02-15-2012, 08:10 PM

Loving your TR. Your photos are very nice. Looking forward to more. Psst, you so should have snagged that ride on Pooh when you had the chance.

Merida

02-16-2012, 08:53 PM

OKAY I'M ALL CAUGHT UP NOW oh man.

I'm afraid to take time out of my Precious Disney Vacation in order to go to Universal and explore the Wizarding World, to be honest. It seems like such a tiny part of the park and even though I'm a super huge Harry Potter fan, I don't think it's worth the ticket price/getting a ride there/aforementioned taking time out of my Precious Disney Vacation.

I'm glad you guys enjoyed your resort! The Port Orleans resorts seem super gorgeous.

Ahahahasdfs oh, Mr. T. I was feeling annoyed for you guys.

OMG THAT IS ADORABLE THAT ALADDIN CALLED YOU OVER. I can't. I know what you mean about freaking out when someone calls for you and like, either freezing up or ignoring it. One time at Extra Magic Hours a cast member called out to me in the Emporium and I just stood there completely frozen. Turns out she just wanted to compliment my Donald Duck backpack loool.

Your photos are so lovely! If it's not super annoying for me to ask, what camera/lens are you using and what program do you use to edit? This upcoming trip (IN EIGHTEEN DAYS OH MY GOD) will be my first with a DSLR and I'm all anxious about it.

LOL ARE YOU ME. I seriously do this so many times. I'm always terrified that I talk about myself too much when I comment on things like trip reports so I either end up revising what I say a million times or I just end up not commenting at all.

I loooove POR. So does Bear (more than me, even!). I understand the complaints people have about it, being spread out and such, but it was perfect for us.

Yeah, I think people kind of over-hyped it. It was all very well done, but not really $200+ worth of value? I guess it depends how much you really like the other properties at Universal (as much as I like Dr. Seuss, it + Harry Potter do not a theme park make!)

Sure! I use a Canon Rebel T2i and I'm addicted to my 50mm. Seriously. I do most of my editing in photoshop; I have a set of actions that I really like using (actions are sooo much fun to play with! I think I like editing more than the actual taking part, because you can really create something! I tend to follow a lot of photo blogs - wedding especially - to really get coloring/angles/etc. ideas). This trip was really the first time I took my DSLR ‘out of the box’ (minus some cat photos) and it was definitely not as easy as I thought it would be.

I know! I like reading the really popular TRs but I'm terrible at commenting because I need to read everything and then fall behind reading everyone else's comments! I always end up talking about myself a lot too, so I usually end up asking lots of questions. Idk, I think it’s really easy to get reminded of your experiences at the same ride/location as in the TR and then I always want to share it right then.

Hahaha I do the same thing. Like most of the time I'll leave my computer sitting open on someone's update while I leave the house and then I'll come home, read it again, and write what I want to say on a macbook sticky note. SO... we can be lame together. However, sometimes comments just spit out of me... like this one. So there's that! :laughing:

See, there's more than one person now so it's like a club. Now we're the cool people! :lmao:

Popped over from my thread 'cause i finally noticed the
link in your sig. :) Your photos are awesome!!

Thanks! Welcome :)

So I wrote this looonngg comment on my phone last night to your latest update and Avatarland, and right when I was about to post it, my phone just shut off. :mad: I was so mad, and it was so late I just gave up and went to bed. Stupid Iphone. Stupid technology.

Basically, I have no interest in Avatarland. I haven't seen the movie, and have no intent to do so. So I couldn't care less that they are going to spend 3 years building a land about a movie that I don't care about. I know it was a popular movie, but are people really obsessed with it? I know NOTHING about Harry Potter. But I do know that people that like it are obsessed with it. Same with Star Wars. I feel like if they wanted to compete with Harry Potter World (or whatever it is!) they should have just done a huge expansion in DHS with a Star Wars theme. How awesome would a Star Wars land be? Or Lord of the Rings? OMG. Every time I watch LOTR I wish that Disney owned the rights to those movies. I'd kill for a LOTR ride! Star Wars and LOTR have been popular for YEARS. Avatar? Can't remember the last time I heard someone bring up Avatar.

I wish they went with the Beastly Kingdom idea, and did a land with that theme in AK instead. That would have been amazing. :confused3 Oh well. At least we're getting a new Fantasyland.

On to your update...I'm sorry you broke the FP machine, however, I LOVE that you used the phrase "hemming and hawing"...or "hemmed and hawed." You never hear people say that anymore. :thumbsup2

I love your favorite view in MK, anytime the Haunted Mansion is in the background, it's a great view! And a Salem area would be so cool...I do love Liberty Square though! I wish there was a little more to it, though! :)

Stupid iPhones. Bear keeps trying to get me to use our iPad for nightly Dis-surfing instead of my laptop but it’s so annoying! I have good luck with never losing posts on actual computers but the iPad ALWAYS eats them.

I would DIE for Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. I mean, Jedi Training is so popular, they could obviously expand it and STILL have people jockeying for spots. Or, you know, I’ve heard Star Wars weekends are slightly popular. I think that both LotR and SW have the same richness and diversity of landscapes of Avatar but they both (George Lucas moneygrubbing aside) have much more heart.

I’ll sit in my little corner and keep pulling for Beastly Kingdom or Studio Ghibli (um, hello, Cat Bus ride??) land in Animal Kingdom. I still have a really long time to be in denial about Avatarland!!

I’m not sure what I did to the machine and not many people were using it… I would hate to be a FP CM if the machines break that easily!

I like old-fashioned expressions! I’m a naturally wordy person so all the ye olden time phrases (or insults, ha) are so much fun to use because they’re so descriptive!.

I like all the theming and hidden details in Liberty Square; I wish (now) that I had taken some more time to hunt out things like the lanterns and the sidewalk details. I think those details are what really set Liberty Square apart from the other lands in MK.

Loving your TR. Your photos are very nice. Looking forward to more. Psst, you so should have snagged that ride on Pooh when you had the chance.

Thanks! I have another update (consisting of maybe three more minutes of park time) coming up next.

I really, really wanted to try Pooh – if only to touch the (very unsanitary) honey wall. I never got to do any of the interactive queues on this trip and I’m kind of sad that I missed them! It’s just so much faster to cut through the graveyard on HM and, well, Winnie the Pooh was a no-go. I’m excited for the new Peter Pan one, though. I think that will turn out super cute.

Merida

02-16-2012, 08:54 PM

My list of five biggest temptations in life goes something like this: chocolate chip muffins, a sale at Lush (addicted to their Flying Foxes shower gel right now. AMAZING), kittens, bookstores, and a walk-on line at it’s a small world.

Small World is totally an E ticket ride for me. It’s got everything: family history, a children’s book that taught me how to read, world history, World’s Fair history, some catchy tunes, boats, animatronics, and a certain panache that comes from having glitter as your main accessory.

So there’s me, wandering through Fantasyland, making sure the Big Thunder Mountain Fastpasses were stored safely in my camera bag (for the fifth time, yup!) and halfheartedly debating getting a Fastpass for Peter Pan or Winnie the Pooh as a just-in-case. And I saw it.

The one thing I’m helpless against.

An empty Small World queue

Clearly I am the type of guests commando/touring plan guests love. Because I will happily waste a morning in a meet and greet and on small world all for one (well two, but the other is for Bear) Big Thuunder Fastpass and not even a ride on Peter Pan. You’re welcome!

Some time in the past twenty-four months, Disney decided to mess with the small world queue – making the entrance the exit? Moving around the little poles that hold up the barriers? Whichever, I promptly got lost in the maze of ropes. Luckily another mass of small world fans (a whole THREE PEOPLE BOO YAH) came along and I sheepishly headed down towards the clock face.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6848892383_963f516b28_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6848892383/)
Inside Small World (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6848892383/)
(this is a really weird crop..)

I really wanted to explain that it wasn’t like this before!! Honest! but settled for boarding the happiest cruise that ever sailed (and, incidentally, the only cruise I ever thought I’d go on, period).

I had the boat pretty much to myself; there was a young family beside me who was not up-to-date with their small world fun facts. But I guess we all have different talents – I can explain all the scenes inside the ride, they can navigate a queue line. I tuned them out and started practicing dark(-ish) ride pictures. I figured this would be the best time because Bear wasn’t there to ask what I was doing or – if it turned out to be a dismal failure – why I wasn’t doing it on other rides.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/6889333797_f1bc83af95_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889333797/)
the happiest cruise that ever sailed (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889333797/)

So the moment you’ve all been waiting for: a severely abbreviated photographic journey throughout (part) of it’s a small world!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6889334327_a0d20cdb6e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889334327/)
Milkmaids (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889334327/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6889334889_cfd12f68a5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889334889/)
Geese (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889334889/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/6889335535_c71d4e9cfb_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889335535/)
Goats (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889335535/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6889336083_f3f811edc8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889336083/)
Owls (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889336083/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6889336959_b9966ac25c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889336959/)
Fans (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889336959/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/6889337705_ca72274f2e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889337705/)
Pink Blossoms (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889337705/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6889338313_d7a7ee7c0d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889338313/)
Tambourines (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889338313/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6889339069_8568d9b591_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889339069/)
Hippo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889339069/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6889339817_bff927a6d1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889339817/)
Rhino + Zebra (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889339817/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6889340695_f1e6f0d8dc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889340695/)
Birdcage 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889340695/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6889342129_0d04a406bf_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889342129/)
Happy Cactus (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889342129/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6889342867_be8cb5e56f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889342867/)
Leopard (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889342867/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6889343501_6bd8f3eb6d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889343501/)
Tiki Man (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889343501/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6889344255_8b092c57e3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889344255/)
Boomerang (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889344255/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7039/6889344869_2da8c9b60e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889344869/)
Drums (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889344869/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6889345485_1131b04e4c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889345485/)
Steamboat (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889345485/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6889346163_a4befcab3a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889346163/)
Ch'ao (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889346163/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/6889346873_7a4c1f5511_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889346873/)
Farve (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6889346873/)

Eventually we all had to disembark and surrender the next boat to the eager crowds (of five people). And in under twenty seconds I was out of small world, blinking in the (relative) brightness. Bear had called while I was on the ride, so I tried to reach him (fail) while noting it was getting close to the Fastpass window. I was off –

To Peter Pan!

Bonus discussion point: Naming your child Boots (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/oscar-and-boots-150-square-foot-bedroom-nursery-tour-room-tour-etc-165649): Unfair and unusual? Twee and affected? Or cute and original?

IheartDDuck

02-16-2012, 09:11 PM

Dude, I know EXACTLY what you mean about the queue at It's a Small World! The first time I went on it after it was changed, I freaked out and had no idea what was going on. So bizarre.

marDgreen88

02-16-2012, 09:35 PM

Hahaha. Yeah, they switched the entrance and exit! Don't worry, I was confused at first too. They switched it between June and December of 2010, aka my first two trips, and I was like, "IT WASN'T LIKE THIS SIX MONTHS AGO!"

Your dark(ish) ride pictures are great!

WHAT THE HECK with the cactus with guitar??? I've never seen him before! A new friend! :yay:

Stringbean&Wingnut

02-17-2012, 05:17 AM

LOL the new "entrance" is weird!! :rotfl: I definitely would not have looked at you funny for getting mixed up!

You got some great dark ride shots! All of mine turn out slightly blurry! :laughing:

Merida

02-17-2012, 09:33 PM

Dude, I know EXACTLY what you mean about the queue at It's a Small World! The first time I went on it after it was changed, I freaked out and had no idea what was going on. So bizarre.

I know! I can't really think of a good reason to flip things around either. Do people give really bad reviews of twisty queue lines? Did they mean to put in some interactive parts and forget them? Or at least hide them really, really well? Or have people just started asking for more photo opportunities with the clock? THE WORLD WILL NEVER KNOW.

Hahaha. Yeah, they switched the entrance and exit! Don't worry, I was confused at first too. They switched it between June and December of 2010, aka my first two trips, and I was like, "IT WASN'T LIKE THIS SIX MONTHS AGO!"

Your dark(ish) ride pictures are great!

WHAT THE HECK with the cactus with guitar??? I've never seen him before! A new friend! :yay:

Thanks! I think my favorite has to be Boomerang kid, even though he moved his boomerang (he's a little shy) and I really should be six inches taller (or able to stand up in the boat) for a better angle. :rotfl: (edit: or the monkey on the edge of the hippo/zebra pictures. He's just too creeptastic to not love!)

I LOVE dancing cactus. It would be priceless to sit in on some of the development meetings when they were figuring out what characters would be put in small world. Leopard with umbrella? Why not! Happy cactus? Needs to be cooler - add in a guitar.

LOL the new "entrance" is weird!! :rotfl: I definitely would not have looked at you funny for getting mixed up!

You got some great dark ride shots! All of mine turn out slightly blurry! :laughing:

Haha, pretty much the first half of my small world pictures (there's more!!) look like I was drunk or in the middle of a seizure or something. Then I seemed to have figured out how to work a camera again, somewhere around the desert/Middle East part. :rolleyes: My Peter Pan pictures were a complete mess though. Obviously I must go back lots and lots to practice my manual focus issues! :goodvibes

Merida

02-17-2012, 10:20 PM

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE:

I'm watching High School Musical (.. alone, at 9:15 on a Friday because Bear had a doctor's appointment really early this morning and is sleeping) and OMG Zac Efron is a baby. He's so young and Justin Beiber-y!

Also skinny scarves is a terrible look (this means you, random extra grooving out in the background).

kmaria

02-18-2012, 11:53 AM

i'm addicted to Lush too!!! going to cleveland with my fiance next month and it will be my first stop.. it's the closest store to me and it's an hour away!

haven't been back to the world since i read the kingdom keepers books (disney geek points), but every time i see ride pics i imagine the dolls coming after people, LOL

Merida

02-19-2012, 10:55 PM

i'm addicted to Lush too!!! going to cleveland with my fiance next month and it will be my first stop.. it's the closest store to me and it's an hour away!

There's one in Orlando too!! My closest one is maybe 30 minutes? But it took about a year to convince my boyfriend to come in with me. Now he's addicted too. Besides Flying Foxes (it makes me feel like Princess Jasmine :cutie:) I use Ocean Salt/Eau Roma/Celestial as my facial routine. I love how Celestial smells SO MUCH.

I really want to try the Karma Melt/Phoenix Rising bath bomb at some point, but I don't know if I could deal with the (literal) glitter explosion that results. They just sound so fun!

haven't been back to the world since i read the kingdom keepers books (disney geek points), but every time i see ride pics i imagine the dolls coming after people, LOL

Haha, I can totally see that! I actually haven't read that series yet, and I think I prefer to stay in my Robots are Friendly! cocoon. ;)

katt789

02-21-2012, 01:44 PM

Merida

02-21-2012, 03:31 PM

I trekked all the way over to Peter Pan from small world, stuck my key card in the fastpass machine..

And got another ‘this is not a valid FastPass’ Fastpass.

Rats. At this point, I had more not valid FastPasses than actual FastPasses. I pulled out my phone to check the time since apparently Disney and I sync up to different atomic clocks. I had a missed call; apparently Bear had phoned back while I was on small world.

Since I had nothing else to do, I called back, winning the game of phone tag when he picked up. We – Bear, Mr. T and I – chatted for a bit about their morning (monorail ride before finally heading out to the car) and mine (roughly as productive, detailed above).

“So what are you up to next?” Bear asked.

“Not much, just waiting for the next FastPass.”

“Space Mountain?” Why not? Peter Pan didn’t want to give me FastPasses, so I might as well wander down there and try again. I agreed and said my good-byes to the boys before heading off (this is when I should’ve grabbed something for Pooh, but Tomorrowland was calling to me).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6907268965_dd5ccf5369_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907268965/)
Space Mountain (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907268965/)

I love Tomorrowland the best out of all the lands in Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland is a very close second but there are just so many strollers. I’ve never been in a packed Tomorrowland so there may be hordes of strollers that do descend, which makes that an unfair deciding point. At least my two favorites are connected by a path, making it easy to spend all of my time on one side of the park.

By the time I made it to Space Mountain, I still couldn’t get FastPasses, thanks to Disney’s very slow clocks.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6907270107_facabf4877_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907270107/)
Tomorrowland Tree (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907270107/)

As much as I love Tomorrowland, pretty much the only two things I’d ever done there were Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear the ride, and Buzz Lightyear the meet’n’greet. So it was pretty much predetermined that I would gradually walk back to Buzz while waiting for a FastPass.

And if the line was a walk-on, who was I to turn down that chance? Especially since I would never be able to get pictures if I was riding with Bear (we may be a tad competitive).

And if I was taking pictures, I wouldn’t be playing, which was almost as good as not riding it at all, since the point is to play things. Having justified a quick spin, I headed in.

I know there are lots of complaints about this ride as well, but I love it. For me, I’m so horrible at shooting games anyway that it doesn’t matter that I have no idea where I’m shooting. The fun comes from sabotaging your knows-how-to-shoot-a-gun partner to keep them from getting a high score. Any points I manage to get are a bonus.

But I still snuck in a few practice shots after loading. Bear is usually freakishly good at this game, so extra shots for me will do nothing the close the gap in our scores.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6907271411_dc040c2b1f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907271411/)
Emperor Zurg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907271411/)

When I finally put down the blaster and picked up my camera, I was surprised. I’m usually way too focused on my strategy to pick up on a lot of the details inside Buzz.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6907272661_209464d1cf_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907272661/)
Space Pterodactyl (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907272661/)

I mean, why would I look at a giant space dinosaur? It doesn’t have a Z-target on it.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6907274307_3b4c73ba7b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907274307/)
LGM (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907274307/)

And the colors! I’m a huge fan of purple + neon in general, but the Buzz ride really pulls it off. It’s just such a space-y, alien-y color combo.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6907275393_e5733f667a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907275393/)
Space Robot T-Rex (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907275393/)

Truly, Buzz Lightyear is the spiritual successor of it’s a small world with all of the wacky things jammed in there. Why does Zurg create robotic, wind-up T-Rexes? Because he can.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6907276303_e589dce80e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907276303/)
LGM 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907276303/)

The only thing that could make the ride better would be a cameo by Mira.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6907277451_fa8d17811c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907277451/)
Evil Emperor Zurg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907277451/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6907278535_f1843235a2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907278535/)
Space Robot (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907278535/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6907279473_7052f3a2d9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907279473/)
The Claw (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907279473/)

Despite my lack of any effort whatsoever, Zurg was defeated and the Little Green Men were safe once again. Hurrah!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/6907280469_66c0bed960_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907280469/)
Buzz Lightyear (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6907280469/)

After graciously accepting my (completely undeserved) thanks from Buzz, I disembarked and headed back over to Space Mountain. This time I was successful and managed to snag two Space Mountain FastPasses. The return window was actually quite short, so I loitered in all the Tomorrowland gift shops (Auntie Gravity is a favorite, despite my taking forever and a day to recognize the pun; Merchant of Venus comes a close second in my affections). I grabbed two Buzz Lightyear passes and decided to take the long way 'round back to Fantasyland.

Merida

02-21-2012, 04:16 PM

Ok! I am finally here & reading & ready to comment! Let me just first say that I did come over and read the first couple of posts AGES ago, but never commented, and never made it back (like the horrible lurker I am) but now I am here & ready!!

First off, that’s awesome that the cm found you a room that was ready! Port Orleans is on this year’s lists of resorts to stay at, so I’ll be sure to be there sometime! I wish I could say anything about any other part of IoA :laughing: but I was so keen on getting over to Harry Potter that I barely took in anything else! I will agree that it does look kinda ominous from across the lake!!

I definitely agree that an expansion is needed, we made our trip down to WWOHP when it had just opened, and as magical an awesome as it was, it was kind of blah. I’m SOOO hoping for a kick-a** Gringott’s coaster too!! Watching that movie in 3-D I was all “WHOA! THIS WOULD BE AWESOME!!) And your link is the first *actual* expansion news I’ve heard! YAY!

I know what you mean about it being movie Hogwarts, I mean, the movies were great and all, but there’s just so much that wasn’t included in them that was in the books. Take McGonagall for instance, especially in book 5! (I love book 5 with all my heart, but really don’t like the movie…these things happen)

I personally LOVED FJ, oh so much, and am really sad that we only did it once. However Sylvia & I will have the chance to go again in November! I definitely understand not liking it though. We got breakfast from the 3 Broomsticks & I actually liked it a lot. They have a plate that’s all fruit, and then a couple of scones, which was a super nice change from the heavy greasy breakfast you usually find! I LOVE all the shops there, I find it really feels like you’re actually in there. The one thing I really didn’t like, was that nothing was labeled for prices! (which I get, I mean, they’re probably all outrageously expensive, BUT if I’m considering buying something, and there’s no price, I’m less likely to ask, and more likely to just put it down)

We really didn’t explore anything else in IoA, and from what I can tell, we really didn’t miss much?! I’m just not much of a thrill ride person, I love Disney, but there rides are so different, that they make them awesome! I just think I wouldn’t find anything to do in IoA?

I’m pretty sure half the reason I want to stay at PO is to get the beignets!! Gah! The Grand Floridian is SUCH a gorgeous resort! I feel like I want to stay there, but I want to save it for something *super* special (*cough*disneywedding*cough*) but seriously…I would die to see the inside of the Wedding Pavillion! Yay! Magic Kingdom! That really is when the whole thing begins, when you see that castle & do the walk down Main St!

Aw man! That’s a GREAT interaction with Jasmine & Aladdin! Gotta love it! Your Adventureland pics are great, I love it! I’m definitely one to go with the flow, and when I toured solo, I just did what I wanted! I did rope drop at MK, and headed straight through to meet the Fairy Godmother! Haha, that’s the benefit of being alone, you do just what you want!!

Haha, it's okay! I'm a bad lurker too on lots of people's TRs. I need to go reorganize my subscription folder again because it's super messy and hard to find the things I actually do comment on. You're not too far behind, I tend to err on the side of 'give everyone plenty of time to read' anyway! ;)

I really like Port Orleans from a have-no-kids point of view. I don’t mind a long walk (prefer it, actually because it’s less noisy) and it’s so nice to have so much open space! Plus it’s recently renovated and they actually have nice bedspreads now! I don’t know who picked out the old duvets but some of them were really awful.

From a ride/technology perspective I liked FJ, but I thought the story was really lacking. Like they knew it was the only ride that would EVER fit in there so they jammed about five different ride storylines together? I think Gringott’s will be WAY better in that regard since they’ll be able to be more choosy (also Gringotts is AMAZING and I want it to be real). I’m still hoping they’ll expand some of the big buildings for explanation. I’ll even buy more butterbeer just so they have the money to do it right!! (Seriously, Universal, I would spend all day in a Hogwarts museum/gift shop and I would spend money! Just let me walk around! There must be tons of old movie props you could requisition!!)

Yeah, IoA was kind of dull. I’m sure that if there’s lots of people around you can use up more time in line but we hit everything super fast. And there wasn’t any good snack carts around. Or shopping. I mean, we saw all of the shows in the Lost Continent and we are not theme-park-show-goers. We could’ve gotten the two-park tickets but there aren’t any franchises in Universal that we were dying to go see either. I understand why people like Universal/IoA but I don’t think I would say it’s better than Disney. It’s just too amusement-park-y for my tastes, but Harry Potter is definitely a step in the right direction.

Oh beignets. Half the reason my boyfriend wants to go to Disneyland is that they’re available inside the park! And he’s requested next time that we actually stay in FQ so we’ll be closer. I honestly don’t know how people go home with extra snack credits when there’re beignets to buy. :goodvibes

I really like the lobby and exterior of GFlo but I was disappointed by some room pictures I saw. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting? They were kind of plain, which was surprising since I know how fancy the lobby bathroom is! I think the new DVC building should be so pretty and more what I had imagined (and then maybe they’ll reno the main building too! Not that I’ll have the free cash available to stay there for aaages). I feel like if I ever stayed in GFlo I'd just swan around, acting all fancy all day and never make it into the parks! And I'd be keeping an eye out for a bride using Cinderella's carriage because those ponies are adorable.

I do love the wedding pavilion and shamelessly stalk the weddings board looking at pictures. I love the little peek of Cinderella’s castle you get! Disney is kind of local for Bear’s family so it wouldn’t really be a destination location… :rolleyes1 Though I’m sure the price would be astronomical! I mean, if you're going to have a Disney wedding you might as well go all out and really have a Disney wedding, y'know?

How lucky to see the Fairy Godmother! I was in Fantasyland in between the Tremaine/Fairy Godmother sets so I got to see a little of them. I really like that they bring out some secondary characters from Cinderella; I guess there’s more leniency in their ‘personalities’ so they’re way more fun to interact with! Being in charge of determining who’s available for meet’n’greets must be the best job at Disney. Though I’d probably ruin the entire budget by letting pretty much every available character roam the parks!

marDgreen88

02-21-2012, 05:10 PM

duckylady

02-21-2012, 05:11 PM

Your pictures of Buzz are awesome!! You've all but convinced me to take my 50mm. I was just going to bring my Tamron 17-50, but now I'm nervous about how I'll handle dark rides and whatnot without a prime.

I wonder why you kept getting the non-valid Fastpasses? That's so weird. :/ Were you ever able to get a normal one throughout the trip, or was it glitchy the whole time?

Stringbean&Wingnut

02-21-2012, 06:20 PM

I love your pictures from Buzz! I've never noticed the little details that don't have Z's on them either! :laughing:

Nermel9

02-21-2012, 07:12 PM

I don't understand why they changed the IASW queue either, it's weird, and I feel totally unnecessary! :confused3

I can't believe the pictures you got on that ride! They are so beautiful! :worship:

I LOVE Tomorrowland, I can never decide if Tomorrowland or Adventureland is my favorite MK land. I suppose it can be a tie, right? I do like Fantasyland, but it's not very much of a land to me right now, it's more a narrow pathway of rides. :confused3 I'm hoping once all the construction walls are down I can appreciate it again, I'm starting to forget what the real Fantasyland looks like! :laughing:

Your Buzz pictures are great too! I've only been on Buzz twice I think, maybe 3 times, and I'm awful at it. Seriously, how do you know where you're shooting? At least TSM makes sense, you can see where your little things are going, but on Buzz? Forget it. I always get the most pitiful score!

katt789

02-21-2012, 08:44 PM

Gah!! You can get beignets in DL?? In the New Orleans Square place I'm assuming? I'm taking my first trip to DLR (since 1997) in a few weeks, and literally feel like I know nothing about it! So excited!!!

Love the pictures of Buzz! They're awesome. I definitely didn't notice the dinosaur's ever before! I guess I've always been too distracted trying to hit the targets! :rotfl:

Merida

02-22-2012, 12:13 AM

I almost forgot - HAPPY FASTNACHT DAY (aka the best day of the entire year for us lucky Pennsylvania Dutch)!! :cool1:

Even though for the past two years I have been living in a part of the county that has a grand total of TWO donut stores and thus am fasnachtless once again. :(

Merida

02-22-2012, 12:06 PM

I'm glad you took pictures on this ride (which are again, great) because I don't think I would ever notice the details on it. Um, wind up dinosaur guy? That's awesome! Also, he reminds me of Reptar from the Rugrats.

Look at you and your SUCCESS in getting fastpasses! Hahah, very nice. :goodvibes

I love Reptar! I really want to go back and do a marathon rewatch of Rugrats/Hey Arnold, thanks to the magic of the Internet. I feel like I really missed a lot the first time 'round. I've been trying to convince Bear that one of these two shirts (A (http://www.bustedtees.com/reptaronice) and B (http://www.bustedtees.com/chuckie)) are completely necessary for my long-term happiness but it hasn't worked so far. :rotfl:

I KNOW. I literally tripled my fastpass number in under thirty minutes! I give myself an B+ in Tomorrowland touring (given that I egregiously dismissed TTA, CoP, and Monster's Inc as boring rides).

Your pictures of Buzz are awesome!! You've all but convinced me to take my 50mm. I was just going to bring my Tamron 17-50, but now I'm nervous about how I'll handle dark rides and whatnot without a prime.

I wonder why you kept getting the non-valid Fastpasses? That's so weird. :/ Were you ever able to get a normal one throughout the trip, or was it glitchy the whole time?

YESSS TAKE YOUR PRIME. Just remember to take if off now and then! :rotfl: I can literally count on my fingers the number of times I took my prime off, which didn't always work. Prime shooting is just so much fun! I really want the 35mm or the 30mm for my next trip (and then end up renting a better zoom because there's no way i could afford both. Also I have far fewer opinions on zoom lenses and don't want to just buy one to have one, you know?).

Yeah, it was kind of my fault because I have a very flexible idea of time that Disney doesn't really adhere to. It was worst with Peter Pan! I swear the Fastpass machine clock is off. It seriously took me five tries to get valid ones and I'm not really sure why? But after that first morning we had excellent fastpass luck.

duckylady

02-22-2012, 02:34 PM

YESSS TAKE YOUR PRIME. Just remember to take if off now and then! :rotfl: I can literally count on my fingers the number of times I took my prime off, which didn't always work. Prime shooting is just so much fun! I really want the 35mm or the 30mm for my next trip (and then end up renting a better zoom because there's no way i could afford both. Also I have far fewer opinions on zoom lenses and don't want to just buy one to have one, you know?).
I think I will!! My only problem with the prime is that it's a bit tight on my camera, so I usually have to back up a lot to get everything in frame. One of the ~perils of being too poor to afford a full-frame camera, I suppose. :c Did you ever have issues with that?

YESSS I love the look of the Sigma 30mm. From what I've seen, it has the ability to take AMAZING photos. Not too expensive, either! (...in photography standards, of course.)

Merida

02-22-2012, 02:50 PM

I love your pictures from Buzz! I've never noticed the little details that don't have Z's on them either! :laughing:

Thanks! I’m always SO competitive when playing that I just focus in on what I’m supposed to shooting at (not that that helps any…) and never really enjoy the ride. It was a nice change (plus there was like two other laser dots in addition to mine so I actually saw what I was shooting for once! Amazing! Not that it helped any, but it was a different experience :goodvibes).

I don't understand why they changed the IASW queue either, it's weird, and I feel totally unnecessary! :confused3

I can't believe the pictures you got on that ride! They are so beautiful! :worship:

I LOVE Tomorrowland, I can never decide if Tomorrowland or Adventureland is my favorite MK land. I suppose it can be a tie, right? I do like Fantasyland, but it's not very much of a land to me right now, it's more a narrow pathway of rides. :confused3 I'm hoping once all the construction walls are down I can appreciate it again, I'm starting to forget what the real Fantasyland looks like! :laughing:

Your Buzz pictures are great too! I've only been on Buzz twice I think, maybe 3 times, and I'm awful at it. Seriously, how do you know where you're shooting? At least TSM makes sense, you can see where your little things are going, but on Buzz? Forget it. I always get the most pitiful score!

I really like the architecture in Adventureland but I’ve always found less to do there. I like Pirates and Jungle Cruise, but not as much as Buzz or Space Mountain. But I think part of that is because Adventureland is usually the stop right before lunch/leaving so I rush through it. Next time I will definitely spend more time in Adventureland!

I’m not super excited for the Fantasyland expansion (I really dislike virtual queues or whatever they call Dumbo's new line) but I really want to see the new castles (also less congestion in old Fantasyland = more rides on small world for me. Hurrah!)! The Little Mermaid one looks adorable.

Thanks! I’ve read a lot of comments that being behind a camera makes you miss a lot of the ~experience~ but I found the opposite. I definitely noticed a lot more when I was trying to take pictures!

I don’t knooow. And then people figure out the special targets somehow? Bear always manages to hit several of them and he doesn’t even read about them on the Internet!! How. But I do like Buzz’s set up better than TSMM just because I’m not a big virtual/screen/techie things fan. I feel like, that since you can't rely on TSMM-esque videos to make the ride interesting Imagineers have to be more creative about the backgrounds. Idk if that makes sense, especially since I’m not a TSMM expert!

Gah!! You can get beignets in DL?? In the New Orleans Square place I'm assuming? I'm taking my first trip to DLR (since 1997) in a few weeks, and literally feel like I know nothing about it! So excited!!!

Love the pictures of Buzz! They're awesome. I definitely didn't notice the dinosaur's ever before! I guess I've always been too distracted trying to hit the targets! :rotfl:

YES. There's some at a cart, I think, and then also in Cafe Orleans (I believe?). At Christmas (I think?) they have gingerbread ones! Lucky you for getting to go so soon – I can’t wait to finish up my master’s program. I never thought I’d say it, but I’m getting really tired of being in school! I just want to be able to take vacations. :rotfl:

Thanks! I think it’s awesome how much random stuff is hidden in Buzz. It is really hard to resist the blasters, though. :rolleyes1

Merida

02-22-2012, 02:57 PM

I think I will!! My only problem with the prime is that it's a bit tight on my camera, so I usually have to back up a lot to get everything in frame. One of the ~perils of being too poor to afford a full-frame camera, I suppose. :c Did you ever have issues with that?

YESSS I love the look of the Sigma 30mm. From what I've seen, it has the ability to take AMAZING photos. Not too expensive, either! (...in photography standards, of course.)

Yeah, especially with the parade/fireworks/MMY at MK at night. I was switching back and forth with cameras because my battery was dying but it was really frustrating with the t2i. Part of it was inexperience and not having a tripod along, so I think next time it will be go MUCH more smoothly now that I know what to expect. The only other place I really used the zoom over a prime was Animal Kingdom.

I told my boyfriend that for my birthday I just wanted some money to put towards the Sigma 30mm. He was all 'Oh no, I'll just get it for you' which is super sweet, but totally not realistic (and I don't have $500 to put towards a birthday gift for him :rolleyes1). I don't think he quite realized the price point for lenses!

Merida

02-28-2012, 09:35 PM

I have to apologize for being a bit MIA lately; I have a pretty big presentation to give to my master’s committee next week and panicking about that has taken up all my time. Well, except for the 128723 (approximately) times I watched the new Brave clip. And all of the Scrubs episodes we’ve been marathoning. Or the time I’ve put in to trying to restore my iPhone after it got scrubbed during an update. There was also a good few hours on Words with Friends somewhere in the mix as well.

ANYWAY, since I’ve been panicking about the ~quality of my research~, I have become simply unable to throw out any photo I took whatsoever (they are all precious to me!!!). I know my updates are usually showcase a small snippet of my day but I’m pretty sure this is a new record for me: twenty pictures describing my walk through Cinderella’s Castle. You have been warned.

I rarely go around the sides of Cinderella’s Castle when I’m in MK. If I have to, I’ll cut through either Adventureland or Tomorrowland. There really is no substitute to the walk through the Castle, even now that they’ve taken out the gift shop.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/6939971071_50b32b0ff9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939971071/)
Cinderella Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939971071/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6939971911_7f0c639621_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939971911/)
Cinderella Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939971911/)

Apparently I’m one of very few people who make this a priority because most of the guests around me were unaware that it was a usable path (I eavesdrop a lot). Or that it was free to use? People are weird.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6793858700_347bdea614_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793858700/)
Cinderella Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793858700/)

But it’s good for me, leaving one of my favorite spots practically empty any time it’s accessible. I love the quiet and the dark here; I find it very peaceful and a nice retreat from the tumult of the park proper.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6939971493_f4b24fbbb8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939971493/)
Lion Rampant (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939971493/)

I hope that this is actually a lioness and it’s really Cinderella’s symbol. Like, after joining the castle she became took over pretty much everything: PR, educational outreach, and an elite group of female spies. And then everyone realized how boring the Prince was and unanimously decided to redo everything in her colors. And then she was super nice about it and the Prince decided he didn't really care and went along with everything. Then there was cake and tea for everyone!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6939972675_ffff245499_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939972675/)
Castle Village (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939972675/)

Architectural continuity is seriously one of my favorite things. They look the same! Like they could have come from the same place, where subjects enjoy emulating their royal family!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6793859252_30b4f3b28e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793859252/)
Bushes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793859252/)

Bushes! Fun fact: this is as close as I’ve ever been to the Rose Garden (?), Swan Boat Landing, etc., etc. I really don’t go down here very much. Or even over by Rapunzel's meet'n'greet spot (which is super adorable).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6793859864_ca55d9c8e6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793859864/)
Cinderella (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793859864/)

This is, no lie, one of my very favorite pictures from this trip. I love this mural. I have many, many edits of this picture tucked away, from whenever I’m bored or having photo-editing-block. I mean, how perfect a mosaic is it? Too perfect. that’s right.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/6939975261_dfe63039bf_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939975261/)
Magic (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939975261/)

There’s just so much detail in it and – given that I’m not a mosaic maker – I’m sure it had to have taken ages. This was originally one of my outtakes but I think some judicious cropping makes it into an okay picture. I really would like to know who made the executive decision on the Fairy Godmother’s design, though.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6793861836_f808d1aace_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793861836/)
Fairy Godmother (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793861836/)

See? Not very reminiscent of the Disney movie Fairy Godmother. I like both interpretations; this seems more traditionally Fairy-ish while the movie one focuses on the godmother aspect. I do like the mosaic Fairy Godmother’s fashion sense – that hat is freaking amazing and I want one just like it.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7178/6939977509_fe38e2b3c5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939977509/)
Saucy Horse (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939977509/)

My very favorite part of the mural is the dapple grey with the pink-y/purple-y blanket. I just love his expression, being all sassy and knowing he is totally better looking than Prince Charming’s horse. Because he is.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6939975767_df303fa16d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939975767/)
Glass Slipper (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939975767/)

When I finally came out of the Castle (really, I used to spend more time in there, back in the days of the Castle shop), I had the pleasant surprise of walking straight into the Cinderella fountain. I always forget the exact placement of this fountain. I want it to be on the other side of Fantasyland for some reason. Or on the side of the Castle? I’m not sure why!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6793863474_020ed5d5d7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793863474/)
Tremaines (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793863474/)

The Tremaines were out as well (there was one lady who was VERY excited by this that I cropped out). Their set was almost up so I had to be satisified with creeping around, trying to optimize the number of pictures featuring them but no park guests.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6793863930_9e923b56f3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793863930/)
Tremaines (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793863930/)

This was about as close as I got, minus the lady who kept swinging her hand into my shot. I don’t know why! She had a very aggressive walking style and thus I will forever have a disembodied hand floating in the foreground. We could have had it all.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6793864584_923b97415f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793864584/)
The Queen (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793864584/)

My fountain! I always forget that I really like Cinderella until I come face-to-face with themed art. Or various novel rewrites (my favorite has to be the Mercedes Lackey one, but it’s a LONG list). Even though I can’t remember its location, I’m pretty sure it loves me too.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7065/6939979597_6182ca3901_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939979597/)
Cinderella's Mice (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939979597/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6939979937_6053d2d070_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939979937/)
Cinderelly (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939979937/)

See? It’s so nicely photogenic with really lovely details at practically every angle. And it’s not crowded back here, giving me plenty of time to figure out exactly what I want to shoot (not that I took the time wisely, since another guest was soon to come out)…

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/6939980807_34f7de4626_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939980807/)
Fairy Godmother (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6939980807/)

Fairy Godmother! Slightly more popular than the Tremaines, there was a whole bunch of little girls dressed as Cinderella waiting for her. It is really hard to photograph characters without anyone else in the shot. I like watching them interact with children but I don’t want children in my picture! And it seems weird to stand in line just to ask to take their picture.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6793865748_7fb8937c66_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793865748/)
Choices, Choices (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793865748/)

I loitered by the gift shop windows, oohing and aahing over the pretty dresses displayed. Is this even a real shop behind the fountain? I figured it had to be, given that pretty much every piece of available space is a dump shop for something. I don't go into that many gift shops (we were never a souvenir family so it's habit to skip them) so I can't recognize the (very well done) windows. Even when they turn out a bit coloring-book-y.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/6793866738_c3010e8530_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793866738/)
Cinderella's Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6793866738/)

I finally managed to sneak a few shots of Fairy Godmother (children not included) and took one final Castle picture. It was time to actually head into Fantasyland proper once more.

Stringbean&Wingnut

02-29-2012, 07:27 AM

I love all of your castle detail shots!!! It looks like it was an absolutely gorgeous day!

Good luck on your presentation!!! :goodvibes

Merida

03-02-2012, 09:33 PM

Thanks! It did clear up for a little bit there and it was so nice! Nice and warm too. :)

Funny story about the presentation: you know how when you're a kid and there's a big test the next day and you spend the whole night before wishing and hoping for a huge snowstorm or a stomachache/ear infection? And then the next day it's 75 and sunny or your mom says you're just fine, go to school? Well, I've finally beaten the odds! My lower wisdom teeth got infected so I'm getting them removed when I should be giving my presentation. It's a tough call if it's worth going through seven days of pain, thirteen hundred dollars, major oral surgery, and taking five million medications for a delay (and an excuse to subsist on pudding cups for a week), but my fingers are crossed! :goodvibes

marDgreen88

03-03-2012, 01:05 PM

Oh my goodness, your pictures are so gorgeous! ALL OF THEM.

__disneygirl

03-06-2012, 02:15 PM

Yay, i'm all caught up now! First of all, I am in LOVE with all your pictures. It's nice to see some different angles! Beautiful!!!!!

Your Salem idea is awesome! I always wished the Haunted Mansion area were bigger, like as if you were arriving to someones multi-acre estate. It would be cool if the build up to actually get in the mansion were longer and creepier.

I am a huge fan of Small World as well. I know a lot of people are annoyed by the song, but I don't mind it. It reminds me of being a child and coming to Disney. Anything classic that Walt had his actual hands in is A+ in my book. And I was confused with the new queue as well!

"Fantasyland is a very close second but there are just so many strollers." LMAO.

I don't remember ever noticing the pterodactyl on Buzz before. I find them to be funny creatures in general but SPACE pterodactyls? Forget it.

Again, your pictures are stunning... I love all the different angles you see on the sides/behind the castle. That is one of the most beautiful areas.

Merida

03-06-2012, 04:55 PM

I’m finally in that sweet spot of ‘not asleep’, ‘not in pain’, and ‘not loopy on pain meds (I think)’, so I’m going to try and catch up on some stuff. I’ve been being lazy and reading back entries of preppy style blogs (it’s the loafers. I just can’t resist a good pair of loafers) and rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender with Bear (there’s nothing like well plotted parallel narratives to make a girl feel better. Especially the run between the finale of Season 1 and maybe episode 10 of season 2). I wish I was one of those people who could just get up and do everything normally even though they’re sick but I’m totally not! I get really short-tempered and prone to taking naps in the middle of the day. Silly wisdom teeth! I’m glad they’re coming out tomorrow.

By the time I had left Cinderella’s Fountain, I was starting to get bored. I only had one FastPass mission left (Peter Pan) and then I was stuck until Bear got back. In theory, a solo photography-centered trip is a good idea… but not riding on rides is terrible. Especially when pretty much every ride is a walk-on.

The crowds in Fantasyland were starting to pick up; I was still outside the time limit for the next set of Fastpasses and there wasn’t really much to do besides dodging other people with cameras and taking crooked pictures. Even the Philharmagic (Small World?) gift shop wasn’t really doing it for me (given my otherwise pro-gift shop attitude, I can understand everyone’s surprise :rolleyes:).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7197/6813843346_189dfdb2e6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813843346/)
The Crocodile (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813843346/)

I was tempted to give up the Peter Pan fastpasses just to be able to go do something, but this sassy GQ of a crocodile convinced me to wait it out (truly the best character in that whole story. TEAM CROCODILE).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7051/6813843794_3d739aec84_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813843794/)
Peter Pan's Flight (without Jon) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813843794/)

The front of Peter Pan is really one of my favorite ride fronts (queue not included). It’s just so innocent and fun. It’s certainly not the most technical or difficult or extravagant, but it fits the ride perfectly. The whole idea of Fantasyland of a marketplace, just with different rides to explore instead of shops, really works for me. I like the consistency.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6959957483_b52ed46087_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959957483/)
Peter Pan's Flight (with Jon) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959957483/)

Even with the weird perspective making the children as large as Big Ben, it’s adorable. Look how happy they are! I’m slightly biased because the ‘You Can Fly!’ scene is my favorite out of the entire movie so course any reconstruction will be very dear to me, but I’m pretty sure everyone can agree on their innate adorableness, right?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6813844546_36ebd306d1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813844546/)
Peter Pan's Flight (with Jon) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813844546/)

And it’s certainly the front that fits best thematically with the ride (you aren’t fooling anyone Mickey, PhilharMagic is about Donald!!). I couldn’t care less about the miniatures (okay, lie) in Peter Pan’s Flight, but the flying pirate ship really completes it.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6813845364_e80cfa689c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813845364/)
Pinocchio Village Haus (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813845364/)

Even after thoroughly documenting the exterior of Peter Pan’s Flight (seriously, I have more) there was still a few more minutes left (by Disney’s clock; my collection of ‘This is Not a FastPass’ fastpasses was steadily increasing thanks to my clock) to take a crooked picture of Pinocchio’s Village Haus. I think I wanted to eat there? Most of my decisions in life can be traced back to food (or it’s a small world, both of which are applicable) so it’s a pretty safe bet.

No, we never returned here, probably because of the lack of Figaro fries.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6959959081_6a84fbf007_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959959081/)
Fantasyland (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959959081/)

Look at all those people! For the most part, this is a good representation of the average crowd level (minus things like the Christmas party and that one awful day in MGM). It was wonderful. Both really empty and really packed parks scare me (for opposite reasons), so our week was a nice balance between the extremes.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6813846194_c2394e43b1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813846194/)
Crowds (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813846194/)

I love those guys with the maps; so intent on navigating the twists and turns of Fantasyland (isn’t everything pretty much on a single path here?). And the little girl with the awesome pink pants.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6959959859_0fe3f33c7b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959959859/)
Cinderella's Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959959859/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6813847082_b2c65512a3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813847082/)
The PhilharMagic (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813847082/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/6959962735_d715750fc0_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959962735/)
PhilharMagical (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959962735/)

I finally grabbed the actual fastpasses for Peter Pan (and PhilharMagic; I still have those, I think) and headed back out into Fantasyland. What to do next? We typically don’t do Jungle Cruise FastPasses and Bear loves Haunted Mansion, so there would be no sneaky extra rides on that.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6959961145_a4b01a2d5f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959961145/)
Bird (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959961145/)

(This bird was not helpful in any way, shape or form in making my decision, I just thought he (she?) was cute.) After learning (thanks to a very vociferous gentleman’s conversation with a cast member) that the Castle was closed for a show, I headed off towards Liberty Square. I had a vague idea of checking out the Christmas store before heading up to Guest Services to pick up our party tickets.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/6959961625_6e1473c4f9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959961625/)
Tinkerbell (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959961625/)

The Christmas store was nicer than I had anticipated, not very crowded with lots of cast members. Cast Members who weren’t very eager to talk to you, thank goodness.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/6813849972_a53943b256_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813849972/)
Alices (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813849972/)

It was a nice ten-minute break, plenty to make up for the fact that no one wanted to go in the DTD Christmas store with me the night before.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6813848762_3058eea6d2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813848762/)
Cinderella's Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6813848762/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6959962435_4f99bf1318_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959962435/)
Water Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6959962435/)

I couldn’t exactly remember what the schedule was for Castle events, but took my chances and headed off to the Liberty Square bridge. I was in luck – everything had finished up a few minutes prior and the crowds were already gone. Even the bridge was fairly empty. So (of course), I took more Castle pictures. Why waste a perfectly good view?

Nermel9

03-06-2012, 05:35 PM

Merida

03-06-2012, 11:32 PM

Your updates make me never want to take pictures in the parks again. They're just so good. :)

I LOVE Peter Pan's Flight. :lovestruc I love "You Can Fly"!!! I mean, who doesn't, if you don't like that song or that scene, there's something wrong with you! :laughing:

I love the Christmas shop, I could spend hours in there, I love Disney Christmas ornaments more than like, anything. :cool1:

Thank you! I really want to go back and take more because it's addicting. I'm a truly terrible artist in pretty much every other way (drawing, painting, sculpting, etc.) so it's an interesting experience to have photographs turn out (somewhat) similar to how I'd pictured them in my head!

I know! I always thought that the flying around London was way cooler than the Neverland parts. Flying would totally be the superpower I'd pick to have (close second: telepathy. Or, you know, ]all of the superpowers ;) ).

Christmas ornaments are the best things ever. They're just so pretty! And they only come out once a year so they're special. :lovestruc

Merida

03-06-2012, 11:48 PM

Oh my goodness, your pictures are so gorgeous! ALL OF THEM.

Thank you!

Yay, i'm all caught up now! First of all, I am in LOVE with all your pictures. It's nice to see some different angles! Beautiful!!!!!

Your Salem idea is awesome! I always wished the Haunted Mansion area were bigger, like as if you were arriving to someones multi-acre estate. It would be cool if the build up to actually get in the mansion were longer and creepier.

YES. Or maybe a tie-in to Hocus Pocus (I don't care if no one watches that movie anymore IT IS CINEMATIC GENIUS)? Honestly, I don't think very many people ~understand Liberty Square (good effort, Imagineers!) and I think Salem would be a theme that's easier to grasp (and if Disneyland can have New Orleans Square, I should be able to have Salem!) as a theme park guest walks quickly from Big Thunder to Peter Pan.

I am a huge fan of Small World as well. I know a lot of people are annoyed by the song, but I don't mind it. It reminds me of being a child and coming to Disney. Anything classic that Walt had his actual hands in is A+ in my book. And I was confused with the new queue as well!

"Fantasyland is a very close second but there are just so many strollers." LMAO.

I'm pretty sure it's officially become cool to like small world! VICTORY. The song isn't that annoying. And PhilharMagic is right across the street to cleanse your musical palate!

I don't remember ever noticing the pterodactyl on Buzz before. I find them to be funny creatures in general but SPACE pterodactyls? Forget it.

Again, your pictures are stunning... I love all the different angles you see on the sides/behind the castle. That is one of the most beautiful areas.

I know everything is better in space (truth; space operas are totally better than normal operas), but the Buzz Lightyear dinosaur thing is verging into Ancient Aliens territory. Like, all the dinosaurs didn't really die off, they just signaled the aliens that they were ready to go home. Or... maybe they were hyperintelligent beings that had their own spaceships and left one buried under the Pyramids at Giza!! Oh, to be a talking head on Ancient Aliens... I truly missed my calling. :rotfl:

Stringbean&Wingnut

03-07-2012, 07:22 AM

marDgreen88

03-07-2012, 11:44 AM

Honestly I'm kinda inspired now to take cooler pictures. I can't even handle how awesome some of your shots are. This will probably be all I say for the rest of time haha.

Although before I go taking fancy pictures of the Peter Pan's Flight building, I should probably actually ride it.

Merida

03-08-2012, 12:32 PM

I’m back to posting – but as a changed person. I now have four less teeth. I know! Soon I’ll start updating quickly and breezing through parks – I may actually skip MGM. WHO KNOWS??

And I updated the table of contents. WHOOO. I was going to leave that as my update (I’m on a lot of pain meds right now!! It’s like that scene in Legally Blonde when Elle is describing why the client didn’t kill her husband, because exercise gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy! But instead of exercise, I take prescription strength pain medication. Tomato, tohmahto) but then I realized I had the next batch of pictures ready. So why not??

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6818639610_ef1da06d1f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818639610/)
Liberty Square (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818639610/)

See? I actually was in Liberty Square! Just in case anyone didn’t believe me and not because I forgot to put this in the last update.
‘
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6818640078_ebf1bd72b6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818640078/)
Crystal Palace Lawn (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818640078/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7188/6818640440_6eafddba50_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818640440/)
Main Street (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818640440/)

I headed down Main Street, eager to grab our party passes ahead of time (and also I had nothing else to do). I figured Bear would be back shortly, so it was better to be close to the entrance so I could get him as quickly as possible instead of wasting time hiking down from Frontierland.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7044/6964760905_985f0c97b5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964760905/)
The Trolley Show (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964760905/)

The trolley show was just finishing up so Main Street was packed. The CMs do a good job of clearing a footpath and making sure that people don’t stand there (thank you CMs! I know people complain, but really, I appreciate it!).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/6818641320_64342a5635_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818641320/)
Skirts (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818641320/)

I fought my way down, stopping every so often for a glimpse in between people’s heads. I finally gave it (too many tall people) up and started looking around Main Street.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6964761699_68609b7fe1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964761699/)
Turkish Baths (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964761699/)

I have to say it was poor planning to put Turkish baths on the second floor of what is a seemingly wood building. What if something breaks, like a pipe or a bath? You’ve just gone and ruined a whole floor of merchandise and your bathhouse in one fell swoop.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6964762083_91ffaef1fc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964762083/)
Duffy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964762083/)

Duffy! It’s okay buddy, I love you.

Figuring it couldn’t be any more crowded inside the Emporium, I ducked inside to try and shake off some of the post-trolley-show crowds.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6818642654_a71a464de2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818642654/)
Woman with Presents (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818642654/)

Yeah, I was wrong, so I decided to stare very intently at this display in the entrance to one of the Emporium shops. I couldn’t make it much further into the store and still have enough room to breathe, so I had to pretend this lady was very interesting.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6818643078_95361208b1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818643078/)
Frightening Woman with Presents (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818643078/)

Too bad she was also very scary, which is probably why she has so many Christmas presents. I wish I could scare people into giving me whatever I want. It must be a very useful skill.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6964763551_c3a9d88590_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964763551/)
Trolley Dancers (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964763551/)

As Main Street emptied out, I ran out to get a place on the sidewalk with very few people around me. Unfortunately, the trolley show started up again and everyone decided that I had an excellent viewpoint. Foiled again!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6818644426_0da452c332_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818644426/)
Hello! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818644426/)

I’m actually a big fan of the trolley show; Meet Me in St. Louis ranks high on my list of favorite Judy Garland films (hint: all of them are on this list) and I like the Trolley Song. It’s not quite as good as when Judy (or Rufus Wainwright) sings it, but it’s a cute adaptation.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/6818644884_1a4bc1895c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818644884/)
Skirts (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818644884/)

NICE BUTT.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/6818645316_2acf8b6412_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818645316/)
Trolley Flags (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818645316/)

The costumes are adorable too. I love circle skirts but never wear them because I feel like I’m drowning in them. And hats! Hats are devious pieces of clothing. They always look cute and perky on other people (Exhibits 1 and 2: The boater and excellent red hat) but I try them on and disaster. They just never work on me.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6964765565_4573319f0e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964765565/)
Trolley Dancers (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964765565/)

I don’t envy these people’s job, though. They have to be so perky and lip-sync-y. Maybe if there was more Wizard of Oz involved I would do it (my Judy Garland and Wizard of Oz loves are a chicken-and-the-egg scenario. I don’t know which came first but they’re both wonderful! Except now I tend to get lots of Oz knick knacks for Christmas ever since people figured out I like them. I’d rather get more copies of the books, but it’s nice that people remember?).

Also I feel bad now making butt jokes when the gentleman in question is actually quite dapper and has on a spiffy waistcoat.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7058/6964765963_094cbd8593_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964765963/)
And Scene (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964765963/)

I left right before the trolley show, swimming upstream to get to Guest Relations. It wasn’t so bad at first, given that everyone else was standing still, but it was soon necessary to take a break to study the Emporium displays.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7207/6818646566_64c1ea7e35_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818646566/)
Mickey's Christmas Carol (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818646566/)

I love how shocked (shocked!!) Scrooge is here that Goofy is the Marley ghost. I mean, I would be too. When has Goofy ever done anything malicious or selfish? Yeah, not the sharpest crayon in the box, but never mean or cruel. Odd casting choice there, Disney.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6818646884_af7f6940aa_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818646884/)
Tin Soldier (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818646884/)

Did you know I almost died by way of tin soldier once? Oh wait, that happens later. Um, foreshadowing?

It took about three seconds to grab our tickets, even with all my extra forms of ID and credit cards the poor cast member had to sort through unnecessarily. At least she didn’t have to explain over and over that there absolutely were no tickets left for any of the parties like her coworker!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7196/6964767025_efe79a11b1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964767025/)
Main Street (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6964767025/)

That done, I headed back outside and ‘people-watched’ (stalked) various other guests as I kept phoning Bear. (One favorite was Fanny Pack Guy, who is in the doorway. He was very easy to spot in a crowd). Bear kept not picking up, and from the time stamps on my pictures I may have sat down and taken a nap? At least, I didn’t do anything for a good twenty minutes.

Bear finally called back and – surprise, surprise – he was on the ferry.

Wait, ferry?

Disney ferry?

YES.

I may have run over a few small children (and one or two larger ones) in my haste to get out to the ticket turnstiles. I still had a good five minutes to wait as he disembarked and tried to follow my directions to where I was standing (is ‘in front of the big memories sign by the trash can’ really that confusing?).

But he was there, I gave back his tickets, and together – at last – we entered Main Street.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/6818647682_352e9b6e2f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818647682/)
Main Street USA (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6818647682/)

Only to see this giant mass of people. But I had a camera bag full of FastPasses and a thousand and one stories to catch Bear up on. We were good to go!

Merida

03-08-2012, 12:51 PM

Your castle pictures are truly gorgeous!!! (I especially love the reflection one in the water!)

PPF is one of my favorites too - I love the "You Can Fly" scene too! Just so classic Disney! :lovestruc

Thanks! I was determined to do a castle-water shot after seeing some other ones. Mine isn't quite as cool (since the water was all ripply) but I like the idea!

It really is. It's what sets the Disney version apart from all the other adaptations, I think.

Honestly I'm kinda inspired now to take cooler pictures. I can't even handle how awesome some of your shots are. This will probably be all I say for the rest of time haha.

Although before I go taking fancy pictures of the Peter Pan's Flight building, I should probably actually ride it.

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/thisweather/gifs/kiss_cats.gif

Do it! There's really not much to the ride except the whole flying boats part but... flying pirate ships. HOW COOL.

__disneygirl

03-08-2012, 03:52 PM

Nermel9

03-08-2012, 05:45 PM

marDgreen88

03-10-2012, 10:38 AM

Well that lady IS interesting... but yeah... I'm scared of her.

Once again YOUR PICTURES. Just stop it. :worship:

YES! BEAR HAS RETURNED! Goodness, he's been gone for weeks.

Merida

03-11-2012, 10:02 PM

Happy Daylight Savings Day (aka, the worst day of the entire year)!! I almost didn’t post this because I was feeling incredibly lazy and didn’t want to edit pictures. And it felt weirdly out-of-place to do a ‘here’s our next vacation plans!!’ post because I feel like those lend themselves to a PTR link and there’s no way I could keep up both of them!

So I dug out my notebook and realized I took approximately no pictures (for me) for the first hour or so after my boyfriend got back. And I’m going home for spring break so my mother will want to see pictures and as I’m not even halfway through day 2, I should probably pick up the pace! So voila, an update appears!

Bear didn’t get back until around 11:30 (if my notebook is correct; this is the first time I dug it out to check, but I’m going to assume Past Me is pretty good with a watch). That was the time he reached Magic Kingom.

It seemed to take an eternity for him to find me, then find a working turnstile, then a turnstile without a huge line, and then finally get through the turnstile (I was closely shadowing him on the other side).

After practically throttling him in my excitement (I am a very exuberant hugger), I stepped back to let him breathe and tell his story.

“It was fun! We went on the monorail, it was the gold one. Then we drove to the airport and there was more traffic than I expected. You should go on the boat, it’s really fun.”

…okay.

We’d maybe reached the little overpass where the maps are before reaching Main Street by the time he’d finished. Bear then made the mistake of asking what I’d been doing.

If you’d like a quick summary, I’d scroll up and reread because that’s pretty much what I told him, only minus the pictures so I don’t think it made very much sense.

We ended up on the path to Tomorrowland, the one that is opposite the really awesome shrubbery sea serpent without me really knowing what was going on. I hadn’t asked for a plan yet, and hadn’t given a summary of what fastpasses I had available. But Tomorrowland seemed like a great idea! I’d been in the park three hours without riding Space Mountain – what a smart idea! We headed into Tomorrowland and I asked Bear what he wanted to do first as I grabbed a couple quick ~atmospheric pictures.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6974526277_fdfdf6dd48_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974526277/)
The Merchant of Venus (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974526277/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/6828365120_3383b7b7fa_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6828365120/)
Star Traders (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6828365120/)

“I was thinking we could try Carousel of Progress. Look how short the line is!”

“Great, I have fast-“ Wait, what? I didn’t even have time to dig out the Space Mountain Fastpasses before Bear was dragging me over. Nothing against Carousel of Progress, but it wasn’t really the ride I was looking forward to! “Are you sure you don’t want to do Space Mountain? Or Buzz?”

Bear shrugged. “We can do them later, this is starting right now!”

Yeah, because there’s ever a line for Carousel of Progress.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7179/6828365560_28a754c42a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6828365560/)
Please Wait for Assistance (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6828365560/)

There was only maybe a three minute wait before we (and a whole ten other people) were ushered into the auditorium.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6974489209_1e496d438d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974489209/)
CoP Dog (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974489209/)

Our trip through history went smoothly, once it started. Apparently something had broken down in a different theater and people were trying to escape. Not that I blame them (Space Mountain had a short line too!), but I really wanted our show to start. I’ve only ever seen video and I was actually pretty excited to see the real thing.

We all managed to sit in our seats and away we went – all the way to that glorious time in 2000 when ovens were on voice command (poor Carousel of Progress, ‘the future that never was’ theme doesn’t really work, does it?).

Buzz Lightyear was a quick stop on our way out of Tomorrowland. Bear prefers not to remember this time, because I managed to eke out a win (a whole 65k to 63k!), so we will pretend that this didn’t actually happen (there’s no photographic evidence, so maybe it didn’t.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6974490153_4250fbe7c8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974490153/)
The Haunted Mansion (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974490153/)

I don’t remember why we decided to go up to Haunted Mansion; we both love the ride, but there’s no way to get to Liberty Square without passing a bunch of other great attractions. I like the grounds better than the actual ride (the graveyard scene gets me every time).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6974491113_abeb935590_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974491113/)
Miss Scarlet in the Conservatory (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974491113/)

Seriously, it is perfect. I love this building, with its conservatory and fake lightning effects. We decided against the extended queue, which cut the posted 20 minute wait in half. Really, the shorter queue gives you the better views of the house and that’s my preferred view.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6974491875_73e8c28279_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974491875/)
Requiescat in Pace (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974491875/)

And the punny headstones! I like the combination of truly awful and irreverent humor with the grim nature of Haunted Mansion. I think it would be easy for an attraction like Haunted Mansion to veer into the depressing; it’s really hard to make a graveyard into a good hang-out place, you know? It’s just enough themeing to ease in from the rest of the park to the more macabre nature of the ride.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6974492411_deba7c66aa_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974492411/)
Scary Adventures (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974492411/)

After leaving the 999 Happy Haunts to their haunting, we continued our completely rational touring style by hitting up Snow White’s Scary Adventures. I wanted to go on this not because I particularly enjoy Snow White, but because I was leaving.

I hated Snow White growing up; we lived in a rather woodsy area and I was convinced the forest scene was real (nowadays I’m like 80% positive it’s a metaphor for Snow White’s mental state at the time. Is that right? Or is it really a magic forest?) and that our trees were going to attack me.

The witch wasn’t a big deal because hey, she only tried to kill Snow White once! There wasn’t any stays or hair combs to deal with in the Disney version, so she obviously wasn’t very smart OR trying very hard. I was pretty sure if it ever came to it, I could outsmart or outrun a witch.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6828370390_bb19be0cbf_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6828370390/)
Mine Equipment (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6828370390/)

But the ride – and this lovely themeing on the side of the Mine shop – is (did?) leaving forever so we had to go on. There were little children coming out the exit, completely happy (I checked). Surely it wasn’t that bad.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/6974494049_b288cd74f4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974494049/)
Snow White (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974494049/)

Best part of the whole movie right here. Even though her outfit never made sense; the skirt + shoes go together, but not the top part. It’s so fancy and teacher-y that I’m not sure where Snow White got it.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6974494817_3bba063af7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974494817/)
Evil Queen (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974494817/)

Blurry witch! Way less scary than the woods part (during which I averted my eyes by hiding behind Bear so the trees wouldn’t eat my soul).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/6974495615_c338a795dd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974495615/)
Love's First Kiss (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974495615/)

But we all survived (I was kind of hoping that something – maybe a big rockfall? – would happen to the car in front of us. It was my first experience with line cutters and I didn’t care about not getting on the ride faster, it’s the principle of being bested by an overly tanned man in a white track suit. Unfortunately, they made it out as well).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7052/6828373476_8c65b9f8dd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6828373476/)
Goodbye Now! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6828373476/)

Bye Dopey! I hope you’re glad to be out of the horribly unflattering pink light.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7063/6974496823_e21ed6afd1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974496823/)
Happily Ever After (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6974496823/)

I don’t dislike Snow White’s Scary Adventure, but I think the mine train (and additional meet’n’greet location, I have a weakness for the sets) will be better. Snow White will exist elsewhere and an old C ticket ride isn’t that important to me. I like the idea of a new, unique attraction much more. But I’m really into having each of the five parks being a different experience, so my priority is diversity and not so much park history (which is fascinating, but there’s a reason that some of it is relegated to history) or ‘classic’ experiences.

Merida

03-11-2012, 10:14 PM

OMG I love Hocus Pocus! :cool1: I bought it a few years ago at Best Buy for like, $10 and I was SO excited! It made me want to live in Salem when I saw it. Actually, I still kind of want to live there. I love that town, it's so cute, I haven't been there in a few years, I need to go back!

Awww, the trolley show! I love watching that, and my DH thinks it's ridiculous! :confused3

I love the Mickey's Christmas Carol window! How did I miss that??? You're right, Goofy as Marley is really strange...I really love that cartoon. :thumbsup2

Finally Bear is back! I feel like you were wandering around the park forever alone! :laughing:

Hocus Pocus is definitely the pinnacle of SJP and Bette Midler's career. I wonder if Disney channel still makes all those Halloween movies? I just remember them coming out with SO MANY new ones every year. I was thinking and maybe Sleepy Hollow would be a better Disney match, but that seems a little Halloween Party-ish, with the Headless Horseman and everything. There's just so many great New England ghost stories that they could incorporate!

I love the trolley show. They're just so happy and nicely dressed! It's really cute and I think it definitely helps make Main Street an attraction in its own right (besides just a shopping mecca ;)). I wish I saw more of the Main Street characters (I've seen pictures of the mayor and I'm pretty sure there's more..?) around. Or had gone inside the fire station before it closed. I never knew there was so much stuff in Main Street!

The Christmas Carol windows are all along the one side of the Emporium, starting by the barber shop. I'm not a huge fan of Dickens in general, but I like the Christmas Carol (especially with Muppets!!) and the windows are really well done with little story excerpts and everything.

Well that lady IS interesting... but yeah... I'm scared of her.

Once again YOUR PICTURES. Just stop it. :worship:

YES! BEAR HAS RETURNED! Goodness, he's been gone for weeks.

I KNOW. She definitely does not inspire me to shop (possibly to give an offering to appease her anger? idk, CONFLICTED).

I KNOWWWWW. He was all 'I'll be back in like an hour' and then three hours later he was still gone. I still think the better plan would've been to pay for a cab to take Mr. T to the airport. :rolleyes1

Merida

03-11-2012, 10:27 PM

People totally still watch Hocus Pocus!!! And by people, I mean me. Flawless movie. I love it so! That's a great idea, btw.

Ancient Aliens. OMG. That show has most definitely messed with my mom's head. I can't tell you how often she points out "UFOs" in the sky to me. I mean, I believe there has to be life out there somewhere but there is no way UFOs frequent our house. LOL anyway onto your update!

haha I was going to ask if you were in pain but it seems as though the pain meds are doing well! :thumbsup2

I don't recall seeing a trolley show since like 1995. It looks so adorable! Guess I'll have to hang out on Main Street for awhile until one comes along.

"Too bad she was also very scary, which is probably why she has so many Christmas presents." LOL

I envy that everyone gets you Wizard of Oz stuff. My family doesn't seem to appreciate my Disney obsession. Every single year people ask me what I want and every single year I say "Disney gift cards, even if it's just a small amount, it count towards my next trip" and I never receive them. Sure, get me a sweater from Kohl's, that's the same.

OMG!! I can't believe the Mickey's Christmas Carol window display!!! I absolutely love that cartoon and I didn't even notice that! I hope you don't mind, that is so going in my scrapbook.

Yay, Bear is finally back, sans friend!! Now you can finally go on all the rides. Can't wait for more :)

Hocus Pocus: Halloween classic. 32% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, my left foot. Critics today have no taste.

I loooove Ancient Aliens. I know people complain about 'the direction' the History Channel has taken with their programming, but that show is pure comedy gold! I love how the main host has slowly embraced his Oompa-Loompa heritage and become decidedly more orange every season.

The trolley show goes on so frequently I feel bad for the performers. Like, it seemed like they would do the show, move down five feet, and then do it again, all while smiling. I wish Main Street wouldn't bottleneck up so quickly because there's cool stuff back there! But it's hard to find a nice spot to sit and watch with the hordes of people bearing down on you.

My family has a weird relationship with Christmas presents, where we all try to one-up each other to give the perfect present. It's very stressful (but I did learn how to wrap presents at a young age). I was in the Wizard of Oz so everyone jumped on that bandwagon really eagerly since it was topical and something different. Now I live a plane ride away, so everyone sends checks. Less fun but way more useful!

I don't mind at all! I have no idea what to do with my pictures (I'm really bad with scissors so scrapbooking's kind of out.) so someone should use them!

Stringbean&Wingnut

03-12-2012, 06:19 AM

marDgreen88

03-12-2012, 09:19 AM

I'm a little confused... are you going on a new trip? :woohoo:

CoP cracks me up. I mean they had some good ideas about the 21st century. Who knows, maybe one day we will be able to control our ovens with our voices. I do think that the best part of CoP is the concept, though. PLUS, THE SONG.

I agree, I don't mind that Snow White is leaving. I don't really have sentimental attachment to it, and the mine train sounds awesome! Plus, the new ride probably won't include the witch, so that's a plus! :thumbsup2

Nermel9

03-12-2012, 06:01 PM

Haha, I'm confused too, are you going on another trip?? :rotfl: :confused3

I love CoP, even though it is horribly outdated! :rotfl2: It's just so much fun, and I love attractions where the song gets stuck in your head all day!

OMG I'm in love with your Haunted Mansion pictures. :worship: I love that building, and I hate that no matter where you look at it from, you can never really see it very well up close.

I hated Snow White for the longest time too, I hated her voice! And she just seemed kind of stupid to me, you know? But when it came out on DVD a few years ago, I gave her another chance, and now I can appreciate her for what she is, she's just a girl who wants to find a prince, I guess that's not so bad. I used to hold that against her, but it is such a Disney classic, I had to look beyond that. (Yeah, I had serious Snow White issues! :laughing:) And I love the Dwarves!

I like the Scary Adventures, but I can't wait for the mine train! :woohoo: I can't wait for the new Fantasyland!

Merida

03-13-2012, 11:46 AM

Love your pictures of the trolley show!! I always always always get a phone call when that rides down Main Street, so I have to duck away and usually miss part! :headache:

Yay that Bear arrived!! Too funny that he wanted to ride CoP instead of Space Mountain! The thrilling circle theater! The stories of ovens that weren't voice-activated! Rotary phones! :laughing:

Oh no! I hate talking on the phone, so I tend to not pick up. Being in front of a live show is just a great excuse for me! :rotfl:

I knoooow. It wasn't like it was his favorite ride from a kid or anything. I still can't figure out why it was so important to do that one first, but it was fun. And, I have to admit, those seats were mighty comfortable after all of the walking around!

I'm a little confused... are you going on a new trip? :woohoo:

CoP cracks me up. I mean they had some good ideas about the 21st century. Who knows, maybe one day we will be able to control our ovens with our voices. I do think that the best part of CoP is the concept, though. PLUS, THE SONG.

I agree, I don't mind that Snow White is leaving. I don't really have sentimental attachment to it, and the mine train sounds awesome! Plus, the new ride probably won't include the witch, so that's a plus! :thumbsup2

Haha, I've had our next two vacations planned out since, like, January. I was bored and the weather was gross, so what else was I to do? :laughing: I have a looong wait at the airport today so I'll probably write up that post anyway, since it'll be mostly text-y and I don't know what internet I'll have.

Yes! It was really cute and I do like history/future-that-never-was stuff. I just think it's funny that they keep pushing forward the date of the final scene, which is both outdated and futuristic all at once. And the dog - he's a cutie. :cutie:

I know! I like that it will incorporate dark ride elements and roller coasters - it seems unique but still paying homage to ~classic attractions. Plus I LOVE all the images coming from the soft open of circus land (which I was super excited about, I love circus themes. Popcorn everywhere!! And it ties the new Mickey meet'n'greet in with Fantasyland, which is cool) so I think it'll turn out amazing.

Haha, I'm confused too, are you going on another trip?? :rotfl: :confused3

I love CoP, even though it is horribly outdated! :rotfl2: It's just so much fun, and I love attractions where the song gets stuck in your head all day!

OMG I'm in love with your Haunted Mansion pictures. :worship: I love that building, and I hate that no matter where you look at it from, you can never really see it very well up close.

I hated Snow White for the longest time too, I hated her voice! And she just seemed kind of stupid to me, you know? But when it came out on DVD a few years ago, I gave her another chance, and now I can appreciate her for what she is, she's just a girl who wants to find a prince, I guess that's not so bad. I used to hold that against her, but it is such a Disney classic, I had to look beyond that. (Yeah, I had serious Snow White issues! :laughing:) And I love the Dwarves!

I like the Scary Adventures, but I can't wait for the mine train! :woohoo: I can't wait for the new Fantasyland!

Haha, kind of! Not to WDW (which is the kind of part, we know we're going on a trip, I've already paid the deposits :rolleyes:).

I like Tomorrowland's mix of classic and new attractions. I mean, it's hard to have a 'Tomorrow'land because tomorrow's always changing, so it's interesting to see all of the different tomorrows represented. I know CoP is not a popular attraction but I think Tomorrowland would definitely suffer by closing it down.

And the music is great too!

Yes! I would totally jump the fence if there were fewer cast members around. As nice as the interactive queue is, I think that I would have designed something more like Tower of Terror's (where you get to see so much of the grounds/lobby). But ToT is one of my favorite queues so I would turn every queue into something like ToT's if I had the chance! :goodvibes

Ugh, I hate her voice too. It's not so bad in the movie but I don't really like it in real life character greetings. It's just so high-pitched and I don't know anyone who actually talks at that pitch! It is a nice movie, just one that I fast-forward through to find the scenes that I like (the wishing well, the mirror, most things with the dwarves).

I am much more excited with all the new pictures! Storybook Circus looks so cute (and the bathrooms are gorgeous! :rotfl:)

Merida

03-14-2012, 07:44 PM

I’m back at home and finally back on EST – TV schedules revolved around me! No more guessing when things will happen! No more having to convert everything to MST! Yay!

Anyway, since my parents are, you know, very interested in our future, I’ve been given a summary of my Five Year Plan pretty much non-stop since the plane touched down. So this has been well rehearsed!

I’ve mentioned before that both Bear and I are in grad school and that we live in Colorado. We’re both nearing the end of our masters’ programs so our schedules are becoming increasingly busy with committee meetings and last minute research and thesis writing (if I ever get to that stage!). So we really won’t have much free time to travel until after the masters’ graduation (the program we’re in distinguishes between the masters’ and PhD programs, which not all programs in the field do).

So of course we need a huge (relatively, we’re still on grad student pay!) vacation for right after graduation (well, technically we’ll be on vacation during the graduation ceremony if everything works out!). Since this may be the only time we’ll live close to the west coast, we’ll be heading to…

Disneyland!

In December 2012 (no exact dates yet), we’ll do a week stay in Southern California; four days at the Disneyland Hotel and then three days at other various sites (we have two choices of itineraries depending on how things work out).

We’ll come back from Disneyland, hopefully all relaxed and refreshed, all ready to pack up everything we own. Because we’re moving late December 2012/early January 2013 to…

Florida!

Yup, we’ve both decided not to move on in our current programs. In a field like atmospheric science, pretty much all post-undergrad education is focused on getting you into a tenure-track position. And the graduate programs reflect this – it’s teaching you how to be a researcher and do your own unique research which, while it can be a very fulfilling and amazing experience, can also be very demoralizing. Neither of us really want to be atmos professors (or spend the rest of our lives writing grant proposals), so atmospheric science PhDs are pretty worthless to us. (Not that I don’t love the field and really my decision was not as flippant as I may make it sound here. I worried about this for ages and I still do, from time to time, because I have ALWAYS – since, like, age five when I realized what a PhD was - wanted my science PhD and thus it is very hard to give that up).

Bear went to undergrad in Florida and there are lots and lots of atmos jobs there (hurricanes, anyone?) so he’ll probably not go back to school. I’m switching programs to a history of atmospheric and environmental sciences in Fall 2013.

But wait, you may say, there is a good time period between January 2013 and Fall 2013. What will you do then?

I’m not very sure; I’m going to apply to some Animal Kingdom Professional Internships for Spring 2013, but I am technically over-educated/qualified so it’s very unlikely that I’ll get one of those (I’m saying this because I want one so much I need to start prepping myself for disappointment now. History of science programs are pretty much prep for museum work – and AK is kind of a science museum! I would also love to eventually go into research admin, especially at a facility like AK. Also I'm pretty much unqualified to get any other normal job because my resume is maxed out for academia, not, you know, the real world).

After all the work of moving and starting new schools and jobs, we’re totally going to need a vacation. So...

we’ll be sailing on a 7-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise (the St. Maarten itinerary) on the Disney Fantasy!

Hurrah! We’re sailing in December 2013. We’re seriously considering adding on a couple days at Port Orleans French Quarter to the beginning, but that’ll depend on our money and vacation days situation.

I’m pretty positive there’ll be sporadic days at WDW here and there because, hello, Florida resident discounts! Bear has promised at least one day at the 2013 Flower and Garden Festival, which I’m super excited about (since we have to miss this year’s Fantasia theme, and Fantasia is so beyond formative to my childhood that it pains me greatly to miss any event celebrating it).

So yes. That is our next 2 years of vacations. At some point I’ll set up a PTR because I’ll be crowd-sourcing every step of my PI applications you have been warned.

tl,dr version?

In December 2012 we’re going here:

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/thisweather/disneyland-1.jpg

In January 2012 we’re moving here:

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/thisweather/FlaCitiesMap-1.png

In Spring 2013, I will hopefully be working here:

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/thisweather/AnimalKingdomFrontSign.jpg

In December 2013, we’ll be on here:

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/thisweather/disney_fantasy.jpg

(photo 1 (http://www.zerobulletin.com/travel/the-secret-world-of-disneyland/), 2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida), 3 (http://www.melsworldtravelbiz.blogspot.com/), 4 (http://travelwithkids.about.com/b/2012/03/03/new-disney-cruise-line-ship-the-disney-fantasy.htm))

Stringbean&Wingnut

03-15-2012, 07:18 AM

marDgreen88

03-15-2012, 06:34 PM

I feel like that post deserves more than a wow... but that's pretty much all I can think of to say right now.

WOW! That's all really exciting! I'm jealous that you get to go to Disneyland, I mean hello, that's WALT'S BABY. Hooray for science-y things. Animal Kingdom should hire you for that program based solely on the fact that you're a Diser. It's also just beyond exciting that you get to sail on the Fantasy! I can't believe how beautiful of a ship it is.

So in a nutshell...

WOW! :woohoo:

__disneygirl

03-16-2012, 03:00 AM

YAY!!! Congrats on all of this!! I am SO excited for you! I hope you'll share more of your plans and stuff with us as they happen!

Merida

03-16-2012, 03:39 PM

2012 and 2013 are going to be such exciting years for you guys!!!! All of your plans sound so wonderful!

Going to Disneyland, how fun! That's going to be such a fun trip to kick off the rest of your adventures!

It sounds like Florida is a great choice for you guys with your careers (and proximity to Disney!!) That'd be so cool if you were able to get an Animal Kingdom internship too! (But just visiting Disney would be fun too! :thumbsup2)

And then sailing on the Fantasy!! I'm so jealous of all of your awesome plans!!

I'm so excited to go to Disneyland! I'm OBSESSED with the Disneyland Hotel. Seriously. It's like the new Port Orleans Royal Rooms mixed with the Contemporary. Sadly we're just going to be in the "cheapo" rooms but the signature suites (http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland-hotel/gallery/#/rooms,mickey-mouse-penthouse-signature-suite) are mindblowingly awesome (even though I can't pick a favorite! So if anyone wants to go halvsies, you can pick which one to stay in! :rotfl:)

Isn't the Fantasy gorgeous? I never thought I'd want to go cruising and then I saw the Disney boats. They're just too pretty and I looove the stateroom design (there may be a theme here.. hmm... ;) )

I feel like that post deserves more than a wow... but that's pretty much all I can think of to say right now.

WOW! That's all really exciting! I'm jealous that you get to go to Disneyland, I mean hello, that's WALT'S BABY. Hooray for science-y things. Animal Kingdom should hire you for that program based solely on the fact that you're a Diser. It's also just beyond exciting that you get to sail on the Fantasy! I can't believe how beautiful of a ship it is.

So in a nutshell...

WOW! :woohoo:

Haha, yeah, which is why our "planning the next trip" isn't really a "planning the next trip." I get bored and then I need to do all these ridiculously big projects (and I already painted the house, got us involved in cat fostering, and planned a big road trip to Florida so OBVIOUSLY the only thing left was to plan two new vacations while coordinating a cross-county move).

Bear keeps saying that we don't need that many days in Disneyland, isn't it really small? And then I'm all 'NO IT IS MY BABY I LOVE IT ALREADY.' He said the same thing before the December WDW trip and by the end he was planning future stays that were eight or nine days minimum, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to be able to change his mind. :angel:

party:

I knooow.. the AK should totally just hire me right now for being awesome. :lmao: I've actually started drafting out amusing personal anecdotes to use at any and all interviews I may get. AND my personal statement. I've read that some people apply to over fifteen PIs, but there's only, like, two I qualify for which totally freaks me out. I knew I should've gotten my scuba certification!! Or majored in health information management!

YAY!!! Congrats on all of this!! I am SO excited for you! I hope you'll share more of your plans and stuff with us as they happen!

Of course! Once I get started, I probably won't stop be able to stop talking, actually. ;) I really hope everything works out, if only for practically unlimited (free) access to DIS meets during the professional internship time period (and I'll finally do a Disney trip with my family, since we've never actually all gone before! I really would love to be able to swing a mother-daughter Flower Festival trip sometime. Everyone else's always sound so fun) :goodvibes

Nermel9

03-16-2012, 05:05 PM

Merida

03-23-2012, 05:55 PM

Hey everyone! Isn’t it so nice for it to be Friday? The weather here is practically perfect and I’m finally able to enjoy it. All of my major stressors from this month (wisdom teeth, family visit to see baby, committee meeting) are finished and somehow they all went well. No teeth complications, my new nephew is cute and we will have to take him to Disney World ASAP when we move down, and my committee was super supportive of my work. Plus I have three packages coming in the mail today!

Anyway, approximately two weeks ago, we stepped off Snow White’s Scary Adventures. The clouds, which had been steadily clearing all morning, were out in full force again. Like true atmospheric scientists, neither Bear nor I had brought any sort of rain gear along so I was getting worried.

And hungry.

Mostly hungry, since it was about 1:00 at this point and I hadn’t eaten anything since 8:00 that morning. Usually I eat lots of small meals throughout the day because I’m either full or starving (and completely devoid of energy). There’s not much of a middle ground. We did have lunch reservations at the Plaza for the godawful time of 1:45PM(ish). And I wasn’t sure I could make it.

“..But I’m hungry..” Apparently neither of us remembered anything about snack credits? But Bear agreed to try and check in early.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/7009184823_db79dcfbd8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009184823/)
Hidden Mickeys (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009184823/)

We cut around the side of the castle (near Rapunzel’s meet and greet, which looked adorable but I had been promised lunch. LUNCH!). By this point, I was practically dragging Bear down Main Street as he tried to take in the sights, sounds, and smells.

“But look at the flowers!” I stopped for maybe thirty seconds to see the confetti; we were so close.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/7009184879_3cdf6a23dc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009184879/)
Plaza Restaurant (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009184879/)

And then we were there. It really did look like rain at this point and the little tables outside were deserted. I paced around the courtyard as Bear went to check in.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/7009184955_303436224c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009184955/)
The Plaza (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009184955/)

Bear came back with a pager, and we stood there staring at it for about 30 seconds before it went off. Sometimes I find the pagers really, really silly – and this was one of those times. When we came down in November 2010, Bear had made two reservations, one for the Grand Floridian Café and one for the Plaza. We were in the Magic Kingdom the day after Thanksgiving (but I don’t remember it being crowded?) and the pager was definitely needed then. We even saw an irate guest! Fun times, fun times.

We were ushered back into my favorite part of the Plaza, the little sunroom that’s painted green on the outside (not that you would ever guess, looking from the street, that the green room is part of the Plaza. At least, not that I ever guessed!).

Ever since Tony’s got rid of the Lady and the Tramp breakfast (why), the Plaza is my favorite place to eat in the Magic Kingdom. I know, it’s only half a step up from counter service and nowhere near “fine dining” or whatever. But (optimistically) 85% of what we eat normally can barely be classed as “dining.” So anything fancier than the Plaza is truly lost on us poor grad students. We have always found both the food and the service to be top notch (two data points is totally a trend).

One and a half sandwiches, some fries, and several lemonade refills later, we were both sated. Deluxe dining may have been wasted on us as well – I can never eat that much food at one time. But I will give it the ol’ college try! The Plaza was our first experience with the dining plan and the joy of getting dessert at restaurants (see: poor graduate students. I’m also one of four kids so we would always do “other” treats after going out for pizza). This was seriously magical and made the entire dining plan worthwhile.

Dining and food usually isn’t a big part of our life and it was very nice to know everything was already paid for (or, you know, free). No brownie sundae (minus the cherry and whipped cream) ever tasted so good!

The lunchtime indulgence finally came to an end and after profusely thanking our waitress (we usually get stuck in between two larger families in restaurants and the Plaza was no exception so it’s always nice when we get attention). What do after eating something double the size of your normal lunch?

Head off to Big Thunder of course!

Only the parade was starting soon and we got stuck in the crowds on the sides. Rats. And I had sounded so smart convincing Bear to head up there next.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/7009185091_381e114ddf_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185091/)
Hall of Presidents (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185091/)

We squeezed through a break in the crowds and headed up the steps of the Hall of Presidents to regroup.
“Why not try this? Carousel of Progress was fun.” Bear’s suggestion was reasonable. I had liked Carousel of Progress. What was a few more minutes when I’d already been waiting all morning?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/6863069234_52c9b7b105_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6863069234/)
The Seal (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6863069234/)

The atrium was not particularly awe-inspiring. I mean, it’s not like Big Thunder’s queue is anything to write home about but at least you know that Big Thunder’s at the end! All Hall of Presidents has going for it is the carpet.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/7009185051_c702f6f92b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185051/)
The Olive Branch (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185051/)

Do they ever change the direction the eagle faces, like on the ‘real’ seal in the Oval Office? I’ve always wondered how they do that (especially since it was brought up on The West Wing and then never, ever mentioned ever again. WHY COULDN’T YOU TELL ME, AARON SORKIN??? Is it too much to ask?)

Bear decided that actually, listening to my frustrations regarding the presidential seal wasn’t that interesting and maybe the crowds were a better idea. Our five minute exposure to the Hall of Presidents (~educational~) had come to the end.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7280/6863069366_642e9a3f8b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6863069366/)
Tom Sawyer's Island (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6863069366/)

I usually don’t take the main pathway through Frontierland; I like the view of Tom Sawyer’s Island that you have when taking the low road. I’ve never actually been to Tom Sawyer’s Island but I like watching the rafts.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7127/7009185187_432580e495_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185187/)
Birds (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185187/)

The birds are a nice perk, too! I know that they’re everywhere in the park getting in everyone’s way and stealing food but it’s a little more “natural habitat” down by the lake. I had a really great idea for a picture of one of the larger birds and started scrambling around in the mulch, trying to figure out the best way to make the picture happen.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/7009185259_d208f034d4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185259/)
Birds (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185259/)

The picture never actually happened (stupid depth of field being off. And the birds weren’t being very helpful) but we had a fun ten minutes running around after the cranes (I think? I’m not very good at native Floridian birds. I need a book).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7079/7009185337_de1f5df464_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185337/)
Birds (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185337/)
As amused as we were by the birds, other families were by us. After I had finally given up on Chester the Crane (he kept bobbing his head, next time I’m giving up and doing burst mode), we were stopped by a nice gentleman and his son.

“We’re not going to use these, and they’re good for now, would you like them?”

“YES.” I love free things. I don’t even care if they’re useful, the fact that I got something for free is totally worth celebrating. Hey, if we weren’t going to use them, we could always pass them on or whatever. But what was the chance that they’d be for something we didn’t ride? There’s only one fastpass ride we don’t like…

“You don’t even know what they’re for..” Bear apparently does not share my enthusiasm for free fastpasses. We thanked the two men and waited until they were a few feet away before flipping them over. Come on Space Mountain, Space Mountain, Space Mountain….

Rats.

“Splash?!”

“You were the one who wanted free fastpasses,” Bear was quick to remind me. “Come on, let’s go look at it, maybe it won’t be that bad.”

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7009185413_2596984a2e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185413/)
King of the Island (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7009185413/)

I dragged my feet along the wood planks. I hate Splash Mountain. Stupid fast passes for a stupid ride that’s stupid.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/6863069680_76403e3544_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6863069680/)
Returning from Splash Mountain (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6863069680/)

We stood on the bridge and watched log after log come down the drop.

“People in the back don’t seem to be getting wet,” Bear pointed out. “And it looks like most of the water is just sprayers.”

But just because everyone riding – and the nearby birds - all get through the experience (and stay relatively dry) doesn’t mean I will. Stupid free fastpasses.

We stood there, going back and forth for a few minutes.

“What do you want to do?”

“I’ll ride if you want to.”

“But do you want to?”

“Do you want to?”

This is why we usually plan ahead because we are both horrible decision makers. But eventually (after five minutes of people dropping down to the briar patch and getting out alive) we made the executive decision to let future Merida and future Bear decide about Splash Mountain.

My favorite type of decision!

And in the mean time, we would have the much more rewarding experience of a bathroom break and a much-delayed spin on Big Thunder.

Oh and p.s.: I joined up on twitter again! My handle is @jonquillas since I’m still figuring out who is who everywhere and I apologize for missing anyone!

Stringbean&Wingnut

03-23-2012, 07:13 PM

jecskc

03-23-2012, 08:52 PM

Loving your TR, photography and cerebral writing style. Looking forward to reading more.

Psst ..... most of your chapter links go straight to post #12. I thought I kept mistakenly clicking on the same link, but no ... they all are the same link. I thought you might want to know. I enjoyed scrolling through the whole thing however, so no bother for this Disney fan :goodvibes

marDgreen88

03-25-2012, 12:21 PM

I love the picture of the Mickey confetti in the flowers, that looks so pretty.

I can understand having the sundae without the cherries, sure, but no WHIPPED CREAM? :confused3

Okay WHaaaaa? You don't like SPLASH? Oh my gosh. :eek: It's my favorite! To each her own, I suppose! :rotfl:

Merida

03-25-2012, 11:33 PM

Neither of had actually been back in the Splash Mountain area. It’s not very surprising, since I dislike public toilets and neither of us have (at this point) been to any of the parties or ridden Splash.

So we got lost.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6869934310_d01788d620_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869934310/)
Splash Mountain (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869934310/)

It took a few rather amused cast members pointing us on our way (why didn’t we use our map??) before we found the bathrooms.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6233/7016044727_3a7f8bd526_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016044727/)
FPs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016044727/)

Because of all of my various accoutrements that I didn’t want to take inside, Bear agreed to a bathroom swap; it takes a little longer but at least you get a nice rest and a chance to people swap.

But we were finally on our way back up the hill – only stopping once to look as the train chugged by overhead. By our standards we were practically sprinting up towards Big Thunder!

I dug through my carefully-organized camera bag, trying to find the correct fastpasses in my stash. I don’t do well with visibly well organized things, I’ve found; I need my own special system that usually gets described as ‘messy.’

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6113/7016045495_c2a43a7f90_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016045495/)
Big Thunder Lamps (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016045495/)

I naturally have a very obsessive personality so I tend to spend a lot of energy worrying about why I don’t love all of a certain thing. Like Big Thunder – love the ride, hate the queue. And this is a normal thing, given that the queue is the most boring in the entire world. But it bothers me that I always dismiss the queue so quickly. There has to be something redeeming in there!

So it became my mission to find something – anything – worthwhile in the Big Thunder Mountain queue.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6102/7016045999_20b73ac263_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016045999/)
Big Thunder (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016045999/)

It didn’t really work the way I hoped; there are some little details through the windows and up in the rafters but they don’t really tell the complete, intended story.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/7016046885_1dcd2e50a6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016046885/)
Irish Blend (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016046885/)

Good choice, old timey miners!

It doesn’t help that everything in there is so brown. There could be tons of details hidden in that building but it is so visually boring. Your eyes just get so tired staring at all that wood that you just tune out on everything. The theming of the actual ride is well done, but the queue does nothing to get you interested or invested in the storyline of the ride.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6117/7016047425_863e098735_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016047425/)
d2_p154 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016047425/)

It’s a shame because I do think there is something interesting there beyond one of the few “coasters” in Magic Kingdom. Fun ride, yes. But I think it’s a waste of the storyline (though lol forever at the stereotypical Native American curse. Really? And the “reasoning” as to why guests are in the possessed trains is really weak) to leave out more explicit explanations or cues as to why the (admittedly minimal) details in the queue are important and how they connect to the ride.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7276/6869938336_f1fe744200_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869938336/)
Bird Cabins (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869938336/)

Before Bear and I knew it we had survived another jaunt on the possessed trains and were shuffling down the exit ramp.

“Splash Mountain?” I asked Bear nervously as we wandered back down towards the main hub of Frontierland.

“How long’s the line?” We stopped to look at the clock; under 20 minutes for standby so fastpass couldn’t be very long at all. “Why not? It won’t take very long at all.”

“Okay. But you have to tell them where we want to sit.” I never tried out asking cast members for a particular seat and I wasn’t going to start right before I went on the worst ride ever.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6232/7016048875_f6a1f8d025_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016048875/)
Lamps (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7016048875/)

Can birds actually live in those houses? Or are they stuffed with the speakers? The little noises are genius (especially when compared to Big Thunder) but I’d love if they were actually useful.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6228/6869939564_81028bc891_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869939564/)
Disney Squirrels (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869939564/)

“Do you have to go to the bathroom? We’re right here…”

“No more stalling, I want to ride the train sometime today!” Now that we’d actually made the decision, Bear was ready to go and I had to leave my new squirrel friend.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6033/6869940318_ea25ba3ace_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869940318/)
Premium Carrots (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869940318/)

I dragged my feet all the way up to the door, taking pictures of pretty much anything while trying to delay the inevitable. I’m not very good at accepting the inevitable – I am truly skilled at finding every way to put off something for another few seconds.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6042/6869941044_67ba9eefdd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869941044/)
d2_p159 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6869941044/)

But the door was there in front of us, ominously dark and gaping. The poor cast member, standing there innocently clad in blue gingham, didn’t seem to belong to this monstrous ride.

But Bear pulled me forward and we zipped through the line; it was maybe five minutes from entrance to loading. My camera was secured in the bag, I was scrunched down in the seat next to Bear and our log was lurching down the river.

It was only a short while later that Bear was tugging at my arm, trying to get me out of the seat and down to see our picture.

“So? What did you think?” Bear asked, grinning, as we jostled for a good viewing position in the crowd.

“AGAIN, AGAIN!”

Merida

03-25-2012, 11:37 PM

Wow, that all sounds so exciting! Disneyland! A Disney Cruise! Maybe working in Animal Kingdom! That would be amazing! :woohoo: I really hope you can get in, working there would be a dream come true! :cool1:

I really hope it works out! If only because it would be fun to get promoted up to salaried cast member and get real benefits and free admission.

But mostly dental insurance.

Maybe. ;)

And having a real life grown up job could be fun! Especially if it's at Disney.

Merida

03-26-2012, 12:10 AM

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed lunch at the Plaza! I've never been there before, but it looks so cute and quaint! (Although, I'm not sure how you could possibly have a brownie sundae without whipped cream and a cherry!! :confused3:rotfl:)

Love that you took a 5 minute break in the lobby of the Hall of Presidents! The perfect little pausing area!

Hmmm...I'm wondering if your future selves used the FP's for Splash. I'm going to go with yes! Why not? :laughing:

It is so adorable inside! Apparently sometimes the Mayor comes in? I've never seen those characters but I think it's nice that they do that. It can get really crowded but we've always been lucky to get families that are very amusing to watch! (Heh, I hate the consistency of whipped cream, so it's usually just a brownie + vanilla ice cream. Bear eats the cherry for me!)

I really meant to see Hall of Presidents but.. it just never worked out. :rolleyes1 I figure I get plenty of education in normal life that I don't need to bother with even "Disney education" on vacation.

Also, no Alexander Hamilton representation!! Best Founding Father ever.

Loving your TR, photography and cerebral writing style. Looking forward to reading more.

Psst ..... most of your chapter links go straight to post #12. I thought I kept mistakenly clicking on the same link, but no ... they all are the same link. I thought you might want to know. I enjoyed scrolling through the whole thing however, so no bother for this Disney fan :goodvibes

I like 'cerebreal'! It sounds so much nicer and more positive than 'over-thinking' or 'nit-picky.' It's so weird to think that I'm only on day 2 of 6! I really need to dig out my trip journal soon, so I can remember what we did. :lmao:

Ooh, thank you! I thought I checked most of them, but the DIS was being so slow then I took the lazy way out. I should update it by this point in time anyway! :)

I love the picture of the Mickey confetti in the flowers, that looks so pretty.

I can understand having the sundae without the cherries, sure, but no WHIPPED CREAM? :confused3

Okay WHaaaaa? You don't like SPLASH? Oh my gosh. :eek: It's my favorite! To each her own, I suppose! :rotfl:

Thanks! No idea how Bear spotted them but I'm really glad he made me stop.

Whipped cream has the worst consistency :( I like the idea of it and the flavor, but I can't get past the weird way it feels (same thing re: fruit - which is hard, because I love fruit flavor but not fruit texture. And waffle cones!). At least I eat more than just vanilla ice cream now - it took my parents AGES to convince me to try other flavors (though I still side-eye pistachio like whoa).

Heh, there's nothing wrong with Splash, I just have a very (over) active imagination and since I never saw inside of it, I built up this really intense ride in my mind. Same thing with Haunted Mansion! I'm apparently a very gullible person when it comes to my own brain. :rotfl:

Stringbean&Wingnut

03-26-2012, 05:07 AM

__disneygirl

03-26-2012, 05:30 PM

Aw, you should have stuck around for Hall of Presidents. I FINALLY saw it on our last trip after years of thinking, "I'm at the Magic Kingdom, so no I do not want a history lesson right now" and I thought it was pretty amazing.

What's all this about the train on BTMRR being possessed? I didn't know any of this. I thought it was just supposed to be a mine that exploded making the track all crazy. Hmmm...

I'm so happy you ended up loving Splash. I was like, WHAT is she talking about calling it the worst ride ever? You getting those FPs was obviously fate! One of my all time faves. :thumbsup2

Nermel9

03-26-2012, 05:53 PM

I have to agree with you about the BTMRR queue, it's boring. And brown. Every time we go on it, I dread getting in that line. It's a little better at night, just because you can't see how boring it really is! :rotfl:

I had no idea the people in the train were supposed to be possessed? :scared1: Weird, I'll have to look into that, I love that all Disney rides have a backstory!

AHHHH I'm SO glad you liked Splash! It's one of my favorites! :banana:

marDgreen88

03-26-2012, 10:13 PM

Hahaha... if you think the Big Thunder queue is boring, you should go to Kings Dominion. Most of the rides aren't even themed, so you can imagine the queues... :eek: I've never been in the Big Thunder line long enough to notice the boring-ness though, haha. I usually end up just looking at the ride itself or looking for the castle through the trees. :cloud9:

YAY! SPLASH IS THE BEST! I'm glad you liked it!

katt789

03-27-2012, 02:05 AM

AH! Alright, so first off, I have fully caught up, I thought I had already replied, but I guess not. Loving the pictures, you take such amazing ones! As if you didn't want to do splash!? Then again, this is coming from the girl who didn't really want to do it on her first trip, and now it's my favorite! (although defs not the dlr version!)

I find BTMRR to be boring, for it supposedly being the wildest in the west, it's pretty tame...I think i could conquer the west...:confused3

It's safe to say that unless I return to WDW with Nick and he drags me into Hall of Presidents, I'll never see it. Then again, I might just go in and watch it and send him copius amounts of pictures and videos and brag about how awesome it is just to tick him off :laughing:

Merida

03-27-2012, 06:08 PM

Yayyyy I'm glad to hear you survived (and ENJOYED!) Splash!!! How could you not? Seriously, it's such an awesome ride!!

I've only been on BTMRR once, actually, when I was younger. So I don't really remember the queue being dull. (Now we skip it because neither DBF or I are that keen on being jostled around that much!)

It is neat, though I still like the storytelling bit better than the drop. That's way less interesting than the rest of it!

Hah, you're not missing much. It's literally like walking through a barn. And not an interesting barn with animals and such - a really boring barn. I'm hoping they fix some of the jostling (I know there's a way you're supposed to seat people in the cars to eliminate it for the smaller person but I never remember) because it can get out of hand!

Aw, you should have stuck around for Hall of Presidents. I FINALLY saw it on our last trip after years of thinking, "I'm at the Magic Kingdom, so no I do not want a history lesson right now" and I thought it was pretty amazing.

What's all this about the train on BTMRR being possessed? I didn't know any of this. I thought it was just supposed to be a mine that exploded making the track all crazy. Hmmm...

I'm so happy you ended up loving Splash. I was like, WHAT is she talking about calling it the worst ride ever? You getting those FPs was obviously fate! One of my all time faves. :thumbsup2

I do want to, but we were planning on seeing the American Adventure when we went to Epcot and there's only so many audio-animatronic rich white guys I can watch in a limited time span, you know? And I'd just reread most of the Sarah Vowell bibliography around that time so I was caught up on most of my presidential history :thumbsup2

Nope, it's actually supposed to be possessed by the spirits of the dead Native Americans (? I think, that part's not very clear!). And it was broken by a flash flood! Which makes no sense, which is why the whole storyline should be scrapped and done over. It's actually very interesting to survey people on what they think Big Thunder's about! /nerd

It is good! Though I still freak out on EVERY drop because I can never remember (and probably never will) where the briar patch is (and then my boyfriend laughs at me). I've never gotten stuck on it thankfully - I'm pretty sure that's the worst ride to sit on for 20+ minutes. Cute soundtrack but not over and over and over... But yes, definitely one of the best designed rides in Magic Kingdom!

I have to agree with you about the BTMRR queue, it's boring. And brown. Every time we go on it, I dread getting in that line. It's a little better at night, just because you can't see how boring it really is! :rotfl:

I had no idea the people in the train were supposed to be possessed? :scared1: Weird, I'll have to look into that, I love that all Disney rides have a backstory!

AHHHH I'm SO glad you liked Splash! It's one of my favorites! :banana:

We always get stuck in there at night! Probably because we're really awful at FastPass management so there's never one left over for night. And I really love BTMRR at night so we're pretty much forced to wait in the line.

Yup! It's actually supposed to be some sort of tourist trap-y area where people come out to ride through a possessed, crumbling mine (built on an Indian burial ground). And people thought Dinoland was poorly thought out and tacky! :rotfl:

We actually went on Splash more than any other ride this trip (besides Everest). Which is weird! But fun!

Hahaha... if you think the Big Thunder queue is boring, you should go to Kings Dominion. Most of the rides aren't even themed, so you can imagine the queues... :eek: I've never been in the Big Thunder line long enough to notice the boring-ness though, haha. I usually end up just looking at the ride itself or looking for the castle through the trees. :cloud9:

YAY! SPLASH IS THE BEST! I'm glad you liked it!

Nooooo... Islands of Adventure was bad enough (though I LOVE Spider-man's incredibly outdated one)!! I mean, they expect people to wait in them long enough, why not give them something interesting to look at? Is that too much to ask (I figure asking for a free Mickey bar before entering the queue is probably crossing the line, so I'll stick with 'visually-interesting queue')???

AH! Alright, so first off, I have fully caught up, I thought I had already replied, but I guess not. Loving the pictures, you take such amazing ones! As if you didn't want to do splash!? Then again, this is coming from the girl who didn't really want to do it on her first trip, and now it's my favorite! (although defs not the dlr version!)

I find BTMRR to be boring, for it supposedly being the wildest in the west, it's pretty tame...I think i could conquer the west...:confused3

It's safe to say that unless I return to WDW with Nick and he drags me into Hall of Presidents, I'll never see it. Then again, I might just go in and watch it and send him copius amounts of pictures and videos and brag about how awesome it is just to tick him off :laughing:

Thanks!

Doesn't Disneyland's have way more water? Really the whole 'log flume' part isn't what I liked, it's the Br'er Rabbit part! More water is definitely not an improvement.

Yeah, BTMRR's whole catch phrase doesn't make sense until you realize it's supposed to be an advertising gimmick! It's supposed to be drawing tourists out to visit the mine and I guess it works because it's a super popular ride. :) There's a lot of really cool details on the actual ride track I like to spot (the underground cavern is my favorite part) but I definitely wouldn't describe it as wild.

I'll probably see it once to say I've done it, but that's it! I like history and everything, but not the simplified theme park version of it. Plus it reminds me WAY too much of Madame Tussaud's and that place weirds me out. Doll versions of real people are way too uncanny valley for me! At least you have the whole 'I'm a Canadian' excuse for not going in! ;)

Merida

03-27-2012, 06:29 PM

And now, because no one asked for it: HOW I WOULD FIX BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN (an essay in five parts) (or: I have way too much time on my hands)

1: The actual storyline behind BTMRR is pretty much a mine was built on a Native American burial ground/sacred site (seriously, they must have really hard up to try and bury people in what looks like bedrock. Isn't cremation a more practical idea?). Settlers came out and built up a mine and then a mining train, eventually causing enough damage to anger Native Americans/spirits. These then caused a flash flood, ruining the mine and forcing the people to leave.

Some time later, people 'rediscovered' the mine and found the mine cars/trains running by themselves, all spookily. Someone came up with the GREAT idea to build the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, incorporating the mine, and offer rides on the possessed cars to paying tourists (thus the slogan 'Wildest Ride in the West').

This backstory is AWFUL. And there's nothing in the build up to loading (besides the CMs and the 'Wildest Ride in the West' bit) to suggest what the ride actually is (tourist trap). So, clearly, someone should fix this. In four easy steps:

2: Keep the basic storyline - or, what any regular park guest will probably be able to tell you about this ride. This is pretty much just that you're going on a train through an abandoned mine somewhere in the Southwestern United States. THIS IS GOOD.

3: Scrap everything to do with Native Americans - because Disney's track record is really awful on this front (though the Native-American-tribe-cursing-settlers is an interesting perversion of the Noble Savage trope in theory, it really doesn't work here. It's too cliche but also too intricate to get across without resorting to gross stereotypes). If they really, really need to include Native Americans, at least have them selling the land to naive settlers because the Native Americans really didn't want haunted land any more. But this goes against part 4!

4: Keep the backstory vague and scary: I like the idea of a haunted mine ride because it very nicely mirrors what's going on across the way in Haunted Mansion. Plus it shows a different side of scary from HM.

The guest shouldn't know how - or why - the mine town became abandoned. Instead, it should be up to them to imagine whatever reason is the most unnerving. The queue should hint at some sort of cataclysmic event (monsters, supernatural floods, zombies, some weird sort of plague. Or you could just Ancient Aliens the whole ride. That last one may be a joke).

There should be (subtle) hints in the queue that something went horribly wrong here but they should not be emphasized because it's not supposed to be obviously scary like HM. Instead, it should be more like Tower of Terror/Everest (or Portal!) where everything on first glance looks normal but there are details that are off when you look closer.

The mine would then be possessed by the original mining crew instead of the nameless force that currently has residence in there. The mining crew has a reason to be angry (and wants to take you on an actual 'wildest ride' through the mine) because the company ignored them and pretty much left them to die.

This is what I consider the 'other side' of haunting to parallel Haunted Mansion - it's driven by the need for revenge for what has been done to them in comparison to HM, where the ghosts are there because of what they have done (i.e., the Bride who murdered all her husbands. Obviously this doesn't work in DLP. Then again, DLP's Big Thunder has its own story which is still about Native American burial grounds. You can even work a whole class/refinement metaphor in there with the distinctions between fancy/wealthier/old money Liberty Square and rough'n'tumble Frontierland).

5: Find a new reason the guests are there - who REALLY wants to ride around on possessed train cars through a rotting mine? Especially in the middle of nowhere? No one, that's who. It's dangerous and the payoff isn't worth it. Plus, how are you supposed to get out to the mine and back to civilization? WHERE ARE THE HOTELS TO HOUSE TOURISTS. The whole idea just isn't supported by what's actually at the ride itself.

Instead, I like the idea that the park guests are representatives from the financing company and came around for a visit to see why no one's heard anything out of the mine for some time. Cast members in the area can then also be 'themed' as part of the company - field guides, perhaps, who are there to accompany you into the wilderness. Then they load you up into the mine cars so you can evaluate the condition of the mines, but the ghosts/possessed cars take over before they are able to get into the driver/engineer's seat.

While it's still a silly idea to go into an abandoned mine, at least it's because you're required to (for the job) than because you thought it would be a really great vacation memory.

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. Nothing that really needs major retiming, because the bones are good, but some tweaks to make the ride more logical and streamlined (unexpectedly abandoned mine, guests there to check it out is WAY easier to explain than the mess currently in place despite how long I took to describe everything). No one even has to put in a disco Yeti! The only issue is that you can't really keep 'the wildest ride in the west' around in-ride but… it wasn't even that great of a marketing scheme anyway.

Merida

03-27-2012, 09:25 PM

So I’m looking through my notebook and some (apparently) very important things I missed:

We did hit Space Mountain in the morning before leaving for Haunted Mansion and picked up another set of fastpasses.

We also grabbed another set of fastpasses for Big Thunder after our first ride.

I think that’s all.. this update is a little light on everything because, well, I had to write a screed on Big Thunder Mountain and now I’m burned out.

Now: back to present time (kind of. In real life, I'm watching Colbert Report reruns, in TR time we're just stepping out of the Splash Mountain dump shop)

Due to the iffy weather, Splash’s line was still rather short so we hopped on again (after all, my camera was still safe in its bag so why not take the opportunity?). It was just as delightful the second time around and even with barely 10 minutes in between rides I couldn’t remember how long until the final drop.

Bear found this very amusing and – noticing the time when we finally left the Splash Mountain area – grabbed another set of Splash fastpasses right when they were available.

We headed down into the heart of Adventureland; it was getting close to 4 o’clock and I wanted to pick up our Christmas party bracelets as soon as possible. The closest station (and most likely the least popular) to us was in Tortuga Tavern. Perfect – a quick jaunt in the Caribbean and we’d be right on time.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7022533113_ee5fdf59f2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022533113/)
Yo Ho, Yo Ho (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022533113/)

The line for Pirates was short, practically a walk-on which was slightly disappointing. The two of us didn’t really do many multiple rides on this trip, instead choosing to focus on new experiences (and food). Given that this would likely be our only trip through the Pirates’ queue, I wanted to look around.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/7022533355_3922f9c445_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022533355/)
Blasting Powder (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022533355/)

So – of course – we had to pick the other side of the Pirates queue. I had never realized before how the Pirates queue was structured, with both the pirates’ caves and the fort being represented. I’d always been in through the caves and assumed that was how everyone got to the boats, it being an appropriately piratey theme.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7022533621_dfdc31f684_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022533621/)
Lighting the Path (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022533621/)

It actually took the two of us a ridiculously long time to figure out where we were and why there weren’t any pirate skeletons around. I’m sure everyone around us was incredibly grateful when we finally got it because (I feel) like we were being incredibly obnoxious in our disbelief! And then we only made matters worse by wanting to see every little detail and how they tied in with our more usual scenery!

Eventually we did make it down to the loading dock and were settled into our very own row. I was checking my camera to make sure that I was ready for the upcoming ride when I saw it.

The dreaded 1-bar battery.

I had forgotten to charge the battery in between our IoA day and the MK day so it was actually a surprise that it had lasted this long!

And I had another camera with me.

Which wasn’t quite as good as my Rebel and I hadn’t used it in months, so it stayed safely put in the bag as we sailed along.

No one appealed to George on our cruise so we were soon back out in the watery sunlight. I’d actually never been to Tortuga Tavern and was digging around in the bag for a map (we’d collected several by this point) to figure out where to go next.

“Santa hats?” Bear pointed across the way. “Think they’ll be helpful?”

“Probably more than a map.” I gave up on the maps (they’re not really drawn to scale anyway) and we Froggered our away across the way to the Santa hats.

Surprisingly (or not), the beSantahatted cast members were tagging Christmas partygoers. Once the lead Santa hat had confirmed our tickets, we were ushered back for our official bracelets. The process was much easier than I had expected; we were one group of maybe five or so and the cast members had the routine down pat. Within moments we’d been tagged and released back into the wild.

“… are you hungry?” My plan had been for us to wander around, searching for bracelets for a long period of time and then grab some dinner.

“Not really.”

We were ahead of schedule! What would we do?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/6876432482_3807812755_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6876432482/)
Jungle Cruise (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6876432482/)

Pretty much the only thing we had left to do was Jungle Cruise, and since it would be shutting down for the Christmas party, we might as well do it now. I was trying to remember how to work my old camera and followed behind Bear, trying to dodge anyone who walked between us.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7022534457_4e18a82548_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022534457/)
Purely Decorative (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022534457/)

I love Jungle Cruise. Wordplay – especially puns – is one of my favorite types of humor. As an incredibly literal person, I take an extraordinary amount of pleasure from figuring out the joke of wordplay. And it’s a humor that I can easily understand (Bear watches a lot of stand up and I’m slowly getting better at figuring out the jokes. The curses of a literal brain!).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6876433470_77b8fb7c3c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6876433470/)
Dhatura Extract (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6876433470/)

The dhatura is a flower, more commonly known as a moonflower in the United States. The extract is a popular (especially historically!) poison and hallucinogen. I’m taking this as a suggestion to get high in order to truly appreciate Jungle Cruise fully.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/7022535689_cebd36600b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022535689/)
Boats (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022535689/)

I’ve never had a bad skipper on Jungle Cruise and this one didn’t disappoint. She really played up the jokes and put special emphasis on my favorite one.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/7022536307_90e42018e8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022536307/)
Jungle Cruise Zebra (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7022536307/)

It’s surprisingly not the back side of water (that’s a close second), but instead when the skipper points out all of their favorite plants. I don’t know why but I find that part hilarious.

And then I have to explain the joke to Bear, which I’m sure he greatly appreciates.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/6876435330_57a558576b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6876435330/)
Jungle Cruise Elephants (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6876435330/)

I was getting frustrated with the old camera – the pictures are fine, but it wasn’t doing exactly what I wanted. I’d been grumping about this same problem with my dslr only a few short hours ago – totally shouldn’t have taken that time for granted.

I shoved it back in my bag after getting off Jungle Cruise. We had about two and a half hours before the party, perhaps my battery would sense my frustration and magically recover by then.

But at least I got that stunning picture of the animatronic elephant backside. You’re welcome.

marDgreen88

03-30-2012, 02:21 PM

Merida

04-01-2012, 05:13 PM

I’ve been trying to figure out how to write up our Christmas Party experience; I don’t have very many sharing pictures because we (surprisingly) spent quite a bit of time in character lines and without my normal camera.

Especially since we’d gotten off that ‘finally in Disney together!!’ adrenaline and were starting to ease back into our normal energy level (somewhere between ‘sloth’ and ‘frilled lizard out for a stroll’, depending on the location). Crowds were also starting to lighten as people without Christmas party plans filtered out.

It was easiest to get pulled along the current and Bear and I ended up at the end of Main Street without even realizing it. I was ready for a break, but not quite committed to the idea enough to actually leave the park.

We settled for a trip on the steam trains; the Walt Disney World Railroad is, for me, pretty much the theme park ride equivalent of April Come She Will. There’s just something about the mix of nostalgia (antiquated transportation system and the tributes to important figures – now all passed – in Disney’s life) and the inevitable passage of time (the slow deterioration of the exhibits and the closing of old stations to make way for the Storybook Circus stop) that is a nice contrast (especially mentally) to the generally pristine manufactured environment in the park.

Not that manufactured is a bad thing; after our train ride was finished, we quickly hit up the three mountains while the lines were short. But sometimes perfection can be overwhelming.

By the time that we got off Splash – the last mountain we had to (re)-conquer – we still weren’t hungry.

“Let’s just wait for cookies,” Bear suggested as we picked up (another) set of party maps. We have about four maps each tucked away in the house; it was always easiest to ask a nearby Cast Member for a new one than find, in the dark, the old ones that had been stuffed willy nilly in my camera bag. “Where do you want to go first?”

We had ended up in Liberty Square since the original plan had been to pick up some semblance of a healthy dinner at Columbia Harbor House. It was very close to 7 at this point and Main Street was packed.

“We could find Tiana and Naveen, I think they’re supposed to be around here somewhere.” The maps weren’t very clear – and neither were some of the Cast Members still in that section of the park. I had some idea where they met normally, but no one knew if that was the designated Christmas party location.

We gave up eventually and sat near the gazebo, watching the crush of people in front of us, until the character attendant rescued us.

The three of us chatted for some time, about Florida, about Colorado, about school. The woman was older, doing work as a seasonal employee as a way to stay involved, and very much a grandmother. The only time she left our sides during the wait was when she needed to escort Tiana and Naveen – through the raging crowds of the two of us – safely into their home.

She was back in a flash, fussing over the two of us the way she had the characters. I didn’t notice until later, but she actually secured the rope again, giving us a truly private time to meet with the Tiana and Naveen.

I was worried at this point that nothing would be able to top the Aladdin/Jasmine experience this morning or that Bear wouldn’t be into the whole thing and then it would be awkward. But I really didn’t need to expend that energy – Tiana and Naveen were excellent.

I decided to go with my traditional meet’n’greet greeting – obliquely insulting the characters. Before it was ignoring Aladdin; this time, it was saying that we were back here mostly to escape the crowds. But that got quickly smoothed over and we were going through the normal questions – where are you from, are you having a good trip, tell us about the two of you.

The question that we always dread is how long have you been together? which always seems to come up in these sorts of situations. Bear and I don’t have an anniversary date since we started dating after a series of wacky hijinx and neither of us care enough to come up with an actual date.

The story took much longer than that to tell since both of us had to tell our side of things. Naveen was quite affronted by the thought of no anniversary, and he and Tiana took it upon themselves to give us an official, Disney approved anniversary date of..

February 30th.

Hey, it’s better than no anniversary! And the history is a bit less complicated to tell.

The four of us chatted for a few more minutes, took our pictures, and then finally there were other people in line. We said our goodbyes and headed back out into Liberty Square.

The crowds still hadn’t made it back into this part of the park, so Bear and I took a cookie break inside Columbia Harbor House. Over cookies and cocoa we formulated a rough plan – hit up Fantasyland for Wendy and Peter Pan, and then head down into Tomorrowland. Then princesses, fireworks, parade and fin.

The whole routine for finding characters started all over again in Fantasyland; the map wasn’t marked and Cast Members ended up directing us to a manager to figure out where we were supposed to go.

And then – after we, a character attendant, and one other girl – waited about fifteen minutes, they moved the meet and greet.

This was about the time I learned why the attendants are so crucial. Bear and I had pretty much unloaded everything we were carrying before collapsing onto the pavement outside Philharmagic. So it took us a few seconds to gather everything back up and straighten ourselves up for the photo op.

And in that short break (when the other girl was meeting and greeting), a family moved in front of us. I wasn’t quite sure what to do; really, the kid would probably get more out of it than me and it wasn’t that important, was it?

It sounds so silly to say now, but in the moment, after that wait on the cold pavement when we were both getting grumpy and snippy, it was super important. I had waited, and come hell or high water, I wanted to be next to see Wendy.

The (absolutely amazing) character attendant indicated to the mother that she would have to step back and let me go first, which clearly wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She started arguing, saying that she didn’t know that we were in line, why can’t we let her kid go first? But he held his ground and insisted that they wait in turn.

Most of this was going on while I was discussing the important of blue scarves with Wendy and Peter; Bear told me everything once I’d come back. But I am glad – as fun as it may be to have characters wandering loose through the parks – that the cast member was there to stand up for me. And I had a great five minutes with Peter and Wendy so there.

I may have made a similarly snotty comment to Bear as he was relating the story to me afterwards. It may have been overheard by the mother, which Bear found absolutely hilarious.

Not that being mean is funny (okay, it can be!), but I’m not a very aggressive person in general so it was very much out of character for me. As I was (predictably) overwhelmed with guilt, Bear dragged me over to a beverage stand so he could get a drink. My complete off-the-wall reaction to everything Peter and Wendy related cleared out any residual grumpiness. I was still keen on the idea of finding the mother and apologizing, but Bear was more focused on moving forward.

“Come on, let’s just get to Tomorrowland. You won’t be able to find her anyway.”

“But I can try..”
I was eventually persuaded to head down to Tomorrowland; this is, incidentally, why I never got to do Winnie the Pooh, being concerned with other matters at the time.

Tomorrowland was much more festive than Fantasyland and I didn’t want to go on any of the indoor rides. Why not stay out and enjoy?

And the lines were super long for everything – except the Peoplemover.

“Want to try?” Bear, still rather giggly, was amenable to the idea and we were quickly loaded into a Peoplemover Car.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6051/7036572935_39c0ae5efd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036572935/)
Shoes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036572935/)

See? Actual visual evidence. And my shoes being completely out of focus is totally an artistic choice to illustrate my tumultuous mental state and not me forgetting how to work a camera.

And yes, we do have the same shoes, only mine are awesome and sparkley and Bear’s are boring and adult.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/7036573621_4f002cec97_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036573621/)
Peoplemover 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036573621/)

Neither of us had ever been on Peoplemover and I had assumed it was Tomorrowland’s version of the steam trains. So it was mindblowingly awesome when we headed indoors.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7036574133_fcdc7c8487_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036574133/)
Peoplemover 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036574133/)

And I didn’t have my camera ready, given that I had no idea we went in Space Mountain. I still can’t decide which part is my favorite – Epcot, Space Mountain, or simply relaxing in the (astonishingly) quick-moving cars.

Maybe the blue vinyl seat covers – always a classic.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6034/6890478634_06364bfaaf_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6890478634/)
Very Merry Christmas (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6890478634/)

Our various meet’n’greet mishaps had taken longer than anticipated, so we didn’t have time for more than a quick glance around Tomorrowland before heading on. We had princesses to meet! There was only a small window of opportunity without a monstrous line.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7036575245_8f669396f5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036575245/)
Snow in Disney (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036575245/)

I really wanted to see Flynn and Rapunzel and the only way to get Bear to agree was to have a 30 minute or less line that was rather quiet. Honestly, those were my conditions as well. Waiting outside for the parades and fireworks would be better than trapped in a never-ending princess line.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6231/7036575607_99ee65be3f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036575607/)
Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036575607/)

We stopped for a few more photopass pictures (now that we finally knew how the card worked, thanks to the Tiana and Naveen photographer), savoring every square inch of space we had. Main Street was still packed, thanks to the parade.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6119/7036576097_cac712ac85_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036576097/)
Uptown Jewelry (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7036576097/)

I know the Cast Members can be, well, enthusiastic about keeping people out of the walkway, but again – I really appreciated it. It was a relatively easy walk back to the Town Hall, with minimal jostling.

There was no overfill spilling out of Town Hall and I began to grow hopeful; the Cast Member out front confirmed it – yes, it should be about thirty minutes and you should be out in time for Magic, Memories, and You. I was totally going to hit my ‘must meet character’ trifecta.

Merida

04-01-2012, 06:00 PM

Okay so can I just say... WHOOOOOOOOSH! That Big Thunder talk just went wayyyyy over my head. :laughing: TBH I don't think too much of the theming on that particular ride, I just think it's fun haha.

I am the same way in that I'm also 'pun oriented' hahaha. I love all puns, especially the cheesy ones. UGH camera battery problems! I hate when that happens so suddenly. Hooray for the Christmas party... I was at the same one! (Spoiler alert, but not really.) :woohoo:

Haha, yeah, I just think way too much about certain things! It's more the themeing now - if you look at what's the ~official~ company line - is so disparate (cursed mine? tourist trap? PICK ONE) that it doesn't make sense together! So they should clearly take money that could be used to fix the Yeti or make Muppets Land, etc., etc. to fix it just so one pedantic nerd would be satisfied. :rotfl:

Yay! I've read a couple other reports of that party, but we were seriously the worst party-goers there. We did maybe six things. If you count cookies as a thing (spoiler alert: I TOTALLY DO).

marDgreen88

04-02-2012, 12:27 PM

Nermel9

04-02-2012, 06:18 PM

Awww, the Christmas party! :lovestruc One of my favorite things in Disney!

Tiana and Naveen sound like they are so much fun to meet! Someday I'm going to be brave and get up the courage to meet them, I always feel so stupid! I love your anniversary date! :thumbsup2

Ugh, I have yet to have someone make a comment about Brandon and I standing in line for a character when we don't have kids, the closest we ever came to that was our Boo to You parade debacle. :sad2: I'm not mean or aggressive either, but at the same time, some people at Disney really overstep, you know? :rolleyes1

Yay the Peoplemover! It might be my favorite MK ride. I love the mountains, and Pirates, and HM, but there is just something about the Peoplemover that is just Disney perfection. :lovestruc

I LOVE your picture of the castle. I took 10,000 pictures of the castle with the Dream Lights in December and not one of them came out that good. :worship:

Merida

04-04-2012, 04:57 PM

Aww, Tiana and Naveen sound like they were awesome to meet! I wish I got to meet them.

FEBRUARY 30th. That's amazing.

I'm glad the character attendant stood up for you. I mean, there are no rules that say you have to be an actual child to meet a character at Disney. I don't like that some parents seem to think otherwise. Ugh.

I love the PeopleMover! It's so simple but there's something so fun about it.

(P.S. Another spoiler alert: if you think yall were lame party goers, wait until you here about my experience... :sad2: )

They were fun! I'm usually not (very) sappy/romantical/twee/whatever, but I totally want to get a Mickey ears embroidered with 2/30/09 (we have figured out the year we met! :rotfl:) because I think it'd be cute. I figure we have matching shoes, we can get SOMETHING with our "anniversary date" on it.

Yeah. There was a decent line behind us at Peter Pan, so I'm not sure what the lady was thinking all of us were there for? Maybe that no one knew where to go for Philharmagic? But I don't think very many people chat with character attendants (and we had loads of time to talk with both the T&N and PP&W ones) so I think that the CMs were appreciative of that too. idk, I just wanted to see Peter Pan!!

Haha, I'm the worst at parties. I stand near the food and always end up hovering at the edge of groups. Just not a party person - at least this one had the Peoplemover!

Awww, the Christmas party! :lovestruc One of my favorite things in Disney!

Tiana and Naveen sound like they are so much fun to meet! Someday I'm going to be brave and get up the courage to meet them, I always feel so stupid! I love your anniversary date! :thumbsup2

Ugh, I have yet to have someone make a comment about Brandon and I standing in line for a character when we don't have kids, the closest we ever came to that was our Boo to You parade debacle. :sad2: I'm not mean or aggressive either, but at the same time, some people at Disney really overstep, you know? :rolleyes1

Yay the Peoplemover! It might be my favorite MK ride. I love the mountains, and Pirates, and HM, but there is just something about the Peoplemover that is just Disney perfection. :lovestruc

I LOVE your picture of the castle. I took 10,000 pictures of the castle with the Dream Lights in December and not one of them came out that good. :worship:

It was really fun (at least when we weren't arguing over where to go next. :rotfl:). And it was just so nice to look around! I had thought we would do way more rides than we actually did, but it turned out that just wandering around was really nice too.

Haha, I always seem to put my foot in my mouth when meeting characters and they deal with it well! I wouldn’t worry about that part. And now I just try to get in (short) lines and not really think about the actual meet too much… in my experience, it all works out eventually! And the character attendants are wonderful people doing a truly amazing job in what must be a very thankless position, dealing with all ~those people.

Yeah, other people are totally my downfall in being a good person myself! :lmao: I tend to be incredibly spiteful and judgey and neurotic, which is a terrible personality combination! So since I spend more time in worrying about an aggressive response than in a five minute rant to Bear (who will agree with me about someone cutting in line or whatever and then no one else has to know how awful I can be ;) ), I try to just let things be. Which is why he was SO happy that I reacted to the lady because I’m always giving up our spaces at parades!

But really some people are just rude and awful and I wish I didn’t default back to being nice. It really would be so satisfactory sometimes to go tit for tat (either in real life or on the Internet).

I really, really like the Peoplemover. I wish it was open to Extra Magic Hours! Going through at night is definitely the best time to do it – and I love, love, love the part that goes inside Space Mountain. It was just so cool to have the ‘coaster cars racing over my head!

Thanks! I don’t remember where that one came from, actually… I have approximately five zillion from Magic, Memories, and You and then this random one from (I think?) the Tomorrowland bridge. It was a nice surprise to find it on my hard drive!

Merida

04-12-2012, 08:01 PM

I’ve been sitting on this update for quite a few days, but I got caught up in organizing my growing pile of unedited photos (not just from Disney!) and figuring out my student loan situation. I really don’t recommend either of these activities – right now, both seem to be Sisyphean tasks (my least favorite). So my mood hasn’t been the best lately and that only serves to turn what is normally a pedantic, plodding recollection much gloomier and grouchier! Since we do actually have fun when we vacation (honest), I’ve been noodling around on the draft for ages until the words make no sense. So apologies ahead of time!

We made it down Main Street and into the princess line easily. The line was actually in the blue room right before guests are divided up into groups for each princess room.

And then we sat.

I’m not sure what the hold up was, but I was incredibly jealous of the little Cinderella next to me. She was fast asleep the moment the line paused and she got carried through the line (Bear said no).

For anyone who hasn’t sat in the princess line – there’s not much going on in that room. Blue walls, no actual themeing, and lots of very intense parents who are dead set on keeping order in line. But there is the tantalizing prospect of seeing Rapunzel and Flynn at the end of the wait!

We finally got through both the queue and the Snow White/Aurora meets. Nothing against those four cast members, but the meets are just.. bland. Phillip and Aurora are much better than Snow White + Prince, since their movie has a bit more personality. Honestly, I appreciate the style and history behind the original movies a bit more than the princesses. Really, they didn’t have much personality! And it seems unlikely that they’ll ever highlight the more snarky side of Prince Phillip.

Rapunzel and Flynn were excellent, as usual. Bear, who pretty much delegated himself as bag boy for the first two meets, even joined in. He spent most of the time in line quizzing me about random Tangled plot points, making sure to use most of the classics (‘smolder’, ‘satchel’ and ‘frying pan’ featured heavily) as he watched me. Though Rapunzel did make him come out and get a group photo as revenge!

This meet was a bit more rushed compared to the ones we’d had in the park, so it wasn’t long before we were back out on Main Street. I really wanted to see Magic, Memories, and You and was trying to figure out the best vantage point.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7227/7064730715_aba8baf1b5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064730715/)
Pink Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064730715/)

I settled on a spot in the middle of Main Street, back quite a ways from the castle. Being centered was way more important for me – being so far back doesn’t help with photography, but I hate being off center for shows or movies.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7040/7064730841_f95a989bbd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064730841/)
Cinderella Castle (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064730841/)

I tried fiddling around with my camera – now on its last legs – to figure out if there was any way to get a non-head-filled Castle shot.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5324/6918653040_a3e21d7c73_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918653040/)
MMY 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918653040/)

But I forgot about all of my perfectionist hang ups (of which there are quite a few!) when the actual show started. This show is awesome and I’m glad that – at least this time – I put viewing experience ahead of photography (I really want to practice my night photography on future trips! It’s definitely the area that I have the most room for improvement).

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5315/6918653128_d515aae561_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918653128/)
MMY 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918653128/)

But really, I think it’s hard to mess up any show that is projected on the Castle. I mean, it’s actually on the castle. It’s not hardship to stare at Cinderella Castle for any span of time normally and it’s only better when it’s a Candyland Castle (I was that person who loved the tacky birthday cake castle. Y’all have me to blame for that, I guess!).

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5240/7064731147_dcb088d7d4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064731147/)
MMY 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064731147/)

This is way blurry but it is a gingerbread castle! !!!! (there are really no words here to describe my feelings and exclamation points are the only way to go)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7257/6918653322_75b576f40d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918653322/)
Wishes 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918653322/)

Oddly, a good majority of the crowd dispersed after Magic, Memories, and You. We moved up in preparation for Wishes.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7064731505_83a4473ff4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064731505/)
Wishes 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064731505/)

Fireworks shows aren’t my favorite thing – too much noise involved and the possible consequences for the atmosphere bother me. I honestly can’t believe that there isn’t any comprehensive studies on how nightly fireworks show affect the environment around Disney; I’m guessing Disney doesn’t allow that sort of study on-property.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5462/7064731707_544c1a95ce_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064731707/)
Wishes 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064731707/)

But Wishes is still great!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5192/6918653850_345a90b1b6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918653850/)
Wishes 4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918653850/)

It’s nice to see the castle without the icicles; my favorite Castle is the orange one and that never seems to come up with the icicles. Since we wanted seats for the parade I had the time to watch the colors cycle over the Castle; there has to be a good 30-45 minutes in between the fireworks and the parade and no orange.

But we did have really great parade spots! Right on the curb, and not too many people crowded around us. No one tried to invade our personal space; maybe we were too small a group? The family next to us had some problems with other people wanting their seats, but we were insignificant enough to be overlooked.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/7064732197_0d6287467b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064732197/)
Pete the Penguin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064732197/)

My nice camera had finally given up the ghost when Wishes ended (which was excellent timing) and I really wanted to follow suit. I was tired! So much so that hamfistedly trying to operate my old one. And I somehow managed to break my picture of the opening float, so clearly I’m just not meant to photograph the Christmas parade!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5156/6918654344_1dd2b393ce_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918654344/)
Merry Christmas! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6918654344/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7064732331_f1d7800f56_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064732331/)
Scrooge McDuck (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064732331/)
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/7064732405_1985dfbfde_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064732405/)
Mr. Duck (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064732405/)

Either way, it’s a really cute parade. All of the performers are really on top of their game and energetic! The toy soldiers are the true stand-out section of the parade, but could probably do with a costume change.

For anyone who hasn’t seen them, the soldiers wear big clunky black shoeboxes. This choice of footwear is not very conducive to marching down Main Street, which I learned the hard way! One of the (many) soldiers tripped when they had just passed our little sliver of curb. As luck would have it, I was right in the stumbling soldier’s path. I was only there for another fraction of a second – thank goodness Bear was right next to me – I was pretty much on top of him before he realized what was going on!

No one was hurt, the soldier recovered quickly and was able to continue on down Main Street, and Bear eventually convinced me to sit in my own seat. A happily ever after for everyone!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5032/7064732531_f123e4cb94_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064732531/)
Cinderella's Coach (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7064732531/)

After the parade was over, we – along with most of the crowd left in the park – headed out. Bear had really enjoyed the ferry on his way back to Magic Kingdom and suggested that would be a faster option. Given the line for the monorail stretched back almost to the entrance, I agreed.

Peppermint chocolate squares in hand, we got on the next boat (inside seats, since it was chilly), found where Bear parked the car (maybe one of five left in the lot), and made our way back to Port Orleans.

Stringbean&Wingnut

04-13-2012, 05:38 AM

Merida

04-18-2012, 10:07 PM

We’d come back to Port Orleans in the wee hours of the morning and thus pretty much just fell into bed. There was another early morning breakfast reservation (I have to eat breakfast in the morning, I greatly envy people who get by on a granola bar!) to look forward to and Bear likes to sleep.

But this night was far more restful than the previous – it was just us again, and we could snooze our way through a few alarms. Our morning routine has been shaved down so we don’t waste a microsecond of potential sleeptime.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5031/7084728531_01e190282e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084728531/)
A Rose by any other name (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084728531/)

I was done before Bear and took the opportunity to snap a few room photos. We’d gotten our second (of two total) towel creature of the trip. We’d had the standard Mickey head and this very impressive rose.

But Bear was done soon enough (and none of my room shots were that great) and we were on our way to the Contemporary Resort. I had booked a breakfast at the Wave; I really just wanted to get a meal in at all the monorail (and most of the deluxe) resorts. And the Contemporary is our (combined) favorite resort.

Breakfast was delicious (especially the sweet potato pancakes and the mega berry smoothie) and went quickly. Our service was excellent, which I suppose should be the norm in a habitually deserted restaurant. But we had a great time and would definitely go back.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5280/6938653112_696be132fe_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938653112/)
Animal Kingdom Tree (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938653112/)

We didn’t linger in the Contemporary (thus no photos) because I really wanted to make Animal Kingdom rope drop.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/6938653220_76d8f43cba_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938653220/)
Welcome to Animal Kingdom (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938653220/)

This really was the first time I’d be able to devote a significant amount of time to Animal Kingdom and I was excited. The first time I was at Disney, Animal Kingdom wasn’t around and our dedicated AK time for my two school trips was very limited.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5316/7084728913_f8774bb55f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084728913/)
AK Crowds (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084728913/)

Somewhat astonishingly, we managed to get to the park on time. But Bear decided that he really wanted to use a restroom while we could still find one (we have really bad luck with maps and the only one guaranteed to be found was the one outside the turnstiles). So I got to watch the crowds filter through, getting in front of me in the Safari and Everest lines. Rats.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7271/6938653572_1ca3b883c2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938653572/)
Timon (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938653572/)

Even Timon came out and got ahead of me. A MEERKAT. Goodness. I’m not sure why he was even out, because he definitely didn’t stop to talk to anyone and was just walking in a loop.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/7084729137_28ba7181bd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084729137/)
Timon + Face (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084729137/)

And thus started the grand tradition of people sticking their faces in my pictures. Stupid people.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7084729213_8e68e1a5a6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084729213/)
Tree of Life (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084729213/)

Bear finally caught up – skeptical that I had seen Timon – and we finally entered the park. The whole rigmarole took less than ten minutes but it felt like ages. And we were doing much better than with Magic Kingdom!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/6938653910_6b886bd362_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938653910/)
Giraffe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938653910/)

We headed up to Africa, taking a rather scenic route. Completely because I’m utterly in love with the Animal Kingdom themeing (though why they call the lands ‘Africa’ and ‘Asia’ when they don’t represent the entire scope of those continents and just a few select spots is a mystery to me. Basically – MORE CHINESE KARSTS DISNEY) and not because I got lost.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/7084729699_41d6a7b20e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084729699/)
Everest (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084729699/)

I was also looking forward to some kangaroos (Australian animals are the best. Anyone else ever seen the gifs of the emu fighting the kangaroo? It’s AMAZING) but I never was clear on where they were. They are not on the path in between Africa and Australia, just to be clear. I am positive of that one.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7061/7084729953_ced6925844_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084729953/)
Yeti Altar (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084729953/)

The standby wait for Everest was rather short and Bear dragged me in line. Roller coasters are not my favorite thing but this queue. How perfect! Except for the bells. I understand why they’re there but those bells get used way too much. I know my tolerance for loud noise is much lower than the average person’s, but the bells are ridiculously annoying.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7084730069_2503875662_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084730069/)
Greenery (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084730069/)

I love the little tea patch back here. And I really want Disney to scrap Avatarland and instead put in the other Avatar (the animated one. It truly dwarfs James Cameron’s Avatar in every sense: storytelling, plotting, creatively, even art direction. Too bad it’s on Nickelodeon because Avatar: the Last Airbender – and NOT Shyamalan’s version – would be truly spectacular in real life/theme park form).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7193/7084730345_ef11609055_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084730345/)
d3_p13 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084730345/)

Dragon!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/6938654956_cd60107629_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938654956/)
Everest Queue (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938654956/)

I seriously can not say enough how much I truly adore this queue. I love exploration/science history in general and this is probably the closest I’ll get to it in Disney.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5326/7084730663_08db3e9741_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084730663/)
Yeti Exhibit (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084730663/)

I mean, there’s a museum in there! A MUSEUM. Literally my favorite places on Earth. I just want to read everything in there. The lines were never long and slow enough for us to truly explore the queue (despite what it may seem), which was disappointing.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7084736317_9eb2f9de11_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084736317/)
Beware (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084736317/)

The ride isn’t so bad either. You know, that thing you stand in line for? Yeah, it’s pretty good. Everest ride count: 1

Merida

04-18-2012, 10:08 PM

Now, when you’ve just gotten off the – arguably – best attraction in the park, where do you go next?

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5200/7084730753_6082285c37_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084730753/)
STOP (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084730753/)

The best themed land, obviously.

I will hear no arguments about this – I am obsessed with Dinoland. I love dinosaurs, I love neon, and I love tacky things. I know – and understand – the complaints about it, but I think it’s perfect the way it is.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/6938655320_8a3d171f7b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938655320/)
Dinoland Stands (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938655320/)

It’s just so colorful. Look at those oranges! And the puns! Amazing.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5324/7084731071_7093ab64fe_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084731071/)
Dinoland Stands (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084731071/)

The one ride Bear had really wanted to do in Animal Kingdom was Primeval Whirl, the actual reason we were in Dinoland. Really, we were one of MAYBE five families in that section.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7234/7084731181_6fae904804_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084731181/)
rt 498 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084731181/)

But Bear agreed to explore a little bit, since there were so few people around. Crowds aren’t necessarily a bad thing but sometimes it’s nice to have the freedom to really explore a place and have some elbow room.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6938655932_9c0543baf9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938655932/)
you had one job, phil tippett, ONE JOB (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938655932/)

And I found Jurassic Park underwhelming at Islands of Adventure so I really had a lot of dinosaur emersion to do (yes, I was wearing a dinosaur shirt that day and yes, I had packed more than one because it was too difficult to pick one).

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/6938656218_a56825d8af_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938656218/)
Dino-Rama! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938656218/)

By the time we decided to head in to Primeval Whirl, the crowds had picked up (and someone was in my picture. But now, on second look, it may be Bear…).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7209/6938656296_b50c1c4c43_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938656296/)
Welcome! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938656296/)

Not that that ever really affects the Primeval Whirl lines (or Triceratops Spin, but Bear was insistent that we Whirl and not Spin).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/6938656366_41a962e57c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938656366/)
Mad Scientists (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938656366/)

I don’t really understand a lot of the hate leveled at Primeval Whirl. It’s not the most thrilling, imaginative ride in all of the Disney Parks but it’s cute with some nice theming. Definitely needs some more (or any) lady scientists in the murals! Actually, that’s probably my biggest complaint. But I don’t know anything that wouldn’t be improved with more lady scientists.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7237/7084732037_6003afbcc1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084732037/)
d3_p24 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084732037/)

It was almost time to use our Safari FastPasses, so we headed back towards Asia. We picked up our first set of Everest FastPasses on our way (Everest Fastpass Count: 1).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/6938656750_9e313d895b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938656750/)
Monkeys, pt 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938656750/)

And then we stopped. Because I am honestly one of the worst people to go to a zoo with – I love watching animals! And I don’t find ‘it’s like a zoo’ to actually be criticism, but instead a very nice compliment. And MONKEYS.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/7084732505_0bb216897d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084732505/)
Monkeys, pt 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084732505/)

This says 3, but I uploaded #1 twice… so … ignore the captions.

Bear tired of watching the monkeys swing more quickly than I did; he was ready for a nice sit in some shade. I do love Animal Kingdom but holy flying foxes does it get hot and sunny there!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5446/6938657148_3992997c14_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938657148/)
Sassed by an Owl (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938657148/)

We almost made it to Africa and the Safaris, but Cast Members were out promoting Flights of Wonder. And I really like owls (there’s a theme here…). This Cast Member was really good at his job – natural with the crowd and very good with the owl. I actually have an embarrassing number of pictures of him and his owl, trying to get what I was visualizing in my head.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7113/6938657306_f963196cc1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938657306/)
Flights of Wonder (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938657306/)

Flights of Wonder was starting shortly and the Cast Member + Owl disappeared backstage. I’m nearly positive it was for the 10:30 show – my time stamps are all screwy, so hooray for a times guide! We weren’t doing half bad today. Only about 90 minutes in and we’d managed to successfully grab fastpasses and ride rides. Good job us!

Merida

04-18-2012, 10:14 PM

How did I miss so many updates????? :headache: Alright, all caught up now!!

Looks like you guys had a great time at the Christmas party!!! Boo for Bear not carrying you through the Princess line though! Your pictures are just magical!

I actually have a lot of pictures edited, I'm just so behind on other people's TRs that I've gotten behind on writing mine! :lmao:

Thanks! I really want to work on my night pictures but I also don't really want to carry a tripod in the parks? For some reason it makes me super nervous. But I love photographing the castle - especially at night! It always looks so magical. :lovestruc

Stringbean&Wingnut

04-19-2012, 05:07 AM

archdandy

04-20-2012, 12:58 PM

Woohoo! You finally made it to The Wave and had the sweet potato pancakes. Did Bear enjoy them? We found their service to be really nice as well when we went.

It looks like you guys had a great time at the Christmas party. I've been debating on going to that or MNSSHP this fall but I think the Halloween party is going to win out.

Yay Primevil Whirl! I love that ride! I always drag DH to it even though he is one of the haters of DinoLand. Everytime we go on it we get put with two other people and they always laugh and laugh. You just can't help it.

Nermel9

04-21-2012, 08:00 AM

I always forget the Wave has breakfast! There are so many places I want to try for breakfast but never have time because we always go to the same 2 places-Boma and Crystal Palace. The fact that we're doing Cape May for breakfast in May is a miracle!

You guys got a lot done in AK that morning! I love the Everest queue area, it's so pretty, but those BELLS!!! AHHHHH! I have no tolerance for loud noises either, especially in bell form, like 6 inches from my head. :furious:

I'm not really a fan of Dinoland, but I do like how colorful it all is, and the signs are fun to read! :thumbsup2

Merida

04-21-2012, 03:15 PM

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5075/6938657502_c31690bd32_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938657502/)
The Harambe Reserve (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938657502/)[/center]

The Safari standby line had grown quite a bit since the morning; I was just happy we got those FastPasses first.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6938657634_05b112fc0e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938657634/)
Safari Warnings (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938657634/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7120/7084733407_86e2945fca_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084733407/)
Accoutrements (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084733407/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/7084733509_98964fd1e9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084733509/)
Safari Lights (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084733509/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/6938658264_69ccc2778f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938658264/)
Igloo! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938658264/)

The igloo drink containers strapped to the top of the safari trucks are my favorite detail in here. I wonder if igloo is a sponsor? Or they were just lying around and an imagineer decided to repurpose them? They’re just so yellow and fun!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6938658348_e40966375b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938658348/)
No Hurry in Africa (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938658348/)

Bear and I got our own row, which is necessary because I am terrible at sharing. I’m not sure what he would’ve done for a view if he hadn’t had his own window. And we were right behind the skipper; she was good, but very quiet. I highly doubt anyone sitting behind us heard any of her narration.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6938658442_97cb8e371e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938658442/)
Rhino (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938658442/)

Not that it’s vital to hear the safari narration; the storyline is weak and no one remembers the animal names anyway.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5075/7084734075_1a502bf9a1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734075/)
Safari Birds (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734075/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5039/7084734167_56d0ce743d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734167/)
Hippo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734167/)

She did let us have plenty of time to see the animals, which is really the only thing that matters.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7219/7084734285_a27733bd74_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734285/)
Safari Birds (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734285/)

We definitely did not pick the best time to go on the safari lighting-wise; there were plenty of animals out and active but it was difficult to work with the sun and shadow patterns.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/7084734399_d13b8c3cc5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734399/)
A Hippo Submerged (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734399/)

This hippo is probably my favorite. Hippos are so adorable and then you remember how monstrously scary and dangerous they are and it’s not fair.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/6938659092_029186dec9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938659092/)
Tic Toc (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938659092/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/7084734885_203ce1ec14_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734885/)
Safari (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084734885/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6938659448_518e63b915_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938659448/)
Safari (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938659448/)

It was truly miraculous whenever an animal just stood still in the sunlight! No hiding in dark caves or under a tree… just soaking up some good ol’ Vitamin D.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5323/7084735097_708b2e7c29_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084735097/)
Safari (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084735097/)

I swear there’s an animal in here.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7084735249_8360489028_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084735249/)
Giraffe x1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084735249/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5034/6938659914_b5cb5f59d7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938659914/)
Giraffe x3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938659914/)

The giraffes are a close second to the hippo. Plus they won’t try and mash my head in, so really closer to neck-and-neck for first place.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7103/6938660114_cc3a0f2f33_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938660114/)
Never Forget (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938660114/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6938660346_803493b5b4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938660346/)
An Elephant Alone (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938660346/)

Elephants remind me of the lost baby elephant in Planet Earth (I believe) who is following his mother’s tracks the wrong way (backtracking?). Which is just awful and heartbreaking because elephants are so amazing.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/6938660428_8e0bd72901_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938660428/)
'Mingos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938660428/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6938660642_6b1e01723d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938660642/)
The Lioness (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938660642/) by wingsfive (http://www.flickr.com/people/56860480@N03/), on Flickr

Only the lionesses were out for our trip; the skipper did talk about why the male sleeps all day, etc., etc. which was nice, but also somewhat unnecessary in my opinion. Do people really not know about lion pack dynamics? I distinctly remember reading a book about lions in the third grade and it was definitely discussed in there. Or do animal units not really happen anymore (we’re not up on the whole elementary school curriculum thing any more)? But I guess most people look forward to lions (compared to ankole cattle) so Disney feels the need to express this?

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Safari (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084736699/)

I was absolutely ravenous by the time we got off the safari and it was close to the time of day where everyone is in the park (both rope droppers and late sleepers). We had agreed ahead of time to try Flame Tree and I am so happy that we did! There was way too much going on in that section of the park to stop, dig out a list of food places and talk through them (it’s a complicated process since food and decision-making are involved).

marDgreen88

04-21-2012, 04:40 PM

IheartDDuck

04-21-2012, 06:42 PM

Animal Kingdom is my favorite park to just wander around aimlessly in. There's just so much to see there!

Um, I think that Disney talks about the animal information (like lions sleeping), because people as a whole are stupid now and don't remember when they learned in school. :lmao: And I'm not joking.....there are a lot of dumb people out there....

Stringbean&Wingnut

04-22-2012, 08:39 AM

I love all of the details on the safari as well! I think Disney reiterates the info we may already know because there's usually people of all ages on the ride, and littler kids may not understand why the lion isn't there roaring away!

Merida

04-22-2012, 01:28 PM

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Owl (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084736785/)

The idea to go to Flame Tree had come from the Internet; neither of us had ever eaten there and I figured something “different” would be fun.

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Animal Kingdom Theming (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938661460/)

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BBQ Art (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938661578/)

The whole thing was pretty much worth it for the mouse art. Too adorable! My photo (and editing; I’m not really happy with most of my shots from this day. I’ll probably re-edit them at some point; there just seems to be something missing) mojo was suspiciously missing at this point. I really do like the area around Flame Tree, but I was using the wrong lens or just rusty at that point.

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Web of lies (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084737127/)

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Chair (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938661828/)

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BBQ Decor (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938662030/)

I finished eating before Bear – I didn’t want my dessert and he volunteered to make sure nothing went to waste.

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d3_p59 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938662200/)

This gave me the opportunity to take approximately 10,000 identical, poorly exposed pictures of ducks.

After Bear was done, we took a few minutes to revise our plans for the day. We still had some FastPasses to use but it was getting hot and crowded. I was pretty sure we had Kouzzina reservations and we didn’t want to be late; after a few more attractions in Animal Kingdom, we’d head over and spend some time relaxing in Epcot.

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The Yeti (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084737891/)

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Costuming (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084737981/)

We took our second trip on Everest, this time requesting the front row.

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Necessities (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084738087/)

Everest is one of the few rides that I like to request a specific row for the ride; Splash Mountain and Space are the other two that I can think of off the top of my head. Even then, Space isn’t so important. We usually end up with a front seat and we switch off between the two of us for who gets it.

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Expedition Everest (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084738205/)

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Prayer Flags (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084738375/)

After Everest, we were pretty much done with Everest. I really wanted a brownie paw so we took the most circuitous path out of Asia.

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Asia (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938663106/)

The sheer amount of stuff in Animal Kingdom makes it hard to get out quickly – at least for me!

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Asia (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938663196/)

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Safe, Unique, Romantic! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084738623/)

Brownie paw secured, I was getting my second AK wind and didn’t want to move out quite yet. There was a Festival of the Lion King showing coming up; Bear was agreeable to the suggestion (since I promised we’d skip Nemo and do Lights, Motor, Action!) so we veered off the main path.

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FotLK 1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084738721/)

Our timing was just right – not too long a wait, but still had a decent spot in the Lion section.

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FotLK 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084738799/)

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FotLK 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084738913/)

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FotLK 4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938663734/)

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Simba (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084739211/)

I did like the show; I did think it is a little over-rated. But I do think that was the fault of my expectations and being a poor judge of tone on the Internet. There really is no way that Festival, with space and time constraints, would ever be able to hold a candle to a true ballet or Cirque du Soleil (or circus! I’ve been to some excellent circuses) production. I wasn’t really aware of much about Festival before the show, just that it came highly recommended.

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The Tumble Monkeys (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084739295/)

The tumble monkeys were definitely my favorite because I know the least about gymnastics. I love watching and have a decent idea of what goes on in a meet, but I haven’t really been exposed to “artistic” gymnastic performances much.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/6938664046_49894a651b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938664046/)
FotLK 7 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938664046/)

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FotLK 8 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938664246/)

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FotLK 9 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084739719/)

In comparison, I know and have seen a lot more ballet and my preferences definitely run to a full stage production. Not that the dancers in Festival aren’t good, I just didn’t find it impressive.

Overall the show is very good – much better than what we saw in Islands of Adventure – but it does come with the caveat that it’s a ‘theme park production.’ That doesn’t make it bad or good or unenjoyable, just a different type of production with different goals.

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AK Tree (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938664500/)

Having finished up everything pressing (we’d done some Photopass along the way and I emphatically turned down a Bug’s Life showing), we headed out. Epcot was waiting!

Merida

04-22-2012, 01:29 PM

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Spaceship Earth (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084740027/)

Spaceship Earth was waiting for us in Epcot. It’s probably my very favorite park icon and Bear pulled me right past.

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Spaceship Earth (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938664904/)

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Faceship Earth (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084740343/)

He really wanted to check for Soarin’ fastpasses. Mr. T and friend had been talking up Soarin’ and Toy Story Mania; out of the two, I figured we had a better chance at Soarin’.

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The Land (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084740621/)

It was after lunch and – predictably – Soarin’ Fastpasses were gone and the line was unthinkable.

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New Zealand (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938665484/)

Living with the Land fastpasses were also reported as gone; I think, looking back, that they had never started distributing them. Neither of us took this well – we had rushed all the way over here and I wasn’t happy with the pictures I’d been taking and we were both tired. Lunch seemed a long time ago.

As we left the Land, bickering over what to do next, Bear spotted the beverage cart next to Innoventions. He dragged me over and promptly used two snack credits on – what I thought at the time – over-priced Powerades.

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The Universe of Energy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084740921/)

One of Bear’s must-do attractions this trip was Universe of Energy; he’d apparently been in the pre-show numerous times but the ride always broke down before he loaded. I didn’t want to ride a 45 minute time suck, but right then? 45 minutes of air conditioning and sitting sounded really nice. And we wouldn’t have to talk to each other OR make plans, a nice bonus.

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Ellen's Dinosaurs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084741147/)

My powerade, Bear, and I made it to the ride with no problems; I made it to the dinosaurs and promptly passed out. Not that the show was boring, I just couldn’t anymore.

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The Universe of Energy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938666042/)

I’m pretty sure Ellen’s Energy Adventures saved our trip that day; the break, the nap, and the cold sugary drink was all that was needed to fix both of our moods.

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Christmas in Epcot (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084741459/)

Bear was still thinking that a break at Port Orleans was needed; a stop for Test Track Fastpasses was all that was needed to change his mind.

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Mexico (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938666256/)

It was my turn to pick a ride and what could be better than Gran Fiesta Tour? I still think I prefer El Rio del Tiempo – grainy, cheesy movie clips and all – but Gran Fiesta Tour is growing on me.

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Day of the Dead (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084741633/)

And the refurb could have been worse. I’m certain Figment is incredibly jealous of El Rio del Tiempo’s changes.

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Pinata (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938666520/)

And I’m a sucker for character piñatas. It’s a nice bit of Disney synergy that’s not over-the-top and egregious.

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Pink Doll (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938666608/)

And they left in my favorite doll, so I can’t complain too much.

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Cabellero Flags (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084742023/)

These flags are probably the best thing to come out of the refurbishment; clever, subtle, and entirely adorable.

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Maelstrom (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084742085/)

There was still time left before our dining reservations; I wanted some time to check out the BoardWalk and ride the friendship boats, but even taking those into consideration, we could squeeze in the Maelstrom.

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Trolled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938666938/)

I wish more of the country pavilions would add in the rides. The movies are very nice and often utilize excellent technology (Circle Vision!!), but there’s just something about the dated, 80s-tastic boat rides in Mexico and Norway. It adds a level of interactivity missing from the pavilions that feature the movies. Since we don’t do the hats-around-the-world that seems very popular (it seems really awkward to me, sometimes the pavilions and their offerings can run together. Especially Italy and Japan; I tend to conflate Italy and France and then Japan and China. Nothing against those pavilions, but they’re right in the middle of World Showcase and very little distinctive in their offerings. Add in a gondola tour through Venice or a Mt. Fuji mountain ride and I’m pretty sure I’d no longer have any trouble!

Merida

04-22-2012, 01:52 PM

You guys were definitely efficient that morning at AK!!! I do understand why you appreciate Dinoland, but I really just can't get on board with it. It's TOO cheesy and roadside attraction-y, and that's just not what Disney is. That has to be the area of Disney I find myself wondering "What would Walt think of this one?" the most?

I definitely understand why people don't like it, but I would be sad if it ever went away. I've been reading a lot of criticism about Animal Kingdom and I do think the Imagineers didn't quite hit the mark with backstory - it's not as organic or well-integrated as many of the other parts of Disney. So it's a lot of my personal bias and subjectivity that comes into play with why I love Dinorama so much. As a land, Dinoland really can't stand on its own, a pretty significant weakness! But I love underdogs and science and puns so I tend to overlook all the "bad" parts of Dinoland.

Woohoo! You finally made it to The Wave and had the sweet potato pancakes. Did Bear enjoy them? We found their service to be really nice as well when we went.

It looks like you guys had a great time at the Christmas party. I've been debating on going to that or MNSSHP this fall but I think the Halloween party is going to win out.

Yay Primevil Whirl! I love that ride! I always drag DH to it even though he is one of the haters of DinoLand. Everytime we go on it we get put with two other people and they always laugh and laugh. You just can't help it.

I was the only one! He had more of the eggs/biscuits'n'gravy type food since we never have that here at home.

The Halloween party looks really awesome. Especially the parade! It sounds like there's a bit more to do at Halloween, with the villains and the trick-or-treating. It was nice to see the princes, but the Halloween parties seem to have more unique attractions.

Yup, we were put with two other people too! I think next time we'll definitely request our own car since the other two people weren't as into it as we were. :rolleyes: The ride isn't really that special but I love the themeing! It's just so goofy.

I always forget the Wave has breakfast! There are so many places I want to try for breakfast but never have time because we always go to the same 2 places-Boma and Crystal Palace. The fact that we're doing Cape May for breakfast in May is a miracle!

You guys got a lot done in AK that morning! I love the Everest queue area, it's so pretty, but those BELLS!!! AHHHHH! I have no tolerance for loud noises either, especially in bell form, like 6 inches from my head. :furious:

I'm not really a fan of Dinoland, but I do like how colorful it all is, and the signs are fun to read! :thumbsup2

The Wave was really nice for breakfast! It's so nice being away from Chef Mickey's and all the noise in the concourse. As much as I like the deluxes, I don't think I'd be as happy staying there. There's just so many people in the lobbies! I don't care about pool-hopping but apparently I draw the line at lobby-hopping. :rotfl:

I wish that the bells would actually play something? I know a lot of church bells, etc. are set up electronically to play specific music and I think that would be a neat detail in the Everest queue. Better than random people hitting them at any old time.

Haha, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who really likes Dinoland. It's just so nutty and out there and wrong that I feel obliged to love it.

Merida

04-22-2012, 02:31 PM

OH MY GOSH, what time were you in the princess line? We might have been there at the SAME time. I might have SEEN you. THIS IS SO INTENSE.

AHHH the Magic, the Memories, and You. You got a MUCH BETTER VIEW than I did, of ALL the entertainment. Lucky.

The toy soldiers are excellent. It blows my mind, to be honest. It actually sounds like they have wooden feet AND they're playing instruments while marching around with God knows what covering their face and it's amazing.

Wait, one of them fell on you?

The kangas and roos are on one of the paths around the Tree of Life. It's a hidden little area. It's pretty secluded, which I was okay with haha. I think they should scrap any Avatar ideas of any kind and do the stinking Beastly Kingdom like they were originally going to. It would be so much more awesome.

I love Dinoland too. It's part of Animal Kingdom so I love it. I don't see the big problem with it. But whatever, everyone's got their own opinion and it's all good. If you love it, you love it. (And thankfully we both love it haha.)

I love elephants so much! They're so precious. You got awesome safari pictures. Good job!!!

During the first parade? I know we were in there at the same time as katt789 because I saw her in line, so maybe 8:30ish? All my time stamps are all messed up, by like 14-16 hours, but I think that's right.

YES. Not all the way, since he caught himself before falling into the crowd but since we were in the very front, I got hit by the shoes. I felt so badly for him! How embarrassing to trip over your monster toy soldier shoes.

Yeah, we never went up by the Tree of Life. I couldn’t figure out how to get up there! But we really didn’t try that hard – we didn’t find DeVine either. Too busy in Dinoland. ;)

I like the Dinoland is usually uncrowded! The paths around Asia/Africa can get jammed so quickly and I really hate that. In Dinorama, there’s space to move and breathe and it’s so nice.

Elephants are great. For such massive animals, they’re so gentle and fun and I just want to hug them and then play in water with them. Way better than hippos.

Animal Kingdom is my favorite park to just wander around aimlessly in. There's just so much to see there!

Um, I think that Disney talks about the animal information (like lions sleeping), because people as a whole are stupid now and don't remember when they learned in school. :lmao: And I'm not joking.....there are a lot of dumb people out there....

Yeah, that’s probably the reason. But I’d swear that a plot point in the Lion King, that the lady lions do all the work. I think Animal Kingdom does a pretty good job with the whole ‘edu-tainment’ but I feel like they could definitely step it up from ‘basic nature facts’ in some places! Especially since SO much went in to doing the theming that’s subtle and interesting and should be highlighted by the cast members.

I love all of the details on the safari as well! I think Disney reiterates the info we may already know because there's usually people of all ages on the ride, and littler kids may not understand why the lion isn't there roaring away!

I guess, but it’s not like the lions are heavily advertised on the safari and they spend a lot of time on a relatively simple fact. I’d just rather they focus less on that and some more unusual lion facts since ‘sleeps a lot’ is a pretty defining characteristic of all cats (of course, I’m totally biased by the fact that I volunteer with a group that does science demonstrations with kids and they’re usually pretty sharp at working their way through basic concepts. Then volunteers have the chance to do more intricate, esoteric explanations about certain concepts. So in my experience, most kids – who would know to look for a lion – could also reason their way through why they aren’t awake).

archdandy

04-23-2012, 07:41 AM

It looks like you guys were being very efficient and getting some stuff done in EPCOT. I can't wait to hear what you thought of Kouzzina. Do you and the BF typically like Greek food?

marDgreen88

04-23-2012, 02:31 PM

During the first parade? I know we were in there at the same time as katt789 because I saw her in line, so maybe 8:30ish? All my time stamps are all messed up, by like 14-16 hours, but I think that's right.

Ohh okay... well, I don't know who that is. BUT! We definitely weren't in there at the same time, then. We were pretty much there right at the start of the party.

I could care less about Cirque honestly haha. FotLK doesn't seem theme parkish to me, I feel like it's not really trying to be a certain type of show, it's just itself. I love it... like, immensely. :lovestruc

Oh man, a gondola ride in the Italy pavilion would be amazing! Especially considering that Italy doesn't even have a movie hahah.

Merida

05-05-2012, 06:19 PM

I seem to have a fairly regular schedule for falling behind – it probably very closely matches when homeworks are due for the class I TA for. It’s inevitable that the number of emails I receive daily will spike (and not just from more spam I sign up for, trying to get some coupon codes!) for about a week or two. But we’re at the end of the semester (last day of school!) and everything’s slowing down. Plus I think we’ve finally turned a corner with our (four!) foster kittens and we won’t have any more accidents. Just in time for them to go up for adoption (today! Adopt-a-thon weekend oh joy).

I’ve also recently decided it was imperative that I work on my fishtail braiding skills and I’m happy to report that it’s going swimming (as has my renewed dedication to puns). Clearly I am resourceful and productive with my time as the semester winds down!

When I last updated, many moons ago before flickr changed its upload page, we were working our way around the World Showcase.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/7084742555_b157a22441_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084742555/)
Across the Way (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084742555/)

We really burned out after Norway – this is honestly the only (decent) picture I have. And we weren’t speed walking! I don’t know. There’s just something about those other countries (i.e., the rideless ones). I go in with the best intentions and then… nothing. Can’t stay focused.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7216/6938667300_0a4de47b1a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938667300/)
Friendship (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938667300/)

Eventually we made it out of the wasteland that is the back third of World Showcase and onto the Friendship Boats. Slow and slightly inconvenient, but neither of us could figure out a better way of getting to our dinner reservation. I had somehow completely missed that there was a Boardwalk until a year or so ago. My past trips were all very go-go-go and the Boardwalk isn’t featured heavily on any park maps.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5335/7084742865_96b62a152e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084742865/)
The Boardwalk (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084742865/)

I’m pretty sure Bear wishes it would have stayed that way because I am obsessed with the whole area now. Vintage Boardwalk/carnival is a theme that is kind of overplayed right now (at least in the dark corners of the Internet I’m in) but I still have a soft spot for it. Like pretty much everyone in the mid-Atlantic states, I grew up going to the Jersey and Delaware Beaches, so the whole area feels familiar. And it seems that I’ve been reading idealized and romanticized versions of the eastern seaboard since birth – everything from Jacob Have I Loved and Marguerite Henry up to Canada with L.M. Montgomery.

And there are boats! I love boat travel (actually, pretty much all forms of transportation. But my inherent laziness is neither here nor there). And since we’d managed to grab a boat nearly immediately – and given that we would’ve gotten lost on foot – we made it to Kouzzina with plenty of time to spare.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5469/6938667566_6a4e6d144e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938667566/)
On the Boardwalk (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938667566/)

I really wish Disney would’ve found a better font – and a better use for that apostrophe! – on the Seashore Sweets sign. It’s just so… generic? If I can access the font free through basic word processing programs, it shouldn’t be used on a Disney sign.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7059/7084743037_37050026ca_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084743037/)
Cousin (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7084743037/)

We got to Kouzzina before it even opened; this turned out to be a good thing, since once we got inside, they couldn’t find our reservation. The hostesses assured us it wouldn’t be a problem and got to work on their computers. There were quite a few large groups (10+ people, many of whom were complaining about something. The restaurant opening at 4? Someone being late?) and I wonder if there wasn’t a wedding/other event going on. In any case, our piddly group of two wasn’t a problem.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7075/6938667722_911f58ed20_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938667722/)
Beauty Queens (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6938667722/)

I snuck off to Seashore Sweets to use the bathroom and escape the crowds. Seashore Sweets is adorable, but I’m not sure who the target audience is. Boardwalk Resort guests? If so, I much prefer the mod/value-style food courts. I’m a sucker for a good food court. But the beauty queen dolls were nice! I like when designers include the tacky parts of boardwalk history (or organized crime! There’s so many interesting things that happened around Prohibition – peak of the power of organized crime, forensic science, etc. – that doesn’t really get fairly depicted).

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/6996159808_95af1c6e15_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6996159808/)
Cookies Too! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6996159808/)

These cookies were disappointing – the black icing was totally not very good. But I would only learn this later. They do look terribly delicious when still in the packaging.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/6996159884_027e475c45_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6996159884/)
Kouzzina (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6996159884/)

We got called in for our table relatively quickly and we had a lovely server. Both of us agree that this was one of the best meals on our trip. We had good service and got some very good food (the pita sampling platter, the Kouzzina trio, the pork, the loukoumades, and some other cake). And we were pretty far away from all the other guests, my favorite restaurant seating arrangement.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7212/7142248037_75054e7764_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7142248037/)
Boardwalk Lights (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7142248037/)

Considering we went into Kouzzina around 4:00, it was a shock to see it was so dark when we left! We live on graduate student budgets and don’t really go for 3 course meals very often (okay, never. And definitely not to places where it’d be $100+ for the meal, as was the case with Kouzzina).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/6996159550_8765bb602d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6996159550/)
On the Boardwalk (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/6996159550/)

Bear wanted to ride the Friendship Boats back and we weren’t as lucky this time. A boat was pulling away right as we got to the dock, so we settled down for a nice wait. The temperature was nice, we were right on the water, and we both needed some time to digest. There were a few things that we wanted to do in Epcot. I just can’t enter the park without doing Spaceship Earth at least once, more is preferable.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7142247987_99fdd9c95a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7142247987/)
A Magical Day (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7142247987/)

We came up with a rough plan of attack; walk slowly through the park, hitting up a few attractions on our way out. If Soarin’ had a decent line (doubtful), we’d get in line. Bear had only two conditions for staying in the park – check the Soarin’ line and use our Test Track Fastpasses. Nothing too strenuous to finish up our day.

marDgreen88

05-06-2012, 08:55 PM

Glad to hear you enjoyed Kouzzina! It sounds like a pretty awesome place. I forget, were yall on the dining plan? If not, did you really pay over $100? GOOD LORD hahahaha. :rotfl:

Stringbean&Wingnut

05-07-2012, 05:00 AM

The Boardwalk area...I adore it as well!! Isn't it just the most wonderful, peaceful area? One of my favorite Disney memories is being on the Boardwalk super-early with DBF, sitting outside the Boardwalk Bakery eating breakfast.

(Of COURSE it involves food!! :thumbsup2)

Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Kouzzina! That restaurant really is great, isn't it? I do totally agree about the sign fonts though. And that rogue apostrophe. It drives me a little nuts too!

archdandy

05-10-2012, 12:06 PM

I love the Boardwalk as well! :love: We actually were trying to rent DVC points for our upcoming trip there but it didn't work out so no Boardwalk for us :( Did you stop in to the Boardwalk bakery by any chance? They have the best cupcakes!

Merida

05-19-2012, 11:41 AM

Hey everyone, sorry I've been so flaky! My end-of-semester ended up being way more hectic than I thought - there's lots of ways that coordinating a 150-page group paper, collecting and grading close to 45 student assignments can go off schedule. And then after all that, Bear and I decided to pack up the car and drive a little over 1,000 miles for four days...

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb378/thisweather/disneyland-1.jpg

here!

It was tons of fun and Bear is already teasing me mercilessly about how I still haven't managed to edit pictures from December's trip and now I have more! So in between unpacking and totaling up receipts I'm going to try and get everything organized and caught up on anything and everything!

(photo (http://disneyfunadventure.wordpress.com/))

Merida

05-20-2012, 01:41 PM

The boat ride back to Epcot took much longer than our previous voyage. I’m not sure if it was an illusion created by our eagerness to be back in the parks, but it was practically years of waiting before we reached International Gateway.

And then Bear wanted a restroom stop.

What?

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7234781952_8eab5384fb_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234781952/)
International Gateway (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234781952/)

We were so close to the gates after his choice of excruciatingly slow transport. But back on the dock we had agreed to be more relaxed when touring, so there really wasn’t any other option besides exploring International Gateway while I waited.

It turns out that International Gateway is really boring at night when no one else is around and it’s too dark to explore. There are some banners and the restroom signs (all of which I have exhaustively documented) and that’s about it. The lighting isn’t the best out there either.

Bear eventually came back out, when I was close to expiring from sheer boredom, and we were off!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7234780860_a886e11e26_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234780860/)
Duffy, Scourge of the High Seas (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234780860/)

Only to be distracted by the Window o’ Duffies. I just can’t resist a good teddy bear in a sailor suit. I totally understand why the Japanese are so obsessed with Shelly Mae and friends – especially the Jedi version. He comes with his own light saber!

As anyone might have guessed, the lines at Soarin’ were still incredibly long. But Living with the Land was a walk-on (surprise!)! After the debacle earlier in the afternoon with no more Living with the Land passes and a filled-up queue, we had to try this own out.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7234779786_3b4a2a4bca_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234779786/)
Living with the Land (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234779786/)

I didn’t really know much about Living with the Land and the opening scenes did not help. Looking back, I’m not sure I even remember what these are? Besides a very realistic looking tree.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/7234778582_f03e5da62a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234778582/)
Buffalo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234778582/)

Or some buffalo!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5446/7234777392_d3024aec12_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234777392/)
Farm House (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234777392/)

The porch is a little more self-explanatory. This is where the thunderstorm is, yes?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/7234776416_87c205bea9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234776416/)
Greenhouses (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234776416/)

I love the greenhouse roof. It’s just so plasticky-looking in the best possible way.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7234775298_5bf2727168_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234775298/)
Living with the Land (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234775298/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7234773864_6d1955ca1c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234773864/)
Lilly Pad (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234773864/)

I love greenhouses and this one is no exception. So much variety and for most of the time I was too busy looking around (and poking Bear so I could repeat the recording verbatim to him).

I’ve read that Living with the Land used to have narrators, similar to Great Movie Ride. I am so glad that for whatever reason – cut backs, penny pinching, whatever – that they are gone now. The ride works much, much better without the hit-or-miss nature of real live people hosts. Long live pre-recorded narration!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7234772664_0f1ed88f56_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234772664/)
Sturgeons (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234772664/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7240/7234771440_1bee11d8e2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234771440/)
Fish Face (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234771440/)

Even a fish room! I know fish farming has some (serious) implementation problems but I still have a weakness for them. Especially since humans haven’t really figured out how to fish sustainably (not quite the same thing, but look up statistics on shark populations. It’s just awful).

Living with the Land is seriously the coolest – and a personal favorite - ride in Epcot. They’re doing research on space agriculture in here (my picture of the sign sadly got corrupted). Agriculture! In space!! I have meant to look and see if there are any publications that have come out this program but I haven’t found the time yet.

We sat through the little movie bit – about as interesting and useful as the first part, minus the animatronics. The video clips need about 151850% more space agriculture and then I will play attention.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7221/7234770366_1276f56556_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234770366/)
Test Track (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234770366/)

Clearly the only possible follow up to such an excellent attraction is Test Track. Bear loves Test Track, partly because of the outdoor bit and partly because I always close my eyes at the brick wall. Or what used to be the brick wall – now I think it’s a door? Maybe it always was a door, I’ve never actually seen it!

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5322/7234769374_87eb7a8891_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234769374/)
Road Work Ahead (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234769374/)

Didn’t there use to be a duckling crossing sign in the queue? I miss that sign!

Test Track was as good as always (even though it is distinctly lacking in space anything) and we headed towards the Epcot gates, content. Of course, who wants to leave merely content? Thank goodness that Spaceship Earth had a short line – it’s the easiest, guaranteed way to elevate your theme park experience.

We finally made it out of the Epcot right as everyone was gathering for Illuminations. The entrance plaza was blissfully empty. So nice and empty that Bear agreed to forego the trams and walk back to the car on foot.

Since neither of us remembered where the car was parked, this turned out for the best. The tram announcements always make me second guess myself; walking through the quiet parking lot, it’s easier to remember that small scrap of information.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7234768282_ca9549a4e5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234768282/)
Christmas Lights (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234768282/)

Port Orleans is really lovely at night with all the lights reflecting in the river. This room had probably my favorite “holiday” decorations of the whole trip. By the time we made it back to the room, I was practically dying of thirst. We had barely taken advantage of our room’s prime location and that needed to be remedied! Plus it was barely past nine – surely we weren’t tired yet?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7234/7234767212_af9921b3bb_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234767212/)
Waterwheels (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234767212/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5467/7234765910_4bf9c33e4a_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234765910/)
Port Orleans (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234765910/)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5441/7234764854_6e755bd060_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234764854/)
Sassagoula Steamworks (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234764854/)

Well, we were, but I needed a drink and a print out of our room charges and dining credits to show Bear. He has a truly astonishing lack of faith in my basic mathematics skills (when it’s actually trigonometry and geometry that I’m awful at. He always gets those mixed up).

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5461/7234763820_1a027705a3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234763820/)
Christmas in Port Orleans (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234763820/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/7234762340_022cdf657e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234762340/)
Christmas in Port Orleans 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234762340/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7234761072_64f47d8aa6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234761072/)
Christmas in Port Orleans 3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7234761072/)

Bear chose to chat with the DVC rep as I ran around the lobby, refilling mugs (then giving them to Bear), taking some pictures, and waiting at the desk. It usually works out this way – it’s definitely faster because Bear will talk to anyone and everyone. I’m not even sure what all they were talking about but it kept him entertained and happy as I poked around the lobby. Even with various delays, I had to wait while Bear wrapped up his conversation and collected all his brochures, business cards, and various pieces of papers. By the end of the trip we had an entire bag full of this sort of Disney marketing – Bear loves a good brochure.

Nermel9

05-20-2012, 02:18 PM

IheartDDuck

05-20-2012, 02:40 PM

Oh my god, I'm so jealous that you had a trip to Disneyland! Argh, I want to go back so badly. :goodvibes

I love Living with the Land, but I actually miss the people who used to operate the ride. I like the more personal touch.

marDgreen88

05-20-2012, 06:24 PM

I want to go to Disneyland.

Living with the Land looks awesome at night. You take wonderful pictures. :goodvibes

Stringbean&Wingnut

05-20-2012, 06:31 PM

Are you going to do a Disneyland TR? Please do a Disneyland TR!!! :banana: At least, post some pictures here!

Agreed!!! Disneyland TR!! Disneyland TR!!

Hahaha the Friendship boats are certainly not the fastest mode of transportation, but they are lovely!

YES Living with the Land did have CM narrators in the past! :yes:

Merida

05-22-2012, 04:14 PM

Bear’s conversation didn’t go too long and we (I) were tucked away in bed to watch TV (sleep) very soon after.

Our typical Disney wake-up time is around 6:30 – enough time for a sit-down breakfast and still be within 15 minutes of (normal) park opening. Breakfasts out are one of my favorite parts of vacations and rope drop isn’t nearly as important. And I’ve found that the actual ‘rope drop’ event itself is way too crowded. Five minutes late is good enough for me.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7250535236_bc1d3caae3_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250535236/)
Smiley Towel (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250535236/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7250533932_40de819ff4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250533932/)
PJs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250533932/)

Bear had been disappointed that we hadn’t gotten a new towel animal the day before so while he was in the shower, I recycled some of our old ones. Obviously I do not have the same towel-folding abilities as our rose-making Mousekeeper, but he (said he) liked it.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/7250532984_b6fa604481_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250532984/)
The Backside of Water Wheels (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250532984/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7097/7250532124_09bae87556_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250532124/)
Established 1875 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250532124/)

Given that I had yet to eat my body weight in Mickey waffles, Bear and I headed out to the Riverside Mill. I love waffles – plain (just a hint of vanilla) with butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup is best. None of that fancy-schmancy ‘fruit’ I keep hearing about. It should pretty much be a 1:1 carb:sugar ratio and the Riverside Mill didn’t let me down. Bear didn’t care as much for his bacon, but that’s his fault for not picking waffles.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7250530710_66b3fe11dc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250530710/)
Riverside Mill (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250530710/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7235/7250529430_bfa601312f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250529430/)
Port Orleans (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250529430/)

After stuffing ourselves in the Mill (sub par bacon included), we ambled through Port Orleans. Counter service breakfasts don’t take anywhere near the same amount of time as a table service and we had ended up with some spare time.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/7250528028_f106c01910_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250528028/)
Pool House (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250528028/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7250526742_af1eb75b9c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250526742/)
The Mansions (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250526742/)

Our mansion (and thus our parking lot) was right next to the quiet pool. For some reason, I was obsessed with the little pool building that we always passed on the way to the car, I’m not really sure why. The whole area is very peaceful (and quiet, obviously!) and has some nice foliage, but I never took an actual picture of that. Instead, I focused on the backside of the pool house? Maybe all the powder sugar hadn’t kicked in yet.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/7250505884_3c1526853d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250505884/)
The Globe (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250505884/)

But we managed to make it to the car – and eventually to Epcot – without fanfare. Epcot day was one of the few times we made it to rope drop and Bear certainly wasn’t impressed. I don’t think he realized that the lines were because no one was being let in the park yet and not that it was going to be massively crowded all day.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/7250525422_4fced4f337_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250525422/)
Pink Mickeys (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250525422/)

At least the person in front of us had an excellent headband on; I had a good idea for a picture that I don’t think ever materialized. I have multiple versions of this picture saved on my hard drive but this is closest to what I had in my head.

I took up enough time trying to discreetly photograph a woman’s bouncey Mickey headband that we in shuffling through the turn stiles, following the crowd to Soarin’ before I knew it. The mad dash to Soarin’ is incredibly tame and doable in my opinion, and really can’t be compared to the Toy Story Mania run. Maybe it was just crowd levels on the different days, but Epcot’s layout is much less prone to bottlenecking and traffic jams than MGM’s.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7250504770_e4b29989ec_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250504770/)
Soarin' Queue (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250504770/)

I chose to ride standby and pick up Fastpasses later after a quick glance at the crowds by the machines; Bear chose to follow me. The line moved quickly enough that I never figured out the “games” (I think?) in the standby line. What are they?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7250504060_c4eb28efd4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250504060/)
Soarin' (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250504060/)

Bear was adamant that we would request row B1; his friends had instructed us to do this for optimal viewing during our Earl of Sandwich dinner and Bear likes requesting seats. It was an easy enough process; the Cast Member simply ushered us to the back of the B1 line and we waited an additional cycle.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7250503284_20be752b9c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250503284/)
Flight Crew Only (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250503284/)

Plus we got to stand by one of my favorite employee only doors. Flight crew!

The lines – and Patrick’s introduction – went quickly and we were soon strapped in and ready for lift off. Neither of us were very impressed this go-around; we were both expecting a more continuous film (maybe with more Patrick?). At least some more transitions instead of the blink-and-now-you’re-on-boat thing they have going on. Or the golf ball – Bear insists that golf balls go that high, but how high up are we supposed to be at that point? Certainly not at gliding altitude. And are you supposed to be a single high glider or all three stacked? Because someone’s feet would definitely be on the ground at that point and there’s no way you’d just go up again.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7250502312_56323db4bd_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250502312/)
Take Off! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250502312/)

It wasn’t the fault of the ride, ride operators, or even film quality. We just had no idea what to actually expect and had gotten different impressions from friends and the Internet. It certainly wasn’t a bad ride and our seats were excellent for the hang-gliding effect but it didn’t have that ‘must ride’ factor.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7250501474_cf290e68cc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250501474/)
The Land Pavilion (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250501474/)

We decided to still pick up a set of Fastpasses, figuring they’d come in handy later. Plus Bear had promised I could walk around the Land Pavilion. I love the balloons and we’d been in such a rush the day before I hadn’t gotten a chance to appreciate them. So Bear grabbed Fastpasses while I tried to figure out that best way to shoot inside the land; he was finished before me.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8167/7250500624_b9249bfcfc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250500624/)
Seasons (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250500624/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7250499734_5c499a698d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250499734/)
Balloons (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250499734/)

Since we had just done Test Track the night before, I wasn’t too concerned about joining the post-Soarin’ dash over. Bear had different plans and hovered anxiously while I hurried to finish up.

Merida

05-22-2012, 04:15 PM

By the time we made it over to Test Track, the lines – standby and for Fastpass - were long enough that both of us were grumpy – me because I could’ve taken a few more shots that I wanted and Bear because I’d taken too long.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8161/7250524656_c03b0c66fc_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250524656/)
Space Pavilion (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250524656/)

Of course, our Fastpass slot wasn’t open yet, so – I argued – it didn’t matter about the line for Fastpasses. We could ride Mission: SPACE and by the time we finished up there, everything would be just fine.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7250523776_8b4126ebb9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250523776/)
Rocket to Mars (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250523776/)

Bear couldn’t think up any counters to this on our way over; of course, he loves Mission: SPACE far more than me. I still don’t trust it 100% to keep me alive through the whole thing.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/7250522452_8f1abac6aa_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250522452/)
Flight Training (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250522452/)

But I love the queue, in a five-year-old stomping-feet tantrum-y sort of way, where I refuse to listen to any criticism (wrong or right) of it. The lighting, the random space trivia, and the fact that the Imagineers threw in pretty much anything and everything space travel related. It’s just such a hodgepodge of ‘This is used in space!!’ that it makes me laugh.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7250521408_ee22897776_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250521408/)
ISTC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250521408/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7250520222_03bd850d7e_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250520222/)
Moon Buggy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250520222/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/7250518958_f630c1e2b2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250518958/)
Tables (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250518958/)

Especially this table. What a great table – practical and ugly and so, so NASA-y.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7250517824_c7093950c7_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250517824/)
Lady Cosmonauts (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250517824/)

Valentina Tereshkova! A momentary diversion: She was (is?, she’s still alive) an amateur parachutist (in Soviet Russia!!) chosen from over four hundred applicants to be the first female cosmonaut in space. And she eventually became a major general in the Soviet Air Force. Not too shabby!

Gary Sinise guided us on another successful mission to Mars and then Bear guided us on a successful mission for Test Track Fastpasses. Not quite on the level of being the first woman in space, but good enough for two vacationers.

We had lunch reservations in the Yacht Club, so we decided to explore the other side of Future World before wandering up through Canada and England to the Boardwalk (only in Epcot does that make sense).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7250516664_3bd1e9eaa1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250516664/)
Journey into Imagination (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250516664/)

I vaguely remember the Figment gift shop from when I was eight, but never went near the Imagination Pavilion on any other trip. Either I couldn’t find it (most of my Epcot time is spent in Mexico or Norway) or didn’t realize you could go in. It was a confusing period of time, trying to find more Figment but continually missing the giant glass pyramids. Like a really bad romantic comedy, but featuring a girl and a building. Emphasis on the ‘really bad.’

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7250515460_0b43a1d6df_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250515460/)
Reception (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250515460/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8019/7250514332_cf8de0eff1_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250514332/)
No Dancing (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250514332/)

It was a toss-up on which Imagination attraction we’d do first, since neither of us remembered the originals of EO or Figment. Figment won out in the end, since it had a non-existent line (like usual) and we would have had to wait for the next EO showing.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7250513444_e9341e262d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250513444/)
Reception Figment (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250513444/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/7250512362_fd4e546ef0_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250512362/)
Testing (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250512362/)

Honestly, I didn’t think this version of Figment was so terrible. What I do remember of Figment is mixed together with the old version of Spaceship Earth so at least these new versions are definitely separate things? That’s really stretching it, I know, but there’s really not much to say now about Figment, which is sad.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7250511590_5591868b2b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250511590/)
Oranges (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250511590/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7250510544_2ffa40a409_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250510544/)
Figment (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250510544/)

I’m watching the original Journey into Imagination now (literally, thanks youtube!), and I remember more of it (it’s also kind of.. schmaltzy? The intro certainly isn’t the best scriptwriting I’ve ever heard. And I dislike that the science creativity segment is faux-science jingoism – “electron beams” – instead of, you know, actual science? But it’s a small thing in an overall excellent ride that makes at least an effort at including sciences and the inherent creativity involved instead of just lauding the arts as the more beautiful, humanist, etc. form of expression. I just have lots of feelings about the dual nature of art and science! That are not actually addressed in Journey to the Imagination so…)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/7250509570_77fd8f5def_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250509570/)
Figment, Televised (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250509570/)

We were finished with Figment practically seconds after getting on (it’s so short! NEED MORE FIGMENT) and were dumped unceremoniously in the gift shop. I had high hopes for in here because I clearly remember it – and it was, of course, nothing like I had pictured.

Oh well.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7088/7250508722_89c1bc696c_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250508722/)
Pyramids (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250508722/)

I did talk Bear into picking out a Vinylmation to try and get a Figment-y souvenir. We ended up with the Disney Cruise Line one (picture.. to be included later?), which wasn’t so bad. Only at that point, we had no plans to ever go cruising ever (my how things change!) so the poor li’l yellow guy was essentially worthless to us.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7086/7250507330_250a05fd48_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250507330/)
Entrance to World Showcase (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7250507330/)

Bear was hungry and eager to head up to our reservations – he had agreed to try walking this time and was positive we’d end up being late. The walk to International Gateway from Future World is especially pleasant in the early lunch hours – no one waits in line to visit Canada at 11AM precisely, so we had Future World all to ourselves.

Merida

05-22-2012, 05:31 PM

It looks like you guys were being very efficient and getting some stuff done in EPCOT. I can't wait to hear what you thought of Kouzzina. Do you and the BF typically like Greek food?

Yes! I love Mediterranean food in general (my favorite is Turkish, followed by Egyptian). One of my favorite places out here in Colorado is Greek-American fusion and they have the most amazing pita dessert ever - pitas coated in cinnamon sugar, fried, and then dipped in maple syrup. Not quite Greek, but still delicious! I don't get much Turkish/Egyptian out here - my favorite places are in Germany and New Mexico (respectively) and thus are a little too far for a dinner date. ;)

Ohh okay... well, I don't know who that is. BUT! We definitely weren't in there at the same time, then. We were pretty much there right at the start of the party.

I could care less about Cirque honestly haha. FotLK doesn't seem theme parkish to me, I feel like it's not really trying to be a certain type of show, it's just itself. I love it... like, immensely. :lovestruc

Oh man, a gondola ride in the Italy pavilion would be amazing! Especially considering that Italy doesn't even have a movie hahah.

Yeah, we were with Tiana + Naveen then. My boyfriend was thrilled that the Christmas party turned into Prince + Princess Palooza. ;)

I mean, the quality of FotLK is amazing and everything, but I think I was expecting something different based on reviews of FotLK. In most of the reviews I read, FotLK was compared to full-stage productions in a 'as good as' sort of way, never seeing HOW it was as good as them. I go to more of those than Disney staged shows (e.g., never been to Disney on Ice, anything in MGM), so I was thinking the scope was the same! And obviously in those, there's more space, limited performances, etc. that allow for more complexity in choreography and story. So I just wish people wouldn't compare it to, say, Broadway productions because it's not and it's not meant to be!

Or.. I agree with you! :rotfl:

I KNOW. World Showcase should totally turn into Boat Rides Around the World.

Merida

05-22-2012, 05:45 PM

Glad to hear you enjoyed Kouzzina! It sounds like a pretty awesome place. I forget, were yall on the dining plan? If not, did you really pay over $100? GOOD LORD hahahaha. :rotfl:

Yup, we were on the dining plan. We did upgrade from the free one to deluxe, but I totally would've paid for it as well. Kouzzina was our big 'break even on the dining plan' ADR so we went all out. If I was paying OOP (I pay for all food on our trips), we definitely would've scaled back some. I like nice meals, but $100+ nice meals is pushing it just a bit! :rotfl:

The Boardwalk area...I adore it as well!! Isn't it just the most wonderful, peaceful area? One of my favorite Disney memories is being on the Boardwalk super-early with DBF, sitting outside the Boardwalk Bakery eating breakfast.

(Of COURSE it involves food!! :thumbsup2)

Glad you enjoyed your dinner at Kouzzina! That restaurant really is great, isn't it? I do totally agree about the sign fonts though. And that rogue apostrophe. It drives me a little nuts too!

It's such a great area. I really, really wish the Bear liked it a little more; he'd rather stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge than Yacht/Beach Club or Boardwalk Inn. AKL is great and everything, but we could WALK to Epcot. And eat food all the time!! Kouzzina is my best argument for a Yacht Club stay because Bear still talks about that meal, 5+ months later. It was probably his favorite thing this trip, besides from our Kona dinner.

Yes! I just can't figure out that sign. It drove me bonkers the entire time we waited for Kouzzina to open. I really want to try breakfast at Kouzzina next time - feta cheese eggs (and the fact that honey is on pretty much everything offered for breakfast!) sound so delicious!

I love the Boardwalk as well! :love: We actually were trying to rent DVC points for our upcoming trip there but it didn't work out so no Boardwalk for us :( Did you stop in to the Boardwalk bakery by any chance? They have the best cupcakes!

The Boardwalk is just such a great location, especially since they redid the Yacht/Beach club rooms. Sooo pretty and relaxing. And the pools!! Neither of us have swim suits but I'd TOTALLY buy one just for use on the Boardwalk.

We didn't! I keep meaning to try Disney cupcakes but never get around to it. They're just so massive and Bear isn't quite the dessert-y person that I am (except for ice cream and cheese cake!).

Stringbean&Wingnut

05-22-2012, 05:50 PM

Merida

05-22-2012, 06:41 PM

Are you going to do a Disneyland TR? Please do a Disneyland TR!!! :banana: At least, post some pictures here!

The International Gateway looks really pretty, all decorated for Christmas!

I love Living with the Land, I don't know why we skipped it in May! I don't remember it ever having a real person narrating, but I'm with you, I'll take the pre-recorded narrator any day! I kind of wish they would do that for the Great Movie ride, but then I guess they'd have to give up on the whole gangster/cowboy story lines. :confused3

POR is so beautiful, I bet it's really pretty, all decorated for the holidays!

I definitely will, I'm just trying to figure out where the best spot (in here, in my PTR, on the Disneyland TR board) will be!

The Great Movie Ride narration really needs more improv, like on Jungle Cruise! From my experience, it seems like the JC skippers get a whole stack of jokes that they'll put in the script at random - and they won't tell all of them all the time. There has to be tons of gossip-y Hollywood stories they could tell! Or, I don't know, have them come up with their favorite parts of each movie (ha - better yet, make them WATCH each movie!).

I love POR. It's always going to be our home resort; I'd love to try places like POFQ, the Boardwalk, Contemporary, and the Poly, but POR will always be that special one.

Oh my god, I'm so jealous that you had a trip to Disneyland! Argh, I want to go back so badly. :goodvibes

I love Living with the Land, but I actually miss the people who used to operate the ride. I like the more personal touch.

It's so great there! We split our big December trip into two smaller ones (this one and one in December) and I'm SO glad we did, especially with all the new stuff coming. And the weather!! Although the World of Color song is still stuck in my head...

My hesitation with the real people operators is that, depending where they're pulled from, they may not actually know that much about the ride. So at least this way, I'm guaranteed a narration with a certain level of knowledge on the operations in the greenhouse. I'm also used to science presentations not being very personable (at least in atmospheric science! We're not very good at public speaking. :rolleyes:). I also feel like more info can be crammed into a recorded narration compared to a memorized one (that may be totally wrong! Just based on my experiences presenting; I would way rather have recorded something beforehand and just played that back :goodvibes).

I want to go to Disneyland.

Living with the Land looks awesome at night. You take wonderful pictures. :goodvibes

Go! It's so amazing. And the drive from Colorado -> California is WAY better than the drive from Colorado -> Florida! :lmao:

I love the greenhouse at night! It's just such a great ride - I prefer it to Soarin', actually, and think it's a much better fit in the Land Pavilion.

Thanks!

Agreed!!! Disneyland TR!! Disneyland TR!!

Hahaha the Friendship boats are certainly not the fastest mode of transportation, but they are lovely!

YES Living with the Land did have CM narrators in the past! :yes:

I went through and sorted out all my WDW pictures so it shouldn't be too long. I want to have everything done by our December trip (..which seems SO FAR AWAY) and I'd fail miserably at multiple TRs.

They are! Our captain wasn't very talkative (I've read that some are?) but he stood very nicely at the front, looking all nautical and impressive. :goodvibes

ZehnJahren

05-22-2012, 09:38 PM

Nermel9

05-23-2012, 05:54 PM

Yay, I'm so glad you're doing a Disneyland TR! I would say either do it in your PTR (for an upcoming trip, I'm assuming? You're going again this December right? Or am I totally making that up? I keep thinking I should go in December instead of November so I can see the Fantasyland stuff. But my DH really wants to go for the end of Food and Wine. Ughhhh. :() or over on the Disneyland section of the DIS. I always go over there and look for good Disneyland TR's to read, but there are not many to pick from! :laughing:

I love that Flight Crew Only door at Soarin' too, so cute! :thumbsup2 Your pictures of the Land are so pretty, I love that pavilion!

Haha, that table IS really NASA-y! I've never noticed it before!

marDgreen88

05-23-2012, 09:40 PM

Once again, you take such great pictures!

I sometimes feel like I have the intelligence of a graham cracker when I read your updates... hahaha. That's all. :)

Merida

05-23-2012, 10:25 PM

I like that I'm not the only one that makes their own towel animals while at Disney!! :rotfl::thumbsup2 Very nice smiley face!

I love how the pink Mickey headband/SE shot came out! Very cool!

Soarin' is a teensy bit over-rated, I think. The film definitely could stand for better scene transitions, and a bit longer showtime!

At Disneyland, we saw a Mousekeeper teaching kids how to fold real towel animals in the hotel lobby. I wanted to join in but Bear said no. :sad2: Those things are hard to make!

It's funny because I didn't notice all the film quality issues (dust specks? People seem to have a big problem with stuff like that on the boards) because I was so confused with what was going on! I definitely think they could have spent longer establishing each spot they visited - I never would've guessed that the river scene takes place in the Redwood State Park! Or maybe I'm just really oblivious?

The music is AMAZING, though.

Yay, I'm so glad you're doing a Disneyland TR! I would say either do it in your PTR (for an upcoming trip, I'm assuming? You're going again this December right? Or am I totally making that up? I keep thinking I should go in December instead of November so I can see the Fantasyland stuff. But my DH really wants to go for the end of Food and Wine. Ughhhh. :() or over on the Disneyland section of the DIS. I always go over there and look for good Disneyland TR's to read, but there are not many to pick from! :laughing:

I love that Flight Crew Only door at Soarin' too, so cute! :thumbsup2 Your pictures of the Land are so pretty, I love that pavilion!

Haha, that table IS really NASA-y! I've never noticed it before!

Yup, we have our December-ish Disneyland trip, and then we're (most likely) moving down to Orlando (which I have started freaking out about already. :rotfl: I've never applied for non-academic things before so there's a significant chance that I - gulp - won't get into the Disney Professional Internships! I've been revising my resume off and on for the past few months - and hard core the past two days - and the applications don't even come out until August! At least Bear's been following up on some leads too, so I don't feel quite as nutty with my job obsession).

I feel like this fall, WDW's going to be PACKED. Maybe that will convince more people to not go in that time frame next year? I know people were really upset about the big ticket price increases at Disneyland but if crowds keep increasing the way they have been, Disney's going to have to do something drastic like that. :confused3 I'd definitely pay more for guaranteed lower crowds.

But really, do Disneyland! It's an adjustment but so much fun. It is hard to "break into" the DL boards, there's not a big following.

Merida

05-23-2012, 11:22 PM

Okay, sorry this is a long comment but I'm trying to catch up:

For the record, you aren't the only person who likes Dinoland in AK. (Sorry I've been MIA, but catching up now!) I really love the cheesiness and the colors; there's nothing like it in any other park! I love the goofyness; it was the part I remember most fondly. Of course, I've only been to AK two times now, but I like it a lot!

I have to mention again how much I enjoy all your pictures; the colors are so nice and clean, and everything is so crisp.

I hate it when you get some delicious looking pastry of some sort, like that Mickey Mouse cookie, and it's not as good as it looks. I get especially irritated with cookies; there are two kinds, good tasting cookies and crappy cookies. The wrong icing can make a good-tasting cookie into crap, and cookie icing seems to be so hit and miss sometimes! I would love a delicious Mickey cookie.

I haven't been on LWTL or Ellen's Energy ride in over a decade. I need to ride some of this stuff; I just know that I can't handle Ellen. The idea of being locked into a ride for over a half hour makes me feel a little nervous. Anyway, LWTL - they're doing research on SPACE AGRICULTURE?? Is that even a real thing?!?!

Come to think of it, I've never been on MS, either. I get a tad claustrophobic sometimes so I wonder how I'd do with it, but I know I could walk through and take the chicken exit just to check it out. I need to go see the actual ride time and how long the ride is; I can handle anything as long as it's brief. haha

And I can agree with you about Figment; it was a favorite of mine when I was a kid and it's too short, regardless. I really oddly love the mechanism that takes you through this ride; aw, I have the best memories of the Figment ride from childhood. This last trip, I rode it a couple times and paid close attention to the ride vehicles and the track; yep, still a favorite for nothing more than the method of locomotion.

Yay Dinoland fans! I like some goofiness in my theme parks - I mean, it's a theme park! I think it's weird if it took itself so seriously all the time.

Thanks!

The worst cookies are the ones were they completely overdo it on the almond (or lemon) extract. I just want a nice simple sugar cookie, it's not that hard!! And there aren't very many cookies around Disney World, not since cupcakes became so trendy. I can't wait for fancy cookies to become popular again (I've never had a problem with chocolate chip ones, just the sugar/iced ones).

Just sleep through Ellen! The dinosaurs are the most interesting part and they're at the beginning, so it's the best option for a quick nap. ;) Living with the Land, on the other hand...

I haven't been able to find much on the space agriculture; this TR actually is in the top 10 results when you goole 'epcot space agriculture.' Time to do the Behind the Seeds tour! :goodvibes

I like Mission Space a lot! I've never really been claustrophic or gotten motion sickness, so I'm really lucky in that regards. I don't think the forces and such are that bad - Rock'n'Roller Coaster is worse to me. But I've also seen pretty much every space show to ever be aired on TV, so it would take quite a bit to keep me off the ride!

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with this stuffed Figment we had. It took me ages to realize that he was a Disney character (without a TV show!! Or a movie!! The horrors!). He was just so much fun to play with because he could do anything. I wish that the Imagination Pavilion could be revitalized - I think it's the most kid-friendly/important part of Future World.

Once again, you take such great pictures!

I sometimes feel like I have the intelligence of a graham cracker when I read your updates... hahaha. That's all. :)

Thanks!

Haha, I just have lots of time on my hands right now. I'm waiting for models to finish running so I end up reading all sorts of random stuff on the Internet, which then influences my stuff here.

Merida

05-24-2012, 10:37 PM

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7265089858_c77d5bb4a9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265089858/)
Canada (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265089858/)

We passed through Canada quickly; I really have never spent any time here. Never seen Off Kilter, never tried the beer, never tasted the cheddar cheese soup.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7265089140_9fab2a8741_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265089140/)
Totems (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265089140/)

I haven’t spent much time in England either, so it’s not just the Canada pavilion that’s horrendously boring. Honestly, why couldn’t a few more countries sprung for some rides? The England pavilion could have easily done a Ghosts of Royalty/haunted castle ride/walk through. Tower of London, maybe? A few ravens wouldn’t be amiss here.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/7265088408_2440835954_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265088408/)
UK Pavilion (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265088408/)

Or they could play up the English Garden theme and do something based around Capability Brown, one of my very favorite (western) landscape architects (see also: Frederick Law Olmsted; Eastern landscape design is in a class all its own).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7265087338_bb1094d45f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265087338/)
To The Lighthouse (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265087338/)

We quickly made it out of Epcot and into the Boardwalk resort area. Walking this route is so much faster than the boats, almost ridiculously so. I think Disney should expand the boat-as-resort-transportation idea; some of the moderates are massive and would definitely be improved with water taxis!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7265086570_bd4c41e84d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265086570/)
The Yacht Club (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265086570/)

Our lunch was at the Captain’s Grille; I had picked this out at random. None of the other Yacht/Beach Club restaurants were appealing and affordable and I really wanted to see all the deluxe resorts.

More than that, I wanted to show them to Bear. I love hotels and staying in new ones; Bear is too, but he has been strangely hesitant about the Disney (Boardwalk) deluxes. The best way I could think of to convince him was resort dining.

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Snow Tower (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265085884/)

The lobby was impeccable, as expected. Nice and dark and boat-y. The Beach Club’s lobby is too similar to the Grand’s, in my opinion, while the Yacht Club has a unique atmosphere.

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Yacht Club Christmas (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265085052/)

And we had plenty of time to soak up that atmosphere – we were there incredibly early, before lunch was being served. Bear relaxed in the leather couches while I fidgeted and wandered around; I must have gotten about ten cups of the free ice water.

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Disney's Yacht Club (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265083934/)

I managed to explore most of the lobby before the Captain’s Grille opened for lunch. Lunch was absolutely delightful. Great service, out-of-this-world vinegar fries, and delicious chicken and prosciutto sandwiches. Bear ended up eating most of my appetizer, since he ordered some weird entrée that he didn’t actually want. I think it was the hamburger; Bear said it was tasty, just not what he was in the mood for.

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DCL (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265082964/)

I showed Bear around after we finishing stuffing ourselves with gelato. The cruise boat model piqued Bear’s interest – we’d never thought of cruising before, but goodness, the cruise ships are pretty! (Also pictured: our vinyl!)

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Courtyard (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265082252/)

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Courtyard (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265081868/)

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Shipwreck Bay (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265081240/)

We eventually made it out of the Yacht Club and ambled along slowly, taking it the scenery. Bear was also impressed with the little we could see of Stormalong Bay – I think there’s definitely a Yacht Club stay in our future (especially if I can get a cast member discount!).

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Alice (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265080302/)

Alice was out as we passed back through England, making the pavilion about a hundred times more interesting. Bear didn’t want to stop; I had agreed to watch the CircleVision Canada film and obviously a film that is on loop throughout the day is more important than more princesses.

We had just done the gauntlet of Christmas party princesses, so I let Bear drag me on to Canada. The Canada movie is actually really good; I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Not too long, lots of nice scenery, and decently funny.

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The Falls (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265079394/)

I managed to snag a Duffy-on-a-stick as we exited the movie. I don’t miss the masks, I have to say. I never thought that they were an inspired design – I mean, it was a mask. Nothing particularly related to World Showcase. At least Duffy is, canonically, a world traveler! My Duffy was much more durable than the mask – mine always got bent or ripped and never actually got around the world.

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Gardens (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265078326/)

I explained the Duffy-on-a-stick to Bear as we headed back to the Imagination pavilion. The Canadian Duffys were in a pile, stacked up by Cast Members who were furiously stamping.

Bear agreed to take Duffy around the world, collecting stamps. He was slightly more interested in this than Kim Possible, which is to say, not very.

He should start trusting me on these things.

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To Change the World (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265077032/)

Captain EO was Bear’s choice for our next attraction; I’m not sure why he’s so cautious about my activity choices when he has voluntarily chosen Ellen’s Energy Adventure and Captain EO!

Not that Captain EO is bad – we’re both big MJ fans and this was pretty much what I want out of a “new” MJ bit. Excellent choreography, cheesy special effects, some catchy tunes, and puppets. I have a weakness for 80s music videos.

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Soaring (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265076208/)

Plus there’s no wait for EO and we were headed to Soarin’ next. It’s nice to hit up all the not very popular rides; walk-ons make me feel like I know how to tour the parks. The Fastpasses reduce the wait for Soarin’, but never eliminate it entirely. Bear also insists on waiting for row B1, which adds another 5-10 minutes to our wait. Not too bad, but it can add up!

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Neon (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265075648/)

My appreciation for Soarin’ increases with every ride; I really enjoy the hang-glider sensation and the score is brilliant. I just want the film to be different! The Christmas at Disneyland is good, but not quite enough to make up for the abrupt transitions.

The little girl next to me loved the fireworks as well. On the way out, her mother kept prompting her about the Mickey head, but the girl just wasn’t getting it. I’m not sure if she didn’t understand her mother’s questions or she legitimately didn’t see the Mickey fireworks, but she kept saying she saw Donald Duck.

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Car Crashes (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265074874/)

We headed over to Test Track next; our Fastpasses were finally good. The standby line here is not my favorite and I pretty much will only do this with Fastpasses.

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Windshield Tests (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265074084/)

For some reason, I can never think of much to say about Test Track. I just don’t care that much about cars? And testing them? I wish they’d turn it into a history of transportation pavilion, where they include early models ad then also include the ~future of transportation.~ It’s a fun ride, there’s just… not much there right now?

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Crash Tests (http://www.flickr.com/photos/56860480@N03/7265073432/)

I am excited for the refurb, all neon and futuristic. And it certainly can’t be more bland than the previous incarnation.