Drama Queens in Disney - A Theatrical Journey with SOOZE and Friends! Update 5/6

[Sooze]

Drama Queen Trip Report Episode Links
(For your reading convenience!)

If you'd like to meet us, please scroll down for Bios and Headshots!

Having Fun Without Us (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44081301&postcount=8)

Home will be where the heart is. Never were words so true. (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44081346&postcount=9)

Together at Last.. Together Forever! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44088733&postcount=20)

We're Off to see the Wizard (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44129352&postcount=39)

A Whole New (Wizarding) World, A New Fantastic Point of View (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44129964&postcount=40)

I've Got Gadgets and Gizmos Aplenty, I've got Pensieves and House Points Galore (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44130130&postcount=41)

Oh, the Thinks You Can Think if You're Willing to Try (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44168974&postcount=51)

And Tell Yourself... How Lucky You Are (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44267988&postcount=61)

Oh What a Beautiful Moooornin' (minus the food poisoning) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44281261&postcount=68)

Oh What a Beautiful Day (minus the food poisoning) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44281563&postcount=69)

Happiness is... Pancakes and Sausage, Mickey Waffles, and Characters (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44347586&postcount=83)

Another Openin'... Another Show (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44470245&postcount=93)

We Go Together Like RamaLamaLama and Magic Kingdom Fun (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44470409&postcount=95)

76 Trombones Led the Big Parade (More Like 76 Grave Diggers) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44470780&postcount=98)

I'll Just Leave Him a Clue. For Example... A Shoe (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44471060&postcount=101)

Drip Drip Drip Little April Showers (or Catastrophe Canyons) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44637367&postcount=107)

Food, Glorious, Food! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44637688&postcount=108)

Be Our Guest at AIE (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44658551&postcount=114)

Let's Go.. Ouuuuuuuoooooot Tonight (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44660240&postcount=115)

Biggest Blame Fool in the Jungle of Nool (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44811083&postcount=123)

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44811691&postcount=125)

Encore! Encore! (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44812032&postcount=127)

[Sooze]

Who doesn’t love a bit of drama?! Well definitely not us! If you consider the amount of community theater we have under our belt, you would understand why!! And surely you want to hear about a group of drama queens that decided one day to take a trip to Disney World AND Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal. Surely!!

Well today is your lucky day!! I’d like to introduce you to us, the drama queens!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Allcrazyatcastle.jpg

I know, I know… it’s a large group. How are you ever expected to get to know ALL of us?! You’re not afraid to give it a try, are you?!

Let us start with me. And since this is a Drama Queen report, I’ll stick mostly to my drama.

I am Susie, aka Sooze on the DIS. I am a 3rd grade teacher in Indianapolis, but my true passion is in performing… on stage… in front of whoever will watch… singing and dancing and acting!! Not that you want my resume…. But here are some pictures of me ‘in action’ doing some of my favorite roles! Enjoy!

Here I am as Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/10.jpg

Mayzie LaBird in Seussical: The Musical:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/9.jpg

Glinda in Wizard of Oz:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/6.jpg

Lily St. Regis in Annie:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/5.jpg

This is another one of Lily St. Regis when she is in disguise as Mrs. Mudge:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/4.jpg

And one more of Lily (just because I LOVED those shoes!):
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/3.jpg

I also enjoyed performing in the color guard activity. Here I am in an alumni corps that performed at the Drum Corps Championships a few summers ago. It was great acting like a 20-something again!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/8.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/7.jpg

Ok, enough of me. I do have a family and great friends to introduce you to as well! I have a daughter named Shaelyn, who just turned 6 on Valentine’s Day. I have a son named Tyson who is 11 and a half. They have both been blessed with some talent, and have been able to perform as well! Tyson is an old pro, while Shae just auditioned for her first show this past weekend. Pictures of my babies to come in a second!

My husband, Matt, was not with us on this trip. #1, he is a band director in Indiana, and Fall Break means practicing! He couldn’t get away from the band long enough to join us. #2, he is NOT a drama queen!!!! He would’ve been embarrassed by all of our dramatic antics… so he was happy to sit this trip out anyway!

So, what drama queens were with me?! Well, I shall start with one of my best friends in the cosmos… Bryan. We met when we did a production of Thoroughly Modern Millie together. We’ve been attached at the soul ever since! Here is my handsome bestie!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/JustBryan.jpg

And here is his old alter-ego, Trixie Firecracker!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/JustBryan-1.jpg

Oh yes… it is going to be THAT kind of trip report. Because when you’re in community theater, you can’t help but become best friends with the most COLORFUL of people. So if you’re a conservative, you probably just want to exit on outta this TR and find something more boring! ;)

Here is a little compilation of the shows Bryan and I have been fortunate enough to perform in together. You’ll notice some dramatic weight loss from show to show. Bryan joined Weight Watchers a little over a year ago, and has made some amazing life-changes. Check it out:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/Picnikcollage.jpg

Last spring, we got to perform opposite of each other as Vernon Hines and Gladys Hotchkiss in “The Pajama Game”. We got to play a couple that was constantly fighting and making-up. It was such a fabulous experience!!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/1.jpg

And sneaking a smooch backstage:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/Hinesysmooch.jpg

Here are a few shots of Bryan in action:
In the show “Curtains”. He is on the right with the red bandana and blue shirt:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/CurtainsBryandSooze.jpg

One of my favorite roles he has ever played, Franz Liebkind in “The Producers”:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/BryanProducers2.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/BryanProducers.jpg

And before you go freaking out… my husband is very well-aware of my gay friends. He knows how happy they make me, and he supports my addiction! So no worries, y’all!


More introductions… coming up!

[Sooze]

So… who is next?! The wonderful family of theater nuts that also make-up two of my best friends. And their children, who are ridiculously talented AND adorable, are absolute best friends with my children. We are all engulfed in the world of community theater, and we are just one big happy family! Here they are:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/BartleyFam.jpg

Couldn’t you just die from their cuteness!?

Tom, on the left, is a pastor at a church in Indianapolis. He fully supports the theater community by not only working backstage at shows, but performing in them as well. He is one of the Godliest men I know, who leads by his example of love and acceptance. Jessica, the red-head in the middle, is a preschool teacher who has a voice that could melt steel. Such a beautiful person inside and out… and can make me laugh for a week straight. Addison is their daughter, who is also a budding stage-hog (deservedly so!). Kelsen is their handsome son, who, along with my own son, seems awkwardly obsessed with Hobos. We shall get back to this later….

Let me share a little back-story about Jessica. First, we met in a little show called “Seussical: The Musical”. She had just moved back to the Indy area, and was dying to get into a show. She called the director and said, “I just want to be in it… I’ll be a TREE if you want!” So… he made her an orangutan in the Jungle of Nool! Here we are, fresh new friends!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/Seussical.jpg

And here is an action shot of both of us. Can you find us?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/SeussicalJandS.jpg

Shortly after this show, we both audition for Miss Saigon. We are both going for the same role of Ellen, who is the American Wife in the production. As the audition progresses, it becomes very clear that it has come down between the two of us. Now, since you can’t really judge height, let’s just say that I am QUITE a bit taller than her!

So the director puts us on stage and calls in the guy who is most likely going to play the male lead. As he is walking in, Jessica turns to me and says, “It looks like they are either going with the super model or the leprechaun.” WHAT?! Who says that? Only Jessica, because she is hilarious!

Lo and behold, as the handsome male lead walks up on stage, I walk over to him and quickly realize that I’m about 3 inches taller. There is no way they would cast me opposite of him. Jessica sees this, and starts dancing around singing, “The leprechaun wins! The leprechaun wins!” And sure enough, she got the role!! And she was fabulous in it! I ended up doing the ensemble of Miss Saigon, and happened to represent “Miss Chinatown” in The American Dream song. So we had the PERFECT photo opportunity to showcase the ‘super model’ and the ‘leprechaun’.

Check this photo out!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/LeprechaunandSuperModel.jpg
Oh my gosh, one of my favorite pictures. Ever!

Here are a few Jessica shots for you to enjoy.
Portraying a Zombie in “Night of the Living Dead”:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/JessicaZombie.jpg

Playing the adorable Sally in “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown”:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/JessicaSally.jpg

Singing her heart out in a cabaret-style review show she just finished:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/Jessicasinging.jpg

Playing the Prison Matron in “Hairspray”:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/JessicaMatron.jpg

One of her Karate Kid moments behind the scenes of “Miss Saigon”:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/KarateKidJessica.jpg

A few falls ago, Jessica and I were in the same production of “Annie”. Here we are backstage in our “Hooverville” outfits. (Our sons were thrilled that we were hobos!)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/63359_1554450017089_1110348905_1578766_6203073_n.j pg

Hobos on the sly:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/63359_1554449977088_1110348905_1578765_2755012_n.j pg

For the rest of the show, I was Lily St. Regis, and Jessica was Mrs. Pugh. (You know the song… “When you’re through, Mrs. Pugh, comes to take it awaaaaaaay!) Here we are being silly in our crazy costumes:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/63359_1554449617079_1110348905_1578756_3130933_n.j pg

So what about Tom? I don’t have as many shots of him, but here is one of Tom and Bryan from “Miss Saigon”. They were both soldiers in the show:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/SaigonMen.jpg

Tom, Jessica, Bryan, and I were all in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat together. Here are Tom and Jessica in their garb:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/TomandJessJoseph.jpg

And here is a scene with me. Bryan is in the black beret leaning over my right shoulder, and Tom is on my left with the long, curly, black locks!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/Joseph.jpg

Tom, Jessica, and Bryan were in a production of “Oklahoma” together. Here is an adorable backstage picture:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/Jessicaandherboys.jpg

Here is one of my favorite backstage shots from “Miss Saigon” of the four of us (plus another Disney-loving friend of ours!):
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/P1040045.jpg

Boy… take a look at Tom and Bryan in that picture above. They will NOT look like that in this TR! They have both done such a great job dropping the pounds! Cool!

So what about our adorable children? Well, they are drama queens too! YAY!

Here are Tyson and Kelsen. They were in the Children’s Chorus of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/BoysinJoseph.jpg

They also got to perform together in a production of “Oliver”:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/IMG_0890.jpg

Kelsen has done lots of other things including Seussical and Wizard of Oz. He is a seasoned pro. And his sister, Addison? Here she is portraying Molly in “Annie”. She was a natural:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/AddyinAnnie.jpg

And while Shae is just getting her drama queen-ness going, she and Addison have a wonderful time singing and dancing together. Just look at these two angels:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Drama%20Queen%20introductions/P1070451.jpg

Wow! Have I overwhelmed you yet?!?! That’s a lot of pictures and the trip hasn’t even started yet!

Do you love pictures!? If you do, this TR will be for you. I plan on sharing a lot of pictures and just a few stories. So come along with me, will you!?

I promise, there will be lots of drama! For. Real.

[IheartDDuck]

Joining! This sounds like it would be a ton of fun.

[Sooze]

Joining! This sounds like it would be a ton of fun.


:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:
Aw, thanks Danielle! I'm glad I didn't scare EVERYONE away!! Look for the first episode this weekend. I have a busy week ahead of me. Thanks again for subscribing!:hug:

[Alex&Evan'sMom]

This trip report looks like it's going to be AWESOME! :goodvibes It's so great to read about another drama obsessed family! I absolutely love musical theatre and have just gotten back into it after a looong hiatus. I lost over 100 pounds this past year and after I wasn't as self conscious about getting back on stage I jumped right back in! My oldest son and I participated in a community theatre production of "Oklahoma" in November and I can't wait for the next musical. My husband and younger son want to get involved as well. Anywhooo, sorry for the hijack, I'm just so excited! I love that your family participates as well and I love the close friendships people can make during plays. I love the picture of everyone hamming it up!:lmao:

[Sooze]

This trip report looks like it's going to be AWESOME! :goodvibes It's so great to read about another drama obsessed family! I absolutely love musical theatre and have just gotten back into it after a looong hiatus. I lost over 100 pounds this past year and after I wasn't as self conscious about getting back on stage I jumped right back in! My oldest son and I participated in a community theatre production of "Oklahoma" in November and I can't wait for the next musical. My husband and younger son want to get involved as well. Anywhooo, sorry for the hijack, I'm just so excited! I love that your family participates as well and I love the close friendships people can make during plays. I love the picture of everyone hamming it up!:lmao:

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

Hooray! I was hoping I'd snag some fellow Community Theater Lovers! Welcome!! I hope the report will be awesome.. I plan on it being a WHOLE BUNCH of pictures, with just the fun stories in between.

And don't worry about hijacking! I'd LOVE to hear about your experiences. And if you have pictures, feel free to share.

Thanks for joining in!:goodvibes

[Sooze]

This Drama Queen trip actually started a day before my family and I even arrived. Tom, Jessica, Bryan, and the blonde kids spent a full week in Orlando, while my kids and I snuck in for the 4 days in the middle! I thought I’d get this report started by sharing a few of the pictures they took without us, even though it pains me to remember that they were able to be there and have fun in our absence.

But I will suck it up enough to show you some fun shots. The day we arrived, our friends were soaking up Epcot. We had planned to meet them there that night after our flight in. Luckily, we are AP holders so running over to Epcot for an hour or two that evening was a cinch to do!

These are the kind of friends I have. Not only were they enjoying Epcot without us, but they ate Mickey bars without us, too. THEN, they had the nerve to take a picture and send it to me while I’m sitting in an airport. Just cruel! But a good way to kick off the report!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/GroupMickeybar.jpg

Na na na na boo boo!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/JessicasfirstMickeybar.jpg

They spent time at the dive tank in The Seas and Kelsen was selected to help with the presentation.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Kelsentank.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/KelsenAddietankhelpers.jpg

Great picture of my besties in England!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/JessBryanphonebooth.jpg

Tom and Jessica have been to Disney with their kids a few times before, but the one thing they hadn’t been able to do is meet Mulan. Mulan is Addison’s absolute favorite princess. Well, the planets all aligned that day, as Addy was able to meet her heroine!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/AddieandMulan.jpg

She even scored a kiss!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Mulankiss.jpg

Bryan was just giddy with excitement about meeting all the characters… uh, yeah… more than the kids were!! He, of course, loves the princesses and was able to meet Belle and the Beast.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/GroupwithBelleBeast.jpg

Eventually, he will meet a bunch more, including some hilarious escapades with Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, and Genie… but you’ll just have to stay tuned to hear that story!

A bit of Chip and Dale (from the entrance of Epcot… I know I’m a bit out of order here!)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/KelsenAddieChipDale.jpg

I can only imagine the cute conversation that sparked this picture:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/JessicaChipDale.jpg

What were WE doing, while all of this Epcot-joy was occurring? Waiting at the rainy airport in Indy:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070806.jpg

Waiting… but extremely happy that we were about to be in the Happiest Place on Earth with our best friends ever!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070807.jpg

Aw.. can’t you just feel the love?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070808.jpg

Soon, we were on our direct flight to the magic… and we just couldn’t contain our excitement!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070809.jpg

(He’s excited…. Really!)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070810.jpg

And then…. Then the descent into Orlando started… and the head cold Shae was just getting over reared its ugly head. She was in so much pain…. My poor baby!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070811.jpg

Even big brother felt bad for Shae.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070812.jpg

As soon as we landed, she was good to go. We headed to the ME station and were SO happy to see that you no longer have to check in at the counter! We were directed right over to the miles of rope-maze goodness, where a cast member just scanned our travel voucher, and before we knew it, we were here!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070813.jpg

MUCH BETTER M.E. SYSTEM! YAY!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070814.jpg

We’re HOME!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070816.jpg

Thanking God for a safe flight and for the memories we were about to make!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070817.jpg


Up next… we arrive at AKL and the Drama Queens are together at last…or are they?!! Dumb traffic incidents…

[Sooze]

After dropping off some folks at Pop Century, we were on our way home to AKL. We own points here through DVC, but we have never stayed, so we were quite looking forward to our first visit home!

I have to say, the lobby alone took my breath away. It is stunning!! I couldn’t believe we were going to be living here for a few days!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070853.jpg

Check in at AKL was a breeze, walking to our room was NOT! Holy GIRAFFE, was it far away!!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070825.jpg

But we made it… room 5555! Here are some room shots for you.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070828.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070829.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070830.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070831.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070832.jpg

It’s all in the details…

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070833.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070834.jpg

Our view, which we were surprised to see! We only booked a standard view, but still had a bit of the savannah:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070835.jpg

But here is where the ‘standard’ part comes in… the savannah was to the left… and THIS was to our right:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070836.jpg

Ha ha ha ha!! It was totally fine with us, and didn’t bother us a second!

We also had a little towel friend. At the time, we had a pet rat named “May” at home… so this little guy became “May” for the trip.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070837.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070838.jpg

Shae playing in the mirror. You can tell she is giddy as anything!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070847.jpg

We literally dropped our bags, took pictures of the room, cuddled with May, then headed out to Epcot! Here are a few more AKL details on the way out:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070849.jpg

Hidden Mickeys in the carpet:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070850.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070851.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070852.jpg

We made it to the bus stop and found a fun game of hopscotch to entertain us for a while:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070855.jpg

Saw three of these pass by before an Epcot bus came.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070856.jpg

And this began our one and only reason for not liking AKL! Not only do you have to bus EVERYWHERE, but it takes so long to get EVERYWHERE! (Except AK, of course) And tonight was NOT a good start. Not only did we wait a long time for the bus (Made worse by the fact that we were just dying to get there to see our friends!),
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070857.jpg


but then we hit a traffic issue. Our bus was trying to turn left and we were in a line of about 4 other buses also waiting to turn left. For some reason, the road we were trying to turn left on was blocked by police cars. (Oh no, another Disney bus issue?) At first, we were just waiting patiently, but then we started seeing bus after bus pull out from behind us and go around, clearly finding another way to get where they were going. We just couldn’t understand why our bus driver didn’t do the same? Just pull out of the left turn lane and go straight… there are ten different ways to get to Epcot!

Let’s GO!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070858.jpg

Mommy, what is happening? Why aren’t we moving?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070859.jpg

Ugh… would we EVER get there?!

[Queenofallthings]

Thanks for letting me know that you had started this!! Can't wait to follow along!popcorn::

[micandminforever]

Thanks for the note to let me know about your new report. Now I need to go back and read. I am ready to learn all about the Drama Queens and their adventures.

My DH and I are going to Disney in Jan. with his family (a group of 14 13 adults, and a 7mon. old). Any advice you have about planning for a group will be appreciated.

Dropped back in to say I am caught up. Plus there is nothing worse than sitting on a bus when you know Mickey and friends are waiting on you.

I love the AK Lodge pictures.

[glennbo123]

:woohoo: I am in! (Thanks for the heads-up. I usually just check my subscriptions so I don't always see new TRs from fantastic trip report writers like yourself until they're well underway.) What a fun group of people you've assembled for this trip!

I proposed to Judy while walking to a performance of "The Pajama Game" back in 1988. We had to turn around and fast-walk back to her parents' house so that she could show her mom the ring. I'm not sure that she remembers a whole lot about the play after that.

It seems like you liked AKL except for the transportation. We've had a couple of interminably-long rides (usually involving a bus change at DTD), but have generally had pretty good luck.

[ZFamily5]

Here! Thanks for the heads-up!!

It looks like another fun group to travel with. We just saw Joseph at a community theater near us and we all loved it!

AKL is amazing! One of my dream resorts!! :cloud9:

Oh no! Being stuck on a bus is no fun!

[Blueyed Girl]

I'm in!!!! And I'm so excited to see another report from you. I love the beginning of this one with all the drama queen stuff. I remember a few years ago on one of our TR's you telling me that you were wanting to get back into the theatre. You really jumped in with both feet and never looked back and I LOVE THAT!!!

AKL...we own points there too. We stayed for our first trip "home" in a 1 bdrm in Kidani village. It was sooooo far away from EVERYTHING. Really bugged us. At least we had our own car so the bus thing wasn't an issue but good golly that sitting there not moving would have driven me NUTS!! :scared1:


Can't wait to read more! popcorn:: :surfweb:

[teachermommy78]

Here and excited!!!!!!

[Native NYer]

Joining in!
What a fun group. :goodvibes

[mermaid764]

Thanks for the heads up that you started Sooze!

I always enjoy reading your Trip reports as they're always so fun to follow along on.

It looks like you guys were travelling with a really fun group of people, and other than the bus drama, looks like it's off to a great start!

[reelmom]

How Fun!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to read more updates.

[Sooze]

Thanks for letting me know that you had started this!! Can't wait to follow along!popcorn::
:banana:
Thanks for coming over to visit! Lots of pictures coming up!

Thanks for the note to let me know about your new report. Now I need to go back and read. I am ready to learn all about the Drama Queens and their adventures.
:banana: :banana:
So glad you're here. Hope you enjoy!

My DH and I are going to Disney in Jan. with his family (a group of 14 13 adults, and a 7mon. old). Any advice you have about planning for a group will be appreciated.
After doing 3 trips with large groups this year (yes, I still have another one after this to do!) my biggest piece of advice is: Don't be afraid to split up!! Plan a few events where everyone is together (meals, fireworks, shows, a special ride) but don't make everyone walk around in a mass group... it's just frustrating at times! Oh, and one more piece of advice: Get the PhotoPass CD ahead of time We didn't use PhotoPass on this trip, but did for the one we took in June with my husband's family. SO worth it!


Dropped back in to say I am caught up. Plus there is nothing worse than sitting on a bus when you know Mickey and friends are waiting on you.

I love the AK Lodge pictures.
It was so frustrating. And we had JUST gotten there, so I was determined not to act as if it was frustrating. Tyson, on the other hand? He was over it!

:woohoo: I am in! (Thanks for the heads-up. I usually just check my subscriptions so I don't always see new TRs from fantastic trip report writers like yourself until they're well underway.) What a fun group of people you've assembled for this trip!
:banana: :banana:
I am a subscription kind of person, too. Glad you found your way!

I proposed to Judy while walking to a performance of "The Pajama Game" back in 1988. We had to turn around and fast-walk back to her parents' house so that she could show her mom the ring. I'm not sure that she remembers a whole lot about the play after that.
What a great story!! I had never even heard of the Pajama Game! Bryan actually called me and begged me to audition with him. (We are often paired together because of our heights and he thought we'd work well together). It totally paid off for us! I love this theater tie-in to your marriage! :hug:

It seems like you liked AKL except for the transportation. We've had a couple of interminably-long rides (usually involving a bus change at DTD), but have generally had pretty good luck.
It is truly one of the most beautiful resorts ANYWHERE! We stayed there again in December and still loved it... but still felt like it was too far away. Next time we stay, we are bringing a car!!!

Here! Thanks for the heads-up!!

It looks like another fun group to travel with. We just saw Joseph at a community theater near us and we all loved it!

AKL is amazing! One of my dream resorts!! :cloud9:

Oh no! Being stuck on a bus is no fun!
:banana: :banana:
Yay! You're here! Thanks for coming by. This group of people was SO much fun to be with. We had been planning for so long.. it was great to be there together.

I'm in!!!! And I'm so excited to see another report from you. I love the beginning of this one with all the drama queen stuff. I remember a few years ago on one of our TR's you telling me that you were wanting to get back into the theatre. You really jumped in with both feet and never looked back and I LOVE THAT!!!

:banana: Cheri is here!!

It has truly become my passion. And I can see myself being involved with community theater in some capacity for the rest of my dramatic life! :goodvibes

AKL...we own points there too. We stayed for our first trip "home" in a 1 bdrm in Kidani village. It was sooooo far away from EVERYTHING. Really bugged us. At least we had our own car so the bus thing wasn't an issue but good golly that sitting there not moving would have driven me NUTS!! :scared1:
Definitely needing a car... definitely!!


Can't wait to read more! popcorn:: :surfweb:
Hope to post more soon!

Here and excited!!!!!!
:banana: :banana:
Thanks for coming on over!

Joining in!
What a fun group. :goodvibes
Welcome! So good to see you again. Hope you enjoy!
:banana: :banana:
Thanks for the heads up that you started Sooze!

I always enjoy reading your Trip reports as they're always so fun to follow along on.

It looks like you guys were travelling with a really fun group of people, and other than the bus drama, looks like it's off to a great start!
:banana: :banana:
I hesitated sending out the invite, not wanting to beg for readers or anything, but I enjoyed having so many of you along on my previous reports. Thanks for taking time to read this newest one!
How Fun!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to read more updates.
:banana: :banana:
Glad you think so... stay tuned... much more fun to be had!!!

[Sooze]

After 20 minutes. Yes, TWENTY MINUTES of sitting there, a Disney bus bigwig came up to our bus and said something to the driver. Within a moment, we pulled out of the left turn lane and made our way to Epcot another way. Another LONG way. We were on that bus for almost 50 minutes. For real.

I’m sure Disney bus drivers can’t just change their route when a situation like this occurs. I’m sure our driver had to wait for the official decision to move the bus along. But, geeze, that was NOT the way I wanted to start the trip!

WHO CARES, though!?!?! We are TOGETHER!!!
Applause! Applause! Bravo! Encore!! (See… the dramatic tie-ins are abundant, are they not?!)

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/FinallytogetheratEpcot.jpg

We were all STARVING!! And the Electric Umbrella was right by us, so we hopped on over and got us something unhealthy to eat. Addy was immediately pulling souvenirs out of bags and showing Shaelyn all of the stuff she got! Those guys don’t kid around. It was their first full day and they were already buying out the shops!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070861.jpg

Shae was just as excited, knowing that she’d be able to play with these lovely ladies the next time she hung out at Addy’s house!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070862.jpg

After eating, we were on our way to Spaceship Earth. The boys were always 30 feet ahead of us, or behind us. So we were always yelling “BOYS!!”
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070863.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070864.jpg

One of the times they had to turn around and wait for us, Tyson found a little snail friend!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070866.jpg

Loving the no wait for SE, and loving this picture of the girls having some kind of grown-up conversation, I’m sure!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070867.jpg

I got to sit with Bryan! Yay!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070868.jpg

Soon it was time to head over and grab a spot for Illuminations. Of course, Mexico was on the way, so we just HAD to go in there for some silliness!

First stop, the Donald in Mexico ride:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070870.jpg

Next stop, dramatic antics in the shopping area! Enjoy!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070871.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070872.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070873.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070874.jpg

And even Bryan got in on the silliness… of COURSE!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070875.jpg

Finally, we found a spot between Mexico and Norway to enjoy the show. Unfortunately for us, the big Earth didn’t work this time! You know when it is supposed to make its dramatic entrance from the American Pavilion? It just sat there and never made it’s way into the center of the lagoon. Stage fright, maybe?!

I’ll tell you what, though… the middle of the show is NOTHING without that big ol’ Earth. A bit disappointing for us, especially knowing this was our only chance to see it this trip.

As soon as the show was over, we headed to the bus corals with the rest of humanity and said good night to our friends. After another long ride and an even longer walk to our room, we were able to find our luggage, change into our PJs, and crash. Tomorrow was a day full of NEW adventures. Our first trip to WWoHP!! Won’t you come back and see if the magic flies outside of Disney’s borders?!

[katt789]

I'm in!! And what a great start to the trip! I must admit, I'm drawn in even more by the drama-ness! (being a performer myself!) I'm super excited to read more!

[jecskc]

Joining in !!! I loved your other TR. It looks like this is a fun group and that you are having a blast. Looking forward to more.

[timandlesley]

Hi Susie,
what an AMAZING TR so far. LOVED all the theatre pics, I've seen some through facebook but to put them with names and stories was wonderful- no wonder this will be such a Magical trip all of you guys together.
Stinks about Shae's ears on the plane, that happens to Luke and it's just miserable, poor baby!
Kidani sure is beautiful and I'm glad you guys scored and got a savannah view when just paying for standard. Sorry about the transportation. We have had stays there were everything takes forever and others where the transportation whizzes by- sorry it's a bummer for you guys for now. I assume Boardwalk is still your favorite after this stay?
Can't wait to read more!
Lesley

[Native NYer]

That is a LONG bus ride! Glad you finally got to Epcot.
Gotta love no wait for SSE.

[PrincessV]

I'm here, I'm here! :banana: Thanks for letting me know - I haven't perused the TR section in ages.

Okay, first thoughts:

1. I can't believe how much Tyson and Shae have grown up since we first "met" on the DIS!

2. We really MUST do some Disneying together. I already adore you, and now I adore your friends, too. :goodvibes

3. I made it here just in time! Cant' wait to go to WWOHP... popcorn::

[MissPrice]

Joining In, lovin' the report so far. -Amanda

[reelmom]

I can't wait for the next update. We are going to WWoHP in 97 days! I am so excited and looking forward to your report and pictures.

[Blueyed Girl]

50 MINUTES???!!!???:scared1::scared1::scared1: :eek:

Aside from much time wasted on the bus, it seems as though you guys had a great start in the park! The girls are so cute!!!! And how cool is Tyson's snail?!!!? I've never seen one in WDW before. Many cool lizzards and insects, but no snail. We shall be on the lookout from now on! :thumbsup2

popcorn::

[mermaid764]

Ugh 50 minutes on a bus does not sound like the funnest way to start your vacation, but yay for finally making it to Epcot!

The girls are so cute with how excited they were about those dolls, they look like a really good set, but I can imagine probably pretty pricey too.

I love the pictures in the Mexican pavilion, everyone looks like they were so happy to finally be together.

I can't wait to hear more:goodvibes

[RENThead09]

I am sitting here with goosebumps recalling "When You Wish" being played by that amazing corps that night at Lucas Oil Field. Minnesota Brass alum here. Star was and will always be one of the classiest acts ever to step on turf.

Love the report. Cant wait to read more.

[Sooze]

I'm in!! And what a great start to the trip! I must admit, I'm drawn in even more by the drama-ness! (being a performer myself!) I'm super excited to read more!
:banana: :banana:
You can never have too many drama queens in one place! Welcome! Hope you enjoy!

Joining in !!! I loved your other TR. It looks like this is a fun group and that you are having a blast. Looking forward to more.
:banana: :banana:
Thanks for coming back!! We were blessed with THREE group trips in 2011! It's so much fun to share Disney joy with good friends, isn't it?!

Hi Susie,
what an AMAZING TR so far. LOVED all the theatre pics, I've seen some through facebook but to put them with names and stories was wonderful- no wonder this will be such a Magical trip all of you guys together.
Stinks about Shae's ears on the plane, that happens to Luke and it's just miserable, poor baby!
Kidani sure is beautiful and I'm glad you guys scored and got a savannah view when just paying for standard. Sorry about the transportation. We have had stays there were everything takes forever and others where the transportation whizzes by- sorry it's a bummer for you guys for now. I assume Boardwalk is still your favorite after this stay?
Can't wait to read more!
Lesley
:banana: :banana:
I have missed you, Lesley! Thanks for taking time to read... I know you are CUHRAZY busy!

Does that happen to Luke's ears on every flight!?:eek: How miserable!

I agree about transportation... and we try not to complain because most of the time, it is smooth and easy!

And yes... still a Boardwalk fan (even though many of their rooms are JUST as far away, right?!)

That is a LONG bus ride! Glad you finally got to Epcot.
Gotta love no wait for SSE.
Or a LONG bus SIT!! ;)

It's so hard to wait in line for SSE when we have been so often with no wait. When we went back after Christmas, it was BRUTAL!

[Sooze]

I'm here, I'm here! :banana: Thanks for letting me know - I haven't perused the TR section in ages.
:banana: :banana: :banana:
Yay! V!!!! Sorry for the pitiful begging, but I miss you on my TRs! Thanks for stopping by!

Okay, first thoughts:

1. I can't believe how much Tyson and Shae have grown up since we first "met" on the DIS!
I know, right? I do enjoy watching our DIS children grow, but it's SCARY how fast it's happening!

2. We really MUST do some Disneying together. I already adore you, and now I adore your friends, too. :goodvibes
TOTALLY agree!!! You gonna be around the first few days of April? ;)

3. I made it here just in time! Cant' wait to go to WWOHP... popcorn::
Me either! Let's go!

Joining In, lovin' the report so far. -Amanda
:banana: :banana:
Thanks for jumping on board! Glad to have you along. Hope you enjoy!

I can't wait for the next update. We are going to WWoHP in 97 days! I am so excited and looking forward to your report and pictures.
Have you been to WWoHP before!? This was ALL of our first time... so it was crazy fun!

50 MINUTES???!!!???:scared1::scared1::scared1: :eek:
Right!? You know we've all had many different kinds of bus experiences and this goes on my list of one of the worst!

Aside from much time wasted on the bus, it seems as though you guys had a great start in the park! The girls are so cute!!!! And how cool is Tyson's snail?!!!? I've never seen one in WDW before. Many cool lizzards and insects, but no snail. We shall be on the lookout from now on! :thumbsup2

popcorn::
We did have a great start. We were all so full of adrenaline and disbelief that this trip had actually arrived! SO many months of planning and talking about it... sometimes it's hard to believe it's real!

Ugh 50 minutes on a bus does not sound like the funnest way to start your vacation, but yay for finally making it to Epcot!
It's funny how once you arrive at the park, you kinda forget all about those 50 miserable minutes. Darn that Disney magic! :goodvibes

The girls are so cute with how excited they were about those dolls, they look like a really good set, but I can imagine probably pretty pricey too.
They WERE a good purchase! Thinking about picking one up for Shae in the near future! But, yes... pricey as usual. :roll eyes:

I love the pictures in the Mexican pavilion, everyone looks like they were so happy to finally be together.

I can't wait to hear more:goodvibes
Oh my gosh, were they EVER?! And that euphoria didn't stop the entire trip!

I am sitting here with goosebumps recalling "When You Wish" being played by that amazing corps that night at Lucas Oil Field. Minnesota Brass alum here. Star was and will always be one of the classiest acts ever to step on turf.

Love the report. Cant wait to read more.

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:
You get extra bananas for being a drum corps guy! How cool that you were in the stadium watching that show! Thanks for joining in on the report. So glad you're here!

[GatorMommy2007]

Never too late to join in, right? Loving this TR!

[Sooze]

Never too late to join in, right? Loving this TR!

:banana: :banana:
Of COURSE not! Welcome aboard!!!

[ZFamily5]

Addy and Shae are so cute together! :lovestruc

I can totally relate to Tyson, I'm always the one being yelled at to walk a little slower.

Can't wait to read about WWoHP! I'm re-reading the books right now and all of these pictures are going to make me want to visit so badly!

[reelmom]

No, we have never been to WWoHP. Super excited to go.

[IheartDDuck]

Okay, love the serious conversation that the girls were having while they were waiting in line for Spaceship Earth. Very grown up there. :lmao:

Who doesn't love to go into Mexico, put on big ol' hats and just act silly?

[Sooze]

Addy and Shae are so cute together! :lovestruc

I can totally relate to Tyson, I'm always the one being yelled at to walk a little slower.

Can't wait to read about WWoHP! I'm re-reading the books right now and all of these pictures are going to make me want to visit so badly!
Just wait... there are more adorable pictures yet to come!!

I'm glad SOMEONE relates to Tyson! :laughing:

I think I've read the HP series 4 times!! Then I moved on to Twilight (I'm ashamed to admit... I loved those books and I think the movies absolutely ruined them!) Now I'm completely obsessed with The Hunger Games! How about you? Any other series that you enjoy? I'm always looking for something new!

No, we have never been to WWoHP. Super excited to go.
Oh good! You have much to look forward to! I hope my next episode gets you even more excited! :yay:

Okay, love the serious conversation that the girls were having while they were waiting in line for Spaceship Earth. Very grown up there. :lmao:

Who doesn't love to go into Mexico, put on big ol' hats and just act silly?
:banana: :banana:
Welcome!!!
I can't think of anyone who doesn't enjoy being crazy in Mexico! It was fun watching the kids let loose.

[Sooze]

We awoke this very special morning just as excited as we could be! A day full of new adventures lay ahead of us. To kick things off, we enjoyed a nice cup of coffee (well, as nice as you can get in a Disney resort… but I digress….) and Halloween Pop Tarts on our little terrace with the great view.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070876.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070878.jpg

Shae greeted me this morning with a sweet message:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070877.jpg

Soon, in the early morning light, we were at the bus stop, waiting once again for a bus:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070881.jpg

Here’s the transportation story for the morning. Since we were newbies at this whole Universal thing, we had never had to deal with leaving Disney property before. So the day we checked in, I spent some time with the Concierge discussing the best, cheapest ways to get there. She recommended catching a bus to DTD, then getting a cab from there, as DTD is close to the interstate, so we’d save some cab fare this way.

So all of us agreed to meet at DTD at 8am. The problem? The buses from the resorts didn’t start running to DTD until 8:30… and we were at the bus stop at 7:30 trying to catch a bus. UGH!! Guess the Concierge forgot to mention the whole time thing. Or I forgot to ask. Whatever the case may be, I felt another painful wait at the bus stop coming.

But much to our surprise, a Cast Member was stationed at the bus stop this morning. He let the ‘powers-that-be’ know that we were trying to get to DTD, and within 20 minutes, we had ourselves a bus! YAY!

Here is Tyson on the bus, sporting the shirt that Jessica had made for him and Kelsen.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070882.jpg

I really have no idea where the obsession with hobos came from. I think it’s just a pre-tween boy thing. They call everyone a hobo… so please don’t tell me I should tell my child to respect the homeless, because it’s not about that. It’s kind of a term of endearment that Kelsen and Tyson use … except they are just trying to be goofy, not endearing!

A blurry picture of Shae and me… on our way! You’ll get a better look at my shirt later. I made shirts for the adults because, as avid Harry Potter fans, we were all realizing a dream-come-true today!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070884.jpg

We soon found ourselves at an empty Marketplace.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070888.jpg

Our friends were not so lucky with the bus situation this morning, so we had some time to kill while waiting for them. Shae helped me scope out the taxi station on the DTD map.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070889.jpg

And she found some time to pose and be beautiful!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070895.jpg

Finally! Our friends arrived on their Disney Bus and after a lovely stroll through the Marketplace, we were quickly united with some Taxi Cabs. The girls were so excited as this was their very first Taxi ride ever!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070896.jpg

We elected to just take 2 separate cabs instead of waiting for a van, since the buses took longer than we wanted this morning, and we were already behind schedule.

After a quick ride up I4, we were ready for some WWoHP fun!!!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070897.jpg

I was laughing at all of us having to use maps to get around! We NEVER use maps at Disney anymore… so this was funny and frustrating not knowing where we were going!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070899.jpg

Sing along with the drama queens, will you?
“Weeeeeeeeee’re OFF to see the Wizard! The wonderful Wizard of Potter!!”
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070902.jpg

As you saw in the introductions (If you chose to read them), Jessica and I met in a production of Seussical: The Musical. A few years later, she, Tom, Kelsen, and Addison all performed in ANOTHER production of the same musical. It is one of our absolute favorites, so we were giddy with excitement when we passed through this fun-looking place:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070903.jpg

“I just have to save them because, after all, a person’s a person, no matter how small!”
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070904.jpg

While this stuff looked kinda cool and kinda bizarre, we never did stop to see what any of this was about!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070905.jpg

We’re coming!!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070907.jpg

Back of the boys’ matching shirts:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070908.jpg

And suddenly…. After trekking across miles and miles of Universal nonsense…
THERE IT WAS!!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070910.jpg

(as you can tell, we couldn’t hold Bryan back!!!)

[Sooze]

Soon we were crossing the threshold into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070911.jpg

There to greet us was the Hogwarts Express.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070912.jpg

Also there to greet us was the funky-tastic skyline of Hogsmead (as well as the crowds… check ‘em out!).
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070913.jpg

We paused at the train to say hello to the conductor, and to grab this fabulous group shot.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/AllatHogwartsexpress.jpg

And Bryan got his turn alone.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/tomandhpconductor.jpg

Once we were in, we all had to pause… as Bryan was having a moment. Such a drama queen!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bryansmoment.jpg

Our goal was to head right to Hogwarts to tackle the Forbidden Journey ride. We all walked the streets of Hogsmeade as a group and just figured we’d all ride the ride. For some reason, I was imagining it as a Spiderman-type ride. But we will get back to that!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070914.jpg

This kinda took our breath away.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070915.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070916.jpg

Even Hogwarts has hobos!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070917.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070919.jpg

As we approached the ride queue, we just meandered in. We paid no attention to wait time as we really didn’t care. We had all heard wonderful things about this queue, and we were NOT disappointed. I can’t even tell you how long we waited. I’m pretty sure it was over an hour, but nobody cared!

First stop was the greenhouse area.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070921.jpg

This was probably the longest wait, as there was a lot of zigzagging of the line. We took this as an opportunity to take pictures of each other.

Let’s start with this shot of the back of Jessica’s shirt. Each of us had a different spell on the back of our shirts. This is the one Jessica chose.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070926.jpg

Here’s a picture with a great story. Bryan took this of me… but not really of me! See the lady behind me?! Oh, how I wish you could see her full outfit! It was a one-piece, strapless jumpsuit with Capri pants and the most hideous of patterns!! We are evil… and anyone in theater knows how terrible we can be. So of course, we had to get a picture of the jumpsuit!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070928.jpg

Mandrakes anyone?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070929.jpg

So, what do you get when you combine your gay best friend, and a man who is beyond fabulous to your children? You get a GUNKLE. And Bryan is the most amazing GUNKLE in the world! Here he is with some of his nephews:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bryandboys.jpg

The Gunkle and the Girls!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/gunkleandgirls.jpg

Me and my Bryan:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/sandb.jpg

Tom and Bryan:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Tomandbry.jpg

And finally, Jessica and Bryan:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bryandjess.jpg

Wow, we were totally feeling the Bryan love, there, weren’t we?

[Sooze]

So after we weaved back and forth through the greenhouse, we were finally entering the castle itself!! Here are a few shots from the queue. I’ll just tell you that around every bend was something that made you go “Oh!” or “Ah!” or “Oh my GOODNESS!!!!” It was so neat to see these pieces of the Harry Potter franchise right in front of you! (I realize these were not original props or anything, but that didn’t make them any less cool, let me tell ya!!)

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070930.jpg

Gryffindor is winning! (duh!)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070931.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070932.jpg

I just wanted to hop over the railing and ride this up to Dumbledore’s office!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070933.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070934.jpg

Ah. MAY. Zing technology in here!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070936.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070937.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070938.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070939.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070940.jpg

This didn’t turn out well. It’s the portrait of the Fat Lady from the Gryffindor Tower. She really talked and sang… very cool!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070941.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070942.jpg

This was in the Gryffindor Common Room. I wanted to jump over the railing again so I could run upstairs and say “hi” to Ron and Harry in their dormitory!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070943.jpg

Soon we were at the ride load area. We hadn’t paid much attention, but the girls were actually too small to ride! But not to worry, because they had the coolest ride-swap area set up just off the load area!! There were TVs in the area playing Harry Potter movies and places for people to sit and wait. As soon as your party got off the ride, they could meet you in the swap area and take over watching the little ones while you took your turn! Jessica and I waited with the girls, while the 4 boys rode first.

Jessica and the girls mesmerized by a wonderful HP movie.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070945.jpg

The boys got off the ride just giddy with excitement! They took over watching the girls, we grabbed Bryan, and the 3 of us were ready to go!

So how was the ride?!

Wow. Oh. WOW!!!! Was it ever different! And completely unexpected. It was a simulator ride unlike any I’ve ever experienced. It was thrilling and scary, fun and frantic. It involved movie clips made just for the ride, and 3 Dimensional props and sets (including a VERY large spider that literally scared the spit out of Jessica!!). It. Was. AWESOME!!! And I couldn’t wait to ride it again!

In Disney tradition, the ride dumped you into a store full of Wizarding goodness. I would’ve LOVED to have spent a great amount of time in here, but it was crowded. It was BEYOND crowded. I can’t even believe I was able to grab this cute shot of the girls on their brooms, but here it is:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070946.jpg

We got out of there in a hurry, knowing we’d come back for some big-time money spending later. Right down the road a bit, we ran into this delicious place:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070950.jpg

Candy anyone?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070948.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070947.jpg

I really wanted to buy Every Flavor Beans and a Chocolate Frog or two but, let me tell you, WWoHP is EXPENSIVE!!! Like, worse-than-Disney expensive. I just couldn’t bring myself to spending that kind of money on something we were going to eat!!!

Our next stop was the Dueling Dragons coaster, which was another ride the poor girls couldn’t ride. We promised them that after this, we would spend some time in Seuss Landing with them, which satisfied their poor patient souls!

LOVED the Dueling Dragons roller coaster!! It was a GREAT ride!


But now it was time to let the girls have their turn. We decided to leave WWoHP for a bit and come back later in the day. Our hope was that all of the people that flocked to the park and headed straight to WWoHP(like us) would clear out later in the afternoon. Notice I said “our HOPE”.

Mmmm hmmmm…. Those crowds NEVER left! But we were off to Seuss Landing. Jessica and I took the girls. Bryan and Tom took the boys over to the Marvel area… where they would torture Bryan in the worst of ways…

Stay tuned!

[ZFamily5]

Just wait... there are more adorable pictures yet to come!!

I'm glad SOMEONE relates to Tyson! :laughing:

I think I've read the HP series 4 times!! Then I moved on to Twilight (I'm ashamed to admit... I loved those books and I think the movies absolutely ruined them!) Now I'm completely obsessed with The Hunger Games! How about you? Any other series that you enjoy? I'm always looking for something new!

Oh boy! I love adorable pictures! :rotfl2:

I've only read the first Twilight book and it didn't do much for me, so I didn't read the rest. I love love love the Hunger Games too! So good! I also really liked Percy Jackson and the Olympians (not sure if that's the official name of the series)! And almost all of Sarah Dessen's books are amazing!

WWoHP looks amazing! The matching shirts are fantastic! I've heard it's always crowded, which is a negative, but being transported into a book is a major positive for Universal! We went to Hawaii with my cousins a few years ago and my mom started a game where we'd point out some "lovely" outfits; we understand, we're a drama family too. My mom directs plays, I do stage crew (usually sound), my dad helps build sets and my sisters act. Enough about me, can't wait to hear about Seussland!

[Sooze]

Oh boy! I love adorable pictures! :rotfl2:

I've only read the first Twilight book and it didn't do much for me, so I didn't read the rest. I love love love the Hunger Games too! So good! I also really liked Percy Jackson and the Olympians (not sure if that's the official name of the series)! And almost all of Sarah Dessen's books are amazing!
I've never read anything by Sarah Dessen. Maybe I can look into that for Spring Break. Thanks! And you can bet I'll be counting down the seconds until that Hunger Games movie opens. I SOOOOO hope it is done well, and not like those awful Twilight movies!!

WWoHP looks amazing! The matching shirts are fantastic! I've heard it's always crowded, which is a negative, but being transported into a book is a major positive for Universal! We went to Hawaii with my cousins a few years ago and my mom started a game where we'd point out some "lovely" outfits; we understand, we're a drama family too. My mom directs plays, I do stage crew (usually sound), my dad helps build sets and my sisters act. Enough about me, can't wait to hear about Seussland!

WWoHP was pretty amazing... the theming is fantastic... top notch! But, as I'll discuss at the end of this day, it was super small! I hope all the rumors about them expanding it are true, because it needs MORE!

I'm so glad I'm not the only evil one who points out ridiculous outfits. Who knows? Maybe someone took a secret picture of ME to make fun of later, right? :confused3

And I love that your family is involved in theater! Post pictures if you have any! Thanks again for following along :)

[micandminforever]

Great pictures, now I can't wait until our family trip. We plan to spend the first two days at Universal then the rest of the week at Disney.

The group picture with the conductor and the girls on the brooms were my favorites, you could see the excitement in your faces. I look forward to the pictures of the rides that the girls could enjoy.

[ZFamily5]

I've never read anything by Sarah Dessen. Maybe I can look into that for Spring Break. Thanks! And you can bet I'll be counting down the seconds until that Hunger Games movie opens. I SOOOOO hope it is done well, and not like those awful Twilight movies!!

WWoHP was pretty amazing... the theming is fantastic... top notch! But, as I'll discuss at the end of this day, it was super small! I hope all the rumors about them expanding it are true, because it needs MORE!

I'm so glad I'm not the only evil one who points out ridiculous outfits. Who knows? Maybe someone took a secret picture of ME to make fun of later, right? :confused3

And I love that your family is involved in theater! Post pictures if you have any! Thanks again for following along :)

She's mainly a teen author, but a lot of her work is very mature. We are counting down the days too! We have a group of friends at church that pre-ordered their tickets already! I hate to admit this...I haven't seen the Twilight movies! We don't go to the movies often and when we do watch movies (at the theater or at home) they have to be appropriate for my sisters. Literally, the last three movies I've seen at the theater have been the Winnie the Pooh movie, the Lion King in 3D and the Muppet Movie! :rotfl2:

It does look crowded in everyone's pictures...an expansion would be a good idea!

:scared1: I've never really thought of that...I'd like to think I have enough taste to pick out an outfit good enough that no one would feel the need to take a picture of me. But who knows? :laughing:

I'll have to get some pictures from the other computer in the morning, but I'll certainly share some! Can't wait for another update! :cool1:

[pixidustmom]

Just came across your TR. I am enjoying your fun adventures. I so can't wait to go back sometime and go see Hogwarts for myself. We have never been. I would also like to stay at AK but have had others say the wait for the bus and the long walks are no fun. So I think I may never do that unless we get a rental car.
Looking forward to reading more.

[PrincessV]

You gonna be around the first few days of April? ;)
Ooo, if it involves a Sat. or Sun., I'm pretty sure I can arrange to be! :woohoo:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070876.jpg
Oh my gosh, those evil TINY little coffee cups at AKV! Why on earth do they make them so small there?!

I really have no idea where the obsession with hobos came from. I think it’s just a pre-tween boy thing. They call everyone a hobo… so please don’t tell me I should tell my child to respect the homeless, because it’s not about that. It’s kind of a term of endearment that Kelsen and Tyson use … except they are just trying to be goofy, not endearing!
I'm literally LOL at this - I know all about the endearingly goofy ways of the tween boy! :rotfl::confused3

I was laughing at all of us having to use maps to get around! We NEVER use maps at Disney anymore… so this was funny and frustrating not knowing where we were going!
Right?! I felt the same way our first time over to IOA - sort of shell-shocked.

THERE IT WAS!!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070910.jpg[/QUOTE]
~sigh~ All of your pics are making me regret not renewing our US/IOA passes. :guilty: I suspect new ones will be in our summer future... ;)

So how was the ride?!

Wow. Oh. WOW!!!! Was it ever different! And completely unexpected. It was a simulator ride unlike any I’ve ever experienced. It was thrilling and scary, fun and frantic.
I never know how to describe FJ - this is perfect! Honestly, it made me soooo nauseous, which is bizarre - I have a cast iron stomach. The only exception is with things that spin, thanks to a childhood concussion. Somehow FJ tapped that nerve, but it was so amazing, I never want to dissuade others from trying it, y'know?

I really wanted to buy Every Flavor Beans and a Chocolate Frog or two but, let me tell you, WWoHP is EXPENSIVE!!! Like, worse-than-Disney expensive. I just couldn’t bring myself to spending that kind of money on something we were going to eat!!!
Oh no, please tell me you made an exception for a cauldron cake?! Best money I've EVER spent in a theme park. :love: Shoot, now I really want to go back... :rotfl:

[jeremysdisneymom]

Sooze, I am finally here! Been so busy lately there hasn't been much time for the Dis.

Wow, it looks like this trip is going to be tons of fun!

We had a room close to where you stayed at AK. The walk to the lobby was horribly long but the savanna view was so worth it!

Love your pictures of WWoHP. We have never done Universal so anxious to hear all about it.

Just noticed that it appears we will be back in he world at the same time. We arrive on Good Friday. Will you still be there then? If so, are you up for a Dis meet? We are at the BW until 4/11 and then switch to OKW until 4/13. Would love to meet you! :hug:

[Sooze]

Great pictures, now I can't wait until our family trip. We plan to spend the first two days at Universal then the rest of the week at Disney.

The group picture with the conductor and the girls on the brooms were my favorites, you could see the excitement in your faces. I look forward to the pictures of the rides that the girls could enjoy.
My husband harassed me for days about leaving Disney property but I really enjoyed doing something new! You'll have a good time, I'm sure!

She's mainly a teen author, but a lot of her work is very mature. We are counting down the days too! We have a group of friends at church that pre-ordered their tickets already! I hate to admit this...I haven't seen the Twilight movies!
Trust me, you aren't missing a THING! I kind of wish I never saw them, because they have ruined the images I was able to create on my own while reading the books!

We don't go to the movies often and when we do watch movies (at the theater or at home) they have to be appropriate for my sisters. Literally, the last three movies I've seen at the theater have been the Winnie the Pooh movie, the Lion King in 3D and the Muppet Movie! :rotfl2:
Hey, nothing wrong with those movies! :flower3:

It does look crowded in everyone's pictures...an expansion would be a good idea!
I've heard rumors that's coming!

:scared1: I've never really thought of that...I'd like to think I have enough taste to pick out an outfit good enough that no one would feel the need to take a picture of me. But who knows? :laughing:
Something to think about, for sure!

I'll have to get some pictures from the other computer in the morning, but I'll certainly share some! Can't wait for another update! :cool1:
I'd love to see them!:surfweb:

[Sooze]

Just came across your TR. I am enjoying your fun adventures. I so can't wait to go back sometime and go see Hogwarts for myself. We have never been. I would also like to stay at AK but have had others say the wait for the bus and the long walks are no fun. So I think I may never do that unless we get a rental car.
Looking forward to reading more.
:banana: :banana:
Welcome! So glad you are enjoying it!
Hope you are able to see Hogwarts someday! The theming is superb!!
I don't think we will ever stay at AKL again without a car. The resort is STUNNING and comfortable and, again, amazingly themed.... it's just too far away! :rolleyes:
Ooo, if it involves a Sat. or Sun., I'm pretty sure I can arrange to be! :woohoo:
Ah, poo.... I fly in on a Monday and we leave on a Thursday. :sad2: Gotta max out those DVC points!

Oh my gosh, those evil TINY little coffee cups at AKV! Why on earth do they make them so small there?!
Oh, I'm sure it's some kind of conservation excuse... it always seems to be the conservation excuse over in that part of the World! :confused3

I'm literally LOL at this - I know all about the endearingly goofy ways of the tween boy! :rotfl::confused3
Yes... yes you do!

Right?! I felt the same way our first time over to IOA - sort of shell-shocked.
Sometimes I still feel that way in parts of AK!

~sigh~ All of your pics are making me regret not renewing our US/IOA passes. :guilty: I suspect new ones will be in our summer future... ;)


I never know how to describe FJ - this is perfect! Honestly, it made me soooo nauseous, which is bizarre - I have a cast iron stomach. The only exception is with things that spin, thanks to a childhood concussion. Somehow FJ tapped that nerve, but it was so amazing, I never want to dissuade others from trying it, y'know?
I helped V describe something?! Well, ain't that a hoot?! :woohoo:
So, will you ride it again?

Oh no, please tell me you made an exception for a cauldron cake?! Best money I've EVER spent in a theme park. :love: Shoot, now I really want to go back... :rotfl:
Don't throw anything at me, but I don't think I even saw a cauldron cake. yikes... and I don't plan on going back anytime soon. What should I do?! :confused:

Thanks for being here, V!!
Sooze, I am finally here! Been so busy lately there hasn't been much time for the Dis.

Wow, it looks like this trip is going to be tons of fun!

We had a room close to where you stayed at AK. The walk to the lobby was horribly long but the savanna view was so worth it!

Love your pictures of WWoHP. We have never done Universal so anxious to hear all about it.

Just noticed that it appears we will be back in he world at the same time. We arrive on Good Friday. Will you still be there then? If so, are you up for a Dis meet? We are at the BW until 4/11 and then switch to OKW until 4/13. Would love to meet you! :hug:
:banana: :banana: :banana:
You made it! YAY! Thanks for checking in and for your wonderful comments! Unfortunately, it looks like we will just miss each other! We leave to head home on Thursday night, April 5. Bummer!!

[Sooze]

On our way out of WWoHP, I caught a few shots of the amazing window displays.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070951.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070952.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070953.jpg

So, after perusing my pictures, I think I made a boo boo. At this point, I think Bryan stayed with the boys in WWoHP to ride some crazy stuff again, while Tom, Jessica, and I took the girls to Seuss Landing. Yes… yes, that’s it!

So here are some shots of what we experienced before our lunch!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070954.jpg


We could not get enough pictures of these two cutie-pies!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/AddyandShaeinline.jpg

What’s that? You want to see another cute picture of Addy and Shae? Well, here’s one from the Seuss-themed carousel that I spruced up with my iPhone:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/things2.jpg

Locked in and ready to ride! (Don’t ask me what this ride was… I forgot!)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070956.jpg

Clearly, I was having too much fun to care what the ride was called!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070957.jpg

Poor Tom was the odd-man-out!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070958.jpg

As SOON as we saw this, we KNEW where we were going to eat!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070959.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070960.jpg

Sweet view of The Hulk coaster:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070961.jpg

Seriously, the theming in Seuss Landing was out-of-this world. If you are a fan of Seuss, you MUST check it out!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070962.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070963.jpg

Tom and Jessica LOVE the Lorax!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/LoraxandTom.jpg

Soon, we were meeting up with the other trio of boys and heading to the Circus McGurkus. This was a BIG scene from Seussical: The Musical, so we were all singing the song and making our way into lunch when suddenly, Sam I am came walking across our path. Bryan saw him first and said, “Oh look! It’s some yellow guy!”

Jessica, who is an UBER-Seuss-geek, just about bit his head off! “That is not SOME yellow guy!! That is SAM I AM!! Helllloooo?!?!!”

It was quite hilarious, and we made fun of Bryan the rest of the trip. Like walking through Disney and seeing Mickey… oh look! It’s some mouse guy! Ha ha ha!!

As we entered the Circus McGurkus, we realized that this was not just an eating establishment, but that they put on a show every once in a while too. And, guess what? The show was about to start!! YAY! So we got our food (Typical pizza, burger, French fry fare) while singing to the Seussical: The Musical soundtrack that was playing in the Circus McGurkus (We all sang along, of course!). Soon, the characters started filling up the large stage area, and we enjoyed quite a show while we ate!

Jessica dancing along to the songs!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070967.jpg

Great tables right along the perimeter of the stage area:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070968-1.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070969.jpg

Jessica, Addy, and some yellow guy!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070971.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070972.jpg

The Grinch being Grinchy about signing autographs. Probably because it was a Disney autograph book… oops!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070973.jpg

Of course, Drama Queens must act the part!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070974.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070975.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070977.jpg

I will not eat them in a Circus, I will not eat them on a …. Oh, nevermind!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070978.jpg

We had the MOST fun at this meal! We were all singing and dancing and living in a theatrical heaven… well, if you’re a fan of Seussical: The Musical, I guess!

But soon the boys were itching to get their scary rides back on. So this time ALL the boys left to explore the Marvel part of IoA, while the girls continued to hang out in Seuss Landing, because there were lots of cute shops and even more cute rides!

[mermaid764]

Wow the theming in the Seus Land Area is incredible....it looks right out of the books.

I totally cracked up with the some yellow guy story...too funny! was he carrying the plate of green eggs and ham when Bryan said that?

Lunch looked like so much fun....Seussical the musical is one show that's been on my list to see for a very long time and hearing you talk about it definitely makes me want to see it even more.

Looking forward to more:goodvibes

[jeremysdisneymom]

Wow, suess land looks like so much fun. Makes me want to visit Universal!


Shae looks like she was having lots of fun with her friend.

:sad2: Bummed that we are going to miss each other again!

[glennbo123]

We could not get enough pictures of these two cutie-pies!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/AddyandShaeinline.jpg

I can see why!

What’s that? You want to see another cute picture of Addy and Shae? Well, here’s one from the Seuss-themed carousel that I spruced up with my iPhone:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/things2.jpg

That's a great one, and I love the "sprucing up".

Poor Tom was the odd-man-out!

It's always the hubby.

Soon, we were meeting up with the other trio of boys and heading to the Circus McGurkus. This was a BIG scene from Seussical: The Musical, so we were all singing the song and making our way into lunch when suddenly, Sam I am came walking across our path. Bryan saw him first and said, “Oh look! It’s some yellow guy!”

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u55/BJ_BOBBI_JO9/Emotions%20feelings%20moods%20related/Dumb.gif Maybe it's possible to grow up in this day and age and miss "Green Eggs and Ham"? Nah.


Jessica, who is an UBER-Seuss-geek, just about bit his head off! “That is not SOME yellow guy!! That is SAM I AM!! Helllloooo?!?!!”

http://i706.photobucket.com/albums/ww63/surfinamma/smilieslapfight.gif

Jessica dancing along to the songs!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070967.jpg

She is into it! :goodvibes

Of course, Drama Queens must act the part!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070974.jpg

I detect a hint of a smile there with Shae...did you go over what her motivation was for that scene?


Great update! We're planning on hitting IoA for a day this summer, but I imagine my crew will be wanting some more adventurous rides and lots of time at Hogsmeade, so we may only do a once-over through Seuss Landing.

[micandminforever]

The girls are so cute together. I look forward to the rest of the Seuss pictures. They are so colorful.

[GreatBiscuit]

IOA just looks like a fun place to hang out.

Not to be confused with Iowa which is a fun place to eat corn.

I don't know if we will ever end up there or not, (IOA, not Iowa...which we will drive through this summer) but every time I see the photos I want to check it out. And yet when I ponder The World, I just can't seem to intentionally plan time off property.

It's like a complex or something.

Not be confused with a compound which is where militias hang out. I wonder if they eat corn there too. And if they do is it from a can? I mean one figures they have to empty quite a few to have stuff to shoot at.

[Sooze]

Wow the theming in the Seus Land Area is incredible....it looks right out of the books.
It was fabulous! And when the sun would shine, it was even more amazing!

I totally cracked up with the some yellow guy story...too funny! was he carrying the plate of green eggs and ham when Bryan said that?
::yes:: Which makes it even more hilarious!

Lunch looked like so much fun....Seussical the musical is one show that's been on my list to see for a very long time and hearing you talk about it definitely makes me want to see it even more.

Looking forward to more:goodvibes
I think it's one of the best musicals, especially for families, because there is very little talking (almost none), but LOTS of catchy, upbeat tunes. The story-line teaches great family-friendly lessons, and there is really nothing inappropriate. I guess the only 'downfall' would be the bullying that Horton goes through, since that is such a buzz-word right now. But he stands strong and comes out the winner in the end... so that's a good lesson, too! ;)

Wow, suess land looks like so much fun. Makes me want to visit Universal!
If you do, just plan a day. You don't want to waste that valuable Disney time! :roll eyes: So glad we did it, though. It was fun to experience new things!

Shae looks like she was having lots of fun with her friend.
Was she EVER!!

:sad2: Bummed that we are going to miss each other again!
:sad1: It will happen! Our boys may be driving cars and planning for college, but it WILL happen! :upsidedow

[Sooze]

I can see why!
:hug:

That's a great one, and I love the "sprucing up".
When I took it, it was just so precious! I think we were standing in line for something else so I spent some time adding the bling. I just love how it turned out! So, thanks!

It's always the hubby.
One of those 'unwritten' laws of nature, isn't it!?

Maybe it's possible to grow up in this day and age and miss "Green Eggs and Ham"? Nah.
No... I think he was just unfocused because we made him leave Harry Potter Land! He was being a bit bitter!


She is into it! :goodvibes

The sign of a true performer... she does everything full-out!

I detect a hint of a smile there with Shae...did you go over what her motivation was for that scene?
:headache: I KNEW I was forgetting something! I'll be more on top of things next time! :laughing:


Great update! We're planning on hitting IoA for a day this summer, but I imagine my crew will be wanting some more adventurous rides and lots of time at Hogsmeade, so we may only do a once-over through Seuss Landing.

Yeah, Seuss Landing is definitely geared for the little ones (and the Seuss-freaks at heart!) But it is totally fun to walk through anyway!

Thanks for your great comments!

[Sooze]

The girls are so cute together. I look forward to the rest of the Seuss pictures. They are so colorful.
Thanks! We totally agree about our cute girls! Let's just hope they STAY cute as they grow into evil tweens and teens, right?! ;)

When the sun would come out, Seuss Landing was even MORE colorful and vibrant! Right out of the books, for sure!

IOA just looks like a fun place to hang out.

Not to be confused with Iowa which is a fun place to eat corn.

I don't know if we will ever end up there or not, (IOA, not Iowa...which we will drive through this summer) but every time I see the photos I want to check it out. And yet when I ponder The World, I just can't seem to intentionally plan time off property.

It's like a complex or something.

Not be confused with a compound which is where militia's hang out. I wonder if they eat corn there too. And if they do is it from a can? I mean one figures they have to empty quite a few to have stuff to shoot at.

... I don't even know what to say after this, GB! This is why EVERYONE should read your reports on the DIS. You are the master! :worship: :worship:

Thanks for checking in! I know how very busy you are!!

[katt789]

Yay for updates! I love all the seuss stuff! When we did universal, we just did WWOHP, and then headed back to Disney after lunch! I want to go back and check it all out though, it looks awesome!!

[Sooze]

It was time to dump the boys and head on out into Seuss Landing for some all-girl fun! Shae and Addy were ecstatic about the potential of this situation!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070979.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070980.jpg

Just look how happy they are to be together!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070981.jpg

Here we are on Dumbo… uh, I mean Triceratops Spin… wait, no… Flying Carpets of Alad…Ugh… Some ride…
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070986.jpg

We spent TONS of times in gift shops… what ladies do best, you know! And look who we found just hanging out in a shop. Seriously! He was just sitting there with NO ONE. We spent tons of time with him!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070988.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070989.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070990.jpg

Found this fabulous shirt! Kind of regretting not buying it!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/adorkable.jpg

While we were milling around the shops, we stumbled on some cute little notebook/pen sets that said “Thing 1” and “Thing 2” on them. The girls begged for them until we couldn’t stand it any longer!! We finally gave in just as we were heading back to Hogsmeade to meet back up with the boys.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/things.jpg

The entire walk back there, the girls just kept asking if they could take out their notebooks. I have never seen any kid so excited about a souvenir!!
Soon, we were back with the guys…. Who were DRIPPING, DRENCHED wet! This was pretty important because… well, let me tell you a little something about Guncle Bryan… he HATES HATES HATES getting wet. So we knew this was an unexpected situation. A situation also known as the Jurassic Park ride. So how do we console a soaking wet, whiny best friend? We buy Butterbeer, of course!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/butterbeerB.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070993.jpg

Froth-stache!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070994.jpg

I have heard lots of mixed reviews on this stuff, but I am a BIG BIG fan! I love butterscotch and super sweetness, and, what the heck, froth too! And since Butterbeer is the perfect combination of those three things, I instantly fell in love. (We did NOT get the frozen kind, just FYI.)
Tyson did too!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070992.jpg

At this point, we did some creative separating. The girls were still begging to open their new notepads, the boys were begging to ride the Dragon Coaster again. And the adults were dying to just go SHOPPING!! So I sent Bryan, Jessica, and Tom off to shop. I stayed in a comfy spot while the girls sat and drew in their notebooks. And the boys went on the Dragon Coaster again… and again… and again… and again… each time, checking in with me to see if it was okay to have another go. Everyone was in their happy place!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Hobosafterrollercoasterfest.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070996.jpg

They literally sat here for over an hour! As soon as Tom, Jessica, and Bryan returned, Bryan and I turned right around and headed back to the shops for MY shopping time! I had a mission… to buy a scarf and a shirt. And I am proud to say, that with temptation swirling around me, that is ALL I bought!
We caught a bit of the live entertainment:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/HPentertainment.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/durmstrang.jpg

And Bryan and I even snuck another ride on the Dragon Coaster!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/dragoncoasterbryands.jpg

We were all finally reunited and decided to catch a few more pictures.
Here are the ‘grown-ups’ in our silly shirts!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/JSTBHPshirts.jpg

And the backs of the shirts:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/hp2.jpg

And my FAVORITE picture showcasing our new amazing scarves:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/JessandSoozeandscarves.jpg

At this point, we all admitted that we were beat! It was getting late, and we had wanted to eat dinner at DTD, so we decided to head back to Disney Property. We took the twenty mile hike back to the cab station and secured a van for us all to pile into. When we hit DTD, we decided to check out TRex. Unbelievably, they had a table ready immediately that could seat all 8 of us! But then… DOH!! We realized TRex doesn’t take the DDP. (Though I’ve heard a rumor that is changing!)
Anyway, we grabbed some sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich and sat in the freezing wind to eat. We gave our hugs and said our goodbyes, and got super excited about our Magic Kingdom day tomorrow!! Little did we know that Jessica’s stomach had other plans….
A few parting shots from Goofy’s Candy Company, where the kids and I stopped to get our usual pretzel rods before heading home and crashing in bed!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1070998.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080005.jpg

Sweet Dreams!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080001.jpg

[Sooze]

Yay for updates! I love all the seuss stuff! When we did universal, we just did WWOHP, and then headed back to Disney after lunch! I want to go back and check it all out though, it looks awesome!!

Yay for updates is right!! Seuss is definitely worth seeing! Hope you get back!:wizard:

[micandminforever]

A good way to end a day shopping at Universal, then shopping and eating at DTD.

The Cat In the Hat pictures were fun, then thing 1 and thing 2.:goodvibes

[GreatBiscuit]

You found Waldo!

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/Presentation1.png

That is AWESOME!

[PrincessV]

Ah, poo.... I fly in on a Monday and we leave on a Thursday. :sad2: Gotta max out those DVC points!
Drat. But you know I know how critical it is to use those points wisely!:thumbsup2
So, will you ride it again?
I really don't know - I'd like to, but I've seriously never been so nauseous in my life!
Don't throw anything at me, but I don't think I even saw a cauldron cake. yikes... and I don't plan on going back anytime soon. What should I do?! :confused:
ACK!!! :scared1: It's okay though - look what I found! Cauldron Cakes Recipe. (http://www.britta.com/hogwarts/recipes.html#cauldron)


Seriously, the theming in Seuss Landing was out-of-this world. If you are a fan of Seuss, you MUST check it out!
:thumbsup2 We weren't too thrilled with the rides, but totally agree - it was a blast just walking around in there!

I will not eat them in a Circus, I will not eat them on….
Purpose? ;)

You found Waldo!

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/Presentation1.png

That is AWESOME!
:lmao:

[Sooze]

A good way to end a day shopping at Universal, then shopping and eating at DTD.

The Cat In the Hat pictures were fun, then thing 1 and thing 2.:goodvibes
And we were so glad we headed home early! We had an early start the next day. This IoA day actually pretty darn perfect!

You found Waldo!

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/greatbiscuit/Presentation1.png

That is AWESOME!

Oh, GB... I'm SO glad you're here!! I NEVER noticed that guy!!

(I always get stuck on this picture because Bryan's spell is actually misspelled... it's supposed to be Oppugno! Oh my, a misspelled spell :sad2:
)

[Sooze]

Drat. But you know I know how critical it is to use those points wisely!:thumbsup2
::yes:: Truly!

I really don't know - I'd like to, but I've seriously never been so nauseous in my life!

I'm gonna take that as a 'no'! ;)

ACK!!! :scared1: It's okay though - look what I found! Cauldron Cakes Recipe. (http://www.britta.com/hogwarts/recipes.html#cauldron)

You are awesome! And that web site is crazy !! I'm thinking I might need to host a Hogwarts party this summer!

:thumbsup2 We weren't too thrilled with the rides, but totally agree - it was a blast just walking around in there!
Rides... definitely NOT thrilling! But super cute atmosphere and visually pleasing for all!

[Sooze]

It was a good thing we headed home early after our day at IoA, because we had a hot date with EMH at MK the next morning! We popped right out of bed and put on our schnazzy Halloween shirts that I made, and began the trek to the Magic Kingdom. While we were on the bus, however, the happiness and excitement was stifled. I got a text from Bryan that Jessica had been up all night with a sick stomach. Darn that TRex for not taking DDP!!!! Something she ate at Earl of Sandwich was NOT agreeing with her. It was so bad, that she was going to stay in bed for the morning while the rest of us tackled MK without her. We had planned on hitting MK for EMH, then heading over to our late breakfast ADR at Chef Mickey's. And Jessica had to miss it all. So sad…:sad2:

But we soldiered on like good little Disney fans and were all able to meet up in time for the rope drop celebration!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080009.jpg

After a day of being off-property, I felt whole again when the Main Mouse emerged!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080012.jpg

And in true drama queen fashion, when the song began to play, I just had to sing along! Click below to see a quick video of the festivities!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/th_P1080013-1.jpg (http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/?action=view&current=P1080013-1.mp4)

Soon we found ourselves on the brink of Main Street, with the freshness of a new day filling the air. The air was crisp, but full of promise that warmth was heading our way.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080015.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080016.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080017.jpg

So happy to be back where we belong!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/MKmornign.jpg

This NEVER gets old!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080018.jpg

We stopped to grab some pictures in front of the castle and just felt all wrong with Jessica missing. Thankfully, we were able to grab some later, but here is what we came up with that morning she was still miserable and in bed.

Princesses!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080019.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080020.jpg

Hobos!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080022.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080021.jpg

Well, we tried…
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080023.jpg

Next stop was Fantasyland, to max out those EMH! First stop was Peter Pan’s Flight, as we all know how quickly that line builds!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2PeterPansFlight.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080024.jpg

The kids, well, heck… ALL of us enjoyed the flight.

Our next stop was Winnie the Pooh, but we HAD to stop at the Sword in the Stone first! Just check out the dramatics of these budding actors and actresses!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080025.jpg


http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080027.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080030.jpg


http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080031.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080033.jpg

We all decided to jump on this ride with not wait, since it won’t be around much longer.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080034.jpg

I’m going to have to go to another post for the Winnie the Pooh ride, because we took a bijillion pictures in the queue area! It was SO much fun with our crazy little group. I’ll be right back with more Fantasyland fun!

[Sooze]

Did you notice the girls’ adorable headbands?! Jessica MADE them! When she got the hobo shirts for the boys, she decided the girls needed something too. So she just whipped those headbands up one day! So cute!!

We were off to experience the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and since we were rocking out EMH and there was no wait, we decided to spend some time in the queue. And by ‘some time’, I mean 20 minutes! Enjoy!

Bryan looking excited about the chaos!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080038.jpg

But as you can see here, he loved it!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080039.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080040.jpg

PULL!!!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080041.jpg

The blondies try it.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080043.jpg

About 10 minutes later, Bryan is saying “Can we GO now!?”
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080044.jpg

Still having fun!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080045.jpg

We were able to pull the kids away with the lure of the HONEY WALL!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080046.jpg

Workin’ the honey
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080047.jpg

My turn!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2HoneyWallSusie.jpg

Can we get ON this thing already!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080049.jpg

Next stop, the carousel. Yes… ALL of us on the carousel (Well, minus Jessica.. boo).
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080051.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080052.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2Soozeoncarousel.jpg

I LOVE this picture!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2SusieBryancarousel.jpg

After some slow spinning, we decided we had time for one more ride before heading over to Chef Mickey’s. How about some FAST spinning!?!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080054.jpg

Tom decided to sit this out. So we quickly picked our riding partners. Can you guess how it went?!

Yep, girls in one cup
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080058.jpg

Hobos in another cup
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080059.jpg

And, SURPRISE! I got to ride with Bryan!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2SusieBryanteacups.jpg

We took pictures of us taking pictures!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080060.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2SusieTeacups.jpg

Thankfully, we are BOTH willing to get our spin on!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080061.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080062.jpg

Self-spinning picture:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080063.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2SoozeTeacups.jpg

What a fabulous ride! Tom was impressed with our ability to spin ourselves silly and then walk in a straight line to the exit! And now… off to Chef Mickey’s and on to Bryan’s very first monorail ride!!!

[glennbo123]

Great updates! So cool that Waldo made an appearance at IoA while you were there, and I'm impressed with the Potter recipes that PrincessV found. Heck, the butterbeer recipe in her link calls for butterscotch schnapps and cream soda. Are you kidding me? With butterscotch schnapps, that's worth a try! :thumbsup2

Aw, sorry that Jessica missed the MK morning. :sad1:

Love the picture of you and Bryan and Tom in front of the castle!

[Sooze]

Great updates! So cool that Waldo made an appearance at IoA while you were there, and I'm impressed with the Potter recipes that PrincessV found. Heck, the butterbeer recipe in her link calls for butterscotch schnapps and cream soda. Are you kidding me? With butterscotch schnapps, that's worth a try! :thumbsup2
Thinking of buying those supplies tonight and making a batch for myself!! Sounds delish!

Aw, sorry that Jessica missed the MK morning. :sad1:
I know... I felt SOOOO bad for her.

Love the picture of you and Bryan and Tom in front of the castle!
Thanks! We were trying to be silly. Did it work?

[micandminforever]

Sorry Jessica missed the fun, but the rest of you really made the EMH count. I love the teacups, but my husband does not like to spin fast, so I am looking forward to my Jan. trip with nieces and nephews that like to spin fast. The last time we did Winnie the Pooh we FP so missed the line. Next time I will need to take my time and check out the new additions.

[Sooze]

Sorry Jessica missed the fun, but the rest of you really made the EMH count. I love the teacups, but my husband does not like to spin fast, so I am looking forward to my Jan. trip with nieces and nephews that like to spin fast.
I'm so glad spinning doesn't bother me! It is so much fun! Hope you get to make yourself super dizzy!!

The last time we did Winnie the Pooh we FP so missed the line. Next time I will need to take my time and check out the new additions.

I highly recommend doing so during AM EMH! That way, you don't feel like you're losing valuable 'standing in line' time!:thumbsup2

[jwwi]

What a fun trip report. :goodvibes Very interesting insights on Universal and Wwohp. Looks like some of us disney people need to venture off the wonderful world of Disney. I too would love to stay at AKL, but would have to have a car. I really don't like staying anywhere on property without one. Even staying at BLT I was happy to have it on a busy park hopping day. :) The girls and the Hobos are so cute, it must have been so much fun to go with such a fun group. And another trip coming up soon? Love all the drama photos too.......

[jeremysdisneymom]

Sorry to hear that Jessica got sick. That would be horrible while on vacation. Hope she gets better later on and can join you guys.

Wow, what a great MK EMH! Love your pictures.

Can't wait to read more.

[PrincessV]

We were off to experience the many adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and since we were rocking out EMH and there was no wait, we decided to spend some time in the queue. And by ‘some time’, I mean 20 minutes!
:rotfl: It's easy to spend some time in that one, isn't it?!

And now… off to Chef Mickey’s and on to Bryan’s very first monorail ride!!!
His what?!?! :faint: Gosh, it's just sort of amazing to think there are still people in the world who haven't been on a WDW monorail!

Heck, the butterbeer recipe in her link calls for butterscotch schnapps and cream soda. Are you kidding me? With butterscotch schnapps, that's worth a try! :thumbsup2
Have you tried it yet? I found a recipe just after WWOHP opened for non-alcoholic Butterbeer that came eerily close to the real thing... and lost the link. :headache: It involved butterscotch syrup, cream soda and actual melted butter, but that's all I remember of it.

[GreatBiscuit]

We took pictures of us taking pictures!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080060.jpg
Apparently the lady in the cup just behind his left shoulder (our right) didn't quite grasp the concept. :rotfl2:

It always sucks to be sick. I can't imaging being that sick at Disney. Hope she got better quickly.

[Sooze]

What a fun trip report. :goodvibes Very interesting insights on Universal and Wwohp. Looks like some of us disney people need to venture off the wonderful world of Disney. I too would love to stay at AKL, but would have to have a car. I really don't like staying anywhere on property without one. Even staying at BLT I was happy to have it on a busy park hopping day. :) The girls and the Hobos are so cute, it must have been so much fun to go with such a fun group. And another trip coming up soon? Love all the drama photos too.......
I agree, trips with cars just seem to move more smoothly. I don't mind the buses, but I definitely feel like we waste more time having to wait for them.

As soon as this report is over, I need to do the Christmas/New Year report including our first ever cruise!! And then, yes, another trip for just Matt and me coming up in a few short weeks. We are so blessed!!

Sorry to hear that Jessica got sick. That would be horrible while on vacation. Hope she gets better later on and can join you guys.

Wow, what a great MK EMH! Love your pictures.

Can't wait to read more.

I felt SO bad for her... they don't have the luxury of coming to WDW several time a year like we do, so I felt extra bad that she lost precious time. Thankfully, it DID pass, and you will see her return before the day is over!

Morning EMH at MK are THE BEST!!! I have NEVER had a bad experience with them. SO worth rolling out of bed early for!

[Sooze]

:rotfl: It's easy to spend some time in that one, isn't it?!
Especially when there is no line, and you don't feel guilty about 'wasting time' playing!


His what?!?! :faint: Gosh, it's just sort of amazing to think there are still people in the world who haven't been on a WDW monorail!
I know, right?!! Crazy!

Have you tried it yet? I found a recipe just after WWOHP opened for non-alcoholic Butterbeer that came eerily close to the real thing... and lost the link. :headache: It involved butterscotch syrup, cream soda and actual melted butter, but that's all I remember of it.
No.... not yet... I had good intentions but, as usual, they fell through!
Apparently the lady in the cup just behind his left shoulder (our right) didn't quite grasp the concept. :rotfl2:

:lmao: She actually looks appalled!

It always sucks to be sick. I can't imaging being that sick at Disney. Hope she got better quickly.
It was terrible for her. I can't imagine, either.... I hope I never find out!

[katt789]

Oh my goodness! I adore the new updates! That suuucks that Jessica got food poisoning!! I hope it cleared up rather soon! It looks like you guys had such a great morning, I have to say, having that sense of theatrical-ness makes for such great pictures!!

[Reberella]

they are really cute! all you guys look like you truly enjoy being together and performing. im joining in!

[Sooze]

Oh my goodness! I adore the new updates! That suuucks that Jessica got food poisoning!! I hope it cleared up rather soon! It looks like you guys had such a great morning, I have to say, having that sense of theatrical-ness makes for such great pictures!!
Aw, yay! So glad you enjoyed them!!
I felt just awful for Jessica. Missing out and feeling like crud on top of it?! VERY unmagical, indeed!
I was so excited for this trip for many reasons, but the pictures were one of them! We had JUST as much fun taking them as they seem!:cool1:

they are really cute! all you guys look like you truly enjoy being together and performing. im joining in!
:banana: :banana: Welcome! I'm glad you could join us! And, you are right, we TRULY enjoying being with, and performing with, each other! :grouphug:

[Sooze]

See this?

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080067.jpg

This is the face of a man who is sitting on the monorail for the very first time! This is not a man using his skills of drama to create his smile. This is pure Disney magic working on an adult! LOVE IT!

The boys (who are monorail pros, of course) took our empty side of the monorail car as an opportunity to monorail surf!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080066.jpg

And this is Tom saying, “If any civilians get into our car, you boys have to sit down!!” (This is one of our rules of the monorail. When civilians enter, we must act civil. If we have the car to ourselves, all bets are off!)

We had a late reservation at Chef Mickey’s and the breakfast crowd had already cleared out. We were escorted right to our table. While we were all happy to be there, there was definitely a void without Jessica. It was so sad that she couldn’t be there with us to witness these fun character interactions. Here they come… the typical Chef Mickey’s photographical fare!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080069.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080071.jpg

Side note: I had never sat at a table on this side of the restaurant. We had awesome views of the monorail coming through, and a gorgeous view of Bay Lake on the other side of our table. Loved it!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080073.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080074.jpg

This next one is my current Facebook Cover Photo. I love Mickey!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080075.jpg

Gah! Look how tall Tyson is! His hopes of being a character at Disney are dwindling!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080076.jpg


http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080078.jpg

Addy looks like she is up to no good in this picture!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080080.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080081.jpg

Nobody seems to know where to look!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080085.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2MinnieKisses.jpg

It was a fun breakfast. We ate until we couldn’t fit any more. We added autographs to our books. We took cute pictures. But without Jessica, it just couldn’t be the perfect Disney moment. We missed her a lot!

By the end of breakfast, she had called and said that she was up and trying to get going. We decided to give her some more time by having the kids come back to AKL to swim! Of course, this was not planned earlier in the day, so Bryan offered to go back to their resort, grab their swim suits, then catch a bus to AK, then another bus to AKL. Whew! We parted ways excited to meet up in a bit back at our home!

The kids and I returned home and spent some time on our balcony. We really did see a lot of animals in our little corner of the savanna!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080086.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080089.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080095.jpg

It felt good to unwind and rest for a bit. Before we knew it, Bryan and the little ones had arrived, and we were headed to the pool. Bryan quickly found himself a lounge chair at the water’s edge, an adult beverage, and a bit of time to actually relax! Me? I had to brave the much-too-chilly air and water to make sure my babies stayed safe! Here are the girlies:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080097.jpg

And here are the boys, who swam away as quickly as possible!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080098.jpg

See how empty the pool was?! Yeah…. It was pretty chilly! The sun was shining, but there was a definite if-you-weren’t-in-Disney-there’s-no-way-you’d-be-swimming chill to the air!

We hung out for about an hour, then went back to change our clothes and head back to the MK. Jessica was feeling much better, and we were ready to finally be all together in the Happiest Place on Earth! YAY!

We hopped on the bus, where the girls immediately got into princess-mode!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080107.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080106.jpg

And the boy immediately got into make-fun-of-our-sisters mode!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080104.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080105.jpg

The girls were in such a magical mood, that they didn’t care. We were all in such great spirits knowing that Jessica was feeling better and that we still had the whole afternoon and evening to spend together.

Let the next round of magic begin!

[ZFamily5]

Another great update!

It's too bad Jessica wasn't feeling well enough to join you in the morning, but I'm glad to hear she was able to join you later in the day.

Chef Mickey's...:cloud9: It's a must do for us after Thing3 realized she could eat gummy bears and doughnuts for breakfast! :rotfl2:

Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my dream resorts!

Can't wait to read more!

[katt789]

I love how disney is so absolutely magical for everyone of every age, it makes it so fantastically awesome!!

Chef Mickey's looks like it was an awesome time! It's one that I have yet to do! I'm not really one for leaving the parks for a meal, and I like to get there right away in the morning, but now that I know what I like to do & such, we'll probably check it out eventually.

I definitely looked at the pictures of the girls all princessed out and was all "aww...adorbs!" and then saw the pictures of the boys and laughed out loud :lmao: fantastic!

[micandminforever]

I think it is great that Tyson and Shaelyn, both have a friend to pal around with at Disney.

Great picture of you and Mickey.

[Sooze]

Another great update!

It's too bad Jessica wasn't feeling well enough to join you in the morning, but I'm glad to hear she was able to join you later in the day.

Chef Mickey's...:cloud9: It's a must do for us after Thing3 realized she could eat gummy bears and doughnuts for breakfast! :rotfl2:

Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of my dream resorts!

Can't wait to read more!
Thanks!
We were so sad about Jessica and just felt helpless for her. I sure was glad it seemed to be 'something she ate' and not something more serious!

Gummy bears and doughnuts! :rotfl:

Hope you experience AKL someday... just make sure you have a car with you! It's too far away from everything! ;)

I love how disney is so absolutely magical for everyone of every age, it makes it so fantastically awesome!!
Completely agree!!:thumbsup2

Chef Mickey's looks like it was an awesome time! It's one that I have yet to do! I'm not really one for leaving the parks for a meal, and I like to get there right away in the morning, but now that I know what I like to do & such, we'll probably check it out eventually.
It's a great one for kids. The monorail whizzing by makes for an exciting atmosphere. Not to mention it's a quick ride or walk from Magic Kingdom. It was a wonderful way to top off EMH!

I definitely looked at the pictures of the girls all princessed out and was all "aww...adorbs!" and then saw the pictures of the boys and laughed out loud :lmao: fantastic!
:rotfl2: I STILL laugh when I look at those pictures. And that is how those two boys act ALL THE TIME!!

I think it is great that Tyson and Shaelyn, both have a friend to pal around with at Disney.

Great picture of you and Mickey.
Oh my gosh... was it EVER great?! It made me think that Tyson, for sure, should probably start bringing friends with him on every trip. He is just so happy to have someone else there with him that is just as young, goofy, and energetic as he is! Not that we aren't silly as parents, but it's just different with another kid, ya know?!

[glennbo123]

And this is Tom saying, “If any civilians get into our car, you boys have to sit down!!” (This is one of our rules of the monorail. When civilians enter, we must act civil. If we have the car to ourselves, all bets are off!)

I love the idea of calling anyone outside of your travel-group "civilians". :rotfl2:

This next one is my current Facebook Cover Photo. I love Mickey!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080075.jpg

Aw!

Gah! Look how tall Tyson is! His hopes of being a character at Disney are dwindling!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080076.jpg

Yeah, I think the possibility of him in a Minnie costume have gone out the window, but he still has a shot at Jafar or Captain Hook. ;)

Nobody seems to know where to look!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080085.jpg

I cracked up at your comment on this one. :rotfl:

The girls were in such a magical mood, that they didn’t care. We were all in such great spirits knowing that Jessica was feeling better and that we still had the whole afternoon and evening to spend together.

Let the next round of magic begin!


:yay:

[Blueyed Girl]

Love, Love, Love all the updates!!! :love: Gosh, I was farther behind than I thought I was! popcorn:: Your pictures are fantastic. Sorry about your friend being sick all day. That is most defnitely a BUMMER! Too bad T-Rex didn't take the DP while you were there. They are doing so this year! That was my only peeve about T-Rex.

You are making me so anxious for our trip in May/June!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

[PrincessV]

This is the face of a man who is sitting on the monorail for the very first time! This is not a man using his skills of drama to create his smile. This is pure Disney magic working on an adult!
:rotfl::thumbsup2

It was a fun breakfast.
Y'know, every trip I think, "We should really try breakfast somewhere..." and every trip I neglect to do so. Leo won't do character meals, but you've got me thinking... our summer trip will be slow and mellow anyway...

It felt good to unwind and rest for a bit.
Seriously, my favorite part of a WDW vacation! :cloud9:

[jeremysdisneymom]

Love the views from AKL!!!! Can't wait to see that view in 17 days!!! :banana:

I don't think it is ever too cold for children to swim at DW!

If Tyson keeps growing, he could always be Goofy!!:)

Love our pictures from Chef Mickey's. This will be our first trip in years without going to Chef Mickey's. :confused3

:surfweb:Can't wait to read more.

[Sooze]

I love the idea of calling anyone outside of your travel-group "civilians". :rotfl2:
And I love the idea of spreading this term with the DisWorld! Feel free to steal it! :goodvibes:

Yeah, I think the possibility of him in a Minnie costume have gone out the window, but he still has a shot at Jafar or Captain Hook. ;)
Yes.. yes! What about Goofy?!


Love, Love, Love all the updates!!! :love: Gosh, I was farther behind than I thought I was! popcorn:: Your pictures are fantastic. Sorry about your friend being sick all day. That is most defnitely a BUMMER! Too bad T-Rex didn't take the DP while you were there. They are doing so this year! That was my only peeve about T-Rex.

You are making me so anxious for our trip in May/June!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
Hey, I always say, when I get behind on people's trip reports, then there is MORE for me to read! So no worries!


May is right around the corner!!:banana:



Y'know, every trip I think, "We should really try breakfast somewhere..." and every trip I neglect to do so. Leo won't do character meals, but you've got me thinking... our summer trip will be slow and mellow anyway...
I would definitely do breakfast at Chef Mickey's, not lunch. We just have a better experience there in the morning... not sure why :confused3 What's up with Leo not liking character meals? Just shy with them? Or do they bother his eating enjoyment?!


Seriously, my favorite part of a WDW vacation! :cloud9:
Right? One of my favorite reasons to be a DVC member... I can actually enjoy hanging out at the resort without being stressed about 'losing park time' :thumbsup2

Love the views from AKL!!!! Can't wait to see that view in 17 days!!! :banana:
How was it?!?

I don't think it is ever too cold for children to swim at DW!
Part of that Disney magic!

If Tyson keeps growing, he could always be Goofy!!:)
Yes! Or as Glennbo suggested, Captain Hook or Jafar!!

Love our pictures from Chef Mickey's. This will be our first trip in years without going to Chef Mickey's. :confused3
Sometimes it's good to step away... then it's all that more special when you return!

:surfweb:Can't wait to read more.

Can't wait to update more!

[Sooze]

We all were reunited once again at the entrance to Magic Kingdom and the world was right again. It was time to make some magic! As soon as we walked down Main Street, we noticed the crowd forming in front of the castle. It was time for a show! So what do drama queens do? We watch… and not only do we watch, but we cheer, clap, holler, and make those performers feel the love!! Enjoy the pictures!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080113.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080119.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080120.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080123.jpg

If my camera was up just an inch or two, this WOULD’VE been a stellar picture, no?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080126.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080131.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080133.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080135.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080142.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080147.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080148.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080154.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080465.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080158.jpg

[glennbo123]

If my camera was up just an inch or two, this WOULD’VE been a stellar picture, no?

If only you were tall. sigh. ;)

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080465.jpg

I'm looking at this picture trying to figure out how much of Malificent's face is a mask, or prosthetics, or whatever you call it in the biz. It's really a really good makeup job!

[Sooze]

After getting our musical theater fix, we headed over to the Haunted Mansion for a screamtastic ride. First, though, we got our fill of the interactive queue:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080159.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080160.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080161.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080163.jpg

Bryan is so glad to have Jessica back!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080164.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080165.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080166.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080169.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080170.jpg

The ride was a hit with everyone, especially the amazing hitch-hiking ghosts at the end. I just LOVE that technology!
We decided to find another classic ride that we could all enjoy together. Yes, I said ALL of us could ENJOY. And when you are with your best buds, even THIS can be enjoyable:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080174.jpg

There was no line, thankfully, so we sailed around the world in no time.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080178.jpg

Still smiling even after getting the song stuck in their heads.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080179.jpg

Them too…. Well, if you can get past their bad acting!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080180.jpg

And these two… well, apparently, they did not get my message about all of us being able to enjoy this classic with our best buds!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080181.jpg

Next up was a gorgeous walk back to the castle, where we wanted to get some group shots now that Jessica was back!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080182.jpg

Our first shot… the traditional head shot smiles…
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080466.jpg



And, the picture of all pictures. The very BEST picture of the WHOLE entire trip. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you…. THE DRAMA QUEENS!!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Allcrazyatcastle.jpg

Somewhere in this evening, we ate dinner … I’m not even sure where. We rode some rides… I’m not even sure what. But soon it was time for the MK to kick out the people who didn’t pay for the Halloween party, and that meant half of us had to go. Tom, Jessica, Kelsen, and Addy had done the MNSSHP a few years earlier and didn’t feel the need to spend money on it again. Bryan, Tyson, Shae and I had never been. So we forked over the money, and were able to stay and enjoy the park longer.

And by enjoy, I mean ‘be tortured by’. Mmm hmm… I will not be spending money on that party again… unless I can go the first week it opens. Stay tuned for my not-so-special Halloween party!

(Oh, and the Aladdin shoe story… now THAT’S worth coming back for)

[Sooze]

If only you were tall. sigh. ;)

:rotfl: Yeah, I know, right?

I'm looking at this picture trying to figure out how much of Malificent's face is a mask, or prosthetics, or whatever you call it in the biz. It's really a really good makeup job!

Whenever I see this stage show, I always take a MILLION pictures, and I've never seen Malificent's makeup look THIS good! I agree... VERY VERY good makeup job! I think the nose and chin are prosthetics and the makeup blends it all together. I think....

[micandminforever]

You did a great job on the show pictures. I love all the Disney shows.:goodvibes

The last time dh and I were at the MK they were working on the new Queue at HM, so we were not able to enjoy it. Your pictures were so fun I can't wait to go throught it with my nieces and nephews.

[Sooze]

We bid farewell to our friends and headed back into the park for the big party. Treat bags in hand and dreams of an evening filled with special parades, fireworks, candy, character meet n greets, and shorter lines filled my head. And then those dreams were smashed to smithereens. I am telling you… NEVER during this evening did I feel like I was at a ‘special event’. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I assumed if people had to pay $60 to get into this, that there would be a considerable drop in attendance once the party began. No sir. Not even close. It was packed… packed to the seams the WHOLE night. We NEVER got candy, because the LINES for the candy were 20 minutes long. LINES FOR CANDY!! Those ‘special’ character meet n greets?! Yeah… only if you wanted to wait for an hour. I was so willing to do that for Snow White and all 7 Dwarves, but ya know what? We never got to them… because the crowds were SO unbearable, that I just couldn’t make my way around to Frontierland (or wherever they were) to find them. Even that amazing parade was not worth the trouble to me… we had to find a seat an hour before it even started because the spots were filling up THAT fast.

So do I have anything positive to say about the night? Well, yes. I LOVED seeing everyone in costumes. That was super fun. I also thought the fireworks were spectacular, and hearing them set to Nightmare Before Christmas was a joy. The Headless Horseman was cool… nothing that took my breath away… but cool. And the grave-digging-zombie dancers made the parade for me. But other than that? I will never shell out the money I did for this party. UNLESS we went in early September before the hoards of Halloween lovers descended on WDW!

So what DID we do that night? Here are some highlights… and that awesome Aladdin story.. coming right up!

We thoroughly enjoyed the People Mover!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080186.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080187.jpg

Bryan had never been on the people mover, and we actually had the whole car to ourselves, so it was a great time.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080189.jpg

We also took in the speedway. I loved this because Tyson and Shae went in their own car! So cute!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080191.jpg

Bryan ended up behind me and was a bit too serious about it all.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080192.jpg

Next, the boys rode Space Mountain while Shae and I hit up Buzz Lightyear.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2TyandBry.jpg

We also stood in line to meet Buzz for a LONG time. Bryan and Ty got off of SM just in time to meet up with us and meet Buzz.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/shaezurg.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080193.jpg

Bryan was a great Gunkle and even helped lug Shae around when she got tired.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2ShaeandBry.jpg

As we were heading back to Frontierland to try and possibly locate Snow White, we noticed that the sidewalk space for the parade was quickly filling up. I couldn’t believe there was still over an HOUR before the parade and there was very little space left. So I grabbed a spot with Shaelyn. Bryan and Tyson went off to ride BTMRR while we held the spot… which got interesting as I witnessed a couple of women arguing about encroaching into each other’s space. Ugh. I hate those kinds of conflicts! Luckily, Bryan and Tyson returned in time to have some pretty decent spots for the show. Here are my parade pics. Enjoy!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080195.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080197.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080199.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080200.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080203.jpg

I absolutely loved seeing the Pirates characters in the parade! Barbosa!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080204.jpg

Captain Jack Sparrow!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080208.jpg

And THIS was completely fabulous!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080210.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080211.jpg

Here’s a shot of the sparks from the grave diggers’ shovels.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080213.jpg

One of my finer parade shots.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080468.jpg

So, if you’ve read any of my other trip reports, you might recall that my family is famous for screaming the names of the characters repetedly and as loudly as possible as they walk by us in the parade. We are usually pretty successful at gaining their attention and receiving some kind of wave or gesture. Tonight, we scored pretty big with the Big Bad Wolf. We were going nuts yelling for him, and he walked past us as if he was ignoring us… then, at the last minute, right on cue with the music, he stomped toward Shaelyn and jumped right in her face on the word “BOO!!!!” It was awesome!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080225.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080229.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080230.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080234.jpg

The End of the parade, but not of the night, yet….

[Sooze]

You did a great job on the show pictures. I love all the Disney shows.:goodvibes
Thank you so much! I can't wait to get myself a real camera and some classes... then hit up those shows at Disney! It'll be a dream!

The last time dh and I were at the MK they were working on the new Queue at HM, so we were not able to enjoy it. Your pictures were so fun I can't wait to go throught it with my nieces and nephews.

You will have a blast! It's a very cool area!

[micandminforever]

I am glad you enjoyed the parade and fireworks. I am with you the time DH and I went we were able to get candy early fairly easy, and the fireworks and parade were nice, but I just do not know if it is worth the money it cost.

I look forward to the Aladdin story.

[Sooze]

Our next stop after the parade was in front of the castle for our viewing of the special Halloween fireworks show. We found a spot, crammed in with the masses of people around the hub. Of course, we had to do this super early, and had to stand there waiting for quite a long time. But this was worth the wait. The fireworks were outstanding, and I enjoyed watching them choreographed to the Halloween soundtrack. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks, so I enjoyed hearing this great music!

After the show, we snuck to the left of the castle and soon found ourselves at the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. There was no wait for it, so we figured… why not? Soon we were on board, ready to fly, and sing “A Whole New World” for all of Agrabah to hear!

Classic Gunkle pose:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080235.jpg

Let’s ROCK these carpets!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080236.jpg

Thinking magical princess songs:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080237.jpg

Soon, we were flying. Remember I told you earlier, that Bryan LIVED for meeting characters? What I didn’t mention ,was that Aladdin is his ULTIMATE favorite movie. Jasmine and Aladdin are precious to him!! So as we were circling around, we came upon the shop in the back of that area, where the Aladdin and Jasmine meet n greet takes place. But Aladdin and Jasmine were no there. No… Aladdin was there… WITH ABU! What?! That is so rare! Bryan starts freaking out! “Get me off this carpet! I wanna go see Aladdin and ABU!!!!” It was the longest ride ever. But as soon as we got off, we ran over to the line. As soon as we got in the pretty short line, the lady in front of us, who heard how BEYOND excited we were, said, “They are leaving in a few minutes.” OH NO! Sadness… sadness. Well, maybe we will just make it!
I grabbed a picture from the line, just to capture this special duo:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080240.jpg

Sure enough, five minutes later, when we were a mere 3 or 4 families away from meeting them, out came Genie and Jasmine to take their place. This lucky family got to meet ALL FOUR OF THEM! Bryan was DYING!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080241.jpg

Realizing his opportunity was slipping away, Bryan actually stopped them on their way backstage and said, “Can I PLEASE just grab a picture with you both?!” They happily said yes, and Bryan quickly snapped a picture and said, “THANK YOU SO MUCH!” He was so glad he at least got a picture.


...


Or did he?

...


You know when you take a picture with a digital camera, and there is that lag of time between when you press the button and when the camera actually records the image? Yeah…. In his anxiety-ridden request to take this picture, Bryan forgot all about that, and lowered the camera just as it was recording the image. So THIS it the picture of Aladdin and Abu that he captured:




http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2FamousAbufootpicture.jpg
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Oh my goodness, he was SOOOOO bummed! Of course, we were able to laugh about it later, but at the time, he was so upset!

He pulled himself together quickly to get a nice shot with Genie and Jasmine. Bryan loved her outfit!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2GenieJasmineBryan.jpg

So the picture of the feet became the most-retold story of the entire trip. And now YOU are in on the joke. See? Aren’t you glad you decided to read along?

We didn’t last long this evening. The crowds just sucked all of the energy from me. We decided to head home early and get ready for a fun day at Hollywood Studios. You know, the park with the American Idol Experience?! A group of singers going to the park with the American Idol Experience?! Will one of us end up on the stage?!

You’ll just have to see!!

[Sooze]

I am glad you enjoyed the parade and fireworks. I am with you the time DH and I went we were able to get candy early fairly easy, and the fireworks and parade were nice, but I just do not know if it is worth the money it cost.

I look forward to the Aladdin story.

I was so bummed that I didn't leave the party all gung-ho about it. :sad2:
Maybe we can try again at an earlier time!

Aladdin story posted! :thumbsup2

[micandminforever]

What a bummer not getting the picture with Aladdin and Abu, but at least he can say he met them.

The good news American Idol coming up next. I look forward to it.

[Sooze]

What a bummer not getting the picture with Aladdin and Abu, but at least he can say he met them.

The good news American Idol coming up next. I look forward to it.

It was a bummer not getting a picture, but the whole story has turned into something so funny, and so well-referenced, that it was probably for the best!!

[IheartDDuck]

That sucks about the picture! I had that happen one time with video that I *should* have been taking of Remy at Chefs de France.....except I have no video. :lmao:

I'm sorry that MNSSHP was not what you wanted. I haven't been in years, and by that I mean, when I went it was in the beginning, when it was only about $30 for the tickets and no one knew about it. It was perfect.

[Sooze]

That sucks about the picture! I had that happen one time with video that I *should* have been taking of Remy at Chefs de France.....except I have no video. :lmao:
DOH! It's so disappointing when it happens, isn't it?

I'm sorry that MNSSHP was not what you wanted. I haven't been in years, and by that I mean, when I went it was in the beginning, when it was only about $30 for the tickets and no one knew about it. It was perfect.

It made me sad that I couldn't even force myself to enjoy it :( Sounds like you caught it at just the right time! If I ever go again, it will be in September, when it just starts!

[Sooze]

We awoke the next morning refreshed and ready to start anew. In fact, the zebras and giraffes were grazing outside our window AND we decided to sleep in. So, life was good!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080243.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080249.jpg

Good morning sunshine!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080246.jpg

Time to go to Hollywood Studios!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080247.jpg

Soon we were dressed, fed, and at the bus stop, ready to strike more adorable poses:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080251.jpg

Earlier that morning, the other half of our drama queen crew had gotten themselves to DHS for a mad-dash to TSM. They were able to ride and have a wonderful time. I had been texting Bryan and Jessica all morning to get themselves over to the American Idol auditions. From experience, I knew that the earlier they went, the better their chances of being on stage. But no, they still hadn’t gone when we met up with them. I think they were procrastinating out of nervousness!

We met each other at the Back Lot Tour and hopped on for a ride. This is an attraction that we usually bypass, but it is always fun to ride when you have newbie on board. After the Jurassic Park soaking that occurred at Universal, I was a bit worried about Bryan getting wet in Catastrophe Canyon. As we were waiting in the queue, I told him I’d be sure to let him know where to sit to avoid any water splash-age! Unfortunately, by the time we loaded the tram, I sorta kinda forgot to tell him to sit on the right side of the car. Ooops!

Oh well, lets’ get some pictures from our tour:
Pretty girls
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080256.jpg

Silly boys
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080257.jpg

And this would be BEFORE he saw the rush of water plummeting towards him:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080258.jpg

Wish I worked here:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080260.jpg

Earful Tower:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080261.jpg

Or is THIS the Earful Tower?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080262.jpg

Mickey Airways:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080264.jpg

And then, we arrive in the canyon:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080266.jpg

And it hits me…. Oh NO! I forgot to put Bryan on the right side of the tram. Uh… um… Bryan?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080267.jpg

He was NOT happy with me!

Innocent beginnings:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080268.jpg

And then…. The WATER!!!! Look where we were! I mean, it really looked like we were gonna get soaked!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080269.jpg

Fortunately, Bryan only got a sprinkle. But he was still bitter at me!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080270.jpg

Soon we were in the museum-like area after the tour. Since we usually don’t do this ride, we also don’t spend much time in here. I was so excited to see some Pirates paraphernalia.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080273.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080275.jpg

The big-time muppet fan found some sweet ears:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080276.jpg

And NOW, one of my FAVORITE Disney memories. We were making our way out of the gift shop, laughing and talking about Bryan’s watery adventures, when suddenly, Jessica just STOPS. Her eyes widen, and her mouth drops open. The magical spark appears in her eyes and she screams “MIKE WAZOWSKI!!!!!!!!” Yes! We had accidentally stumbled on the Monsters, Inc. meet and greet area. Again, since I very rarely come back here, I didn’t realize this is where the area was. It was an awesome surprise. And, even better, there was barely a line!

Jessica just about plowed her children over to get to the two monsters. She fit RIGHT in, and even got Mike to dance with her as she sang, “Put that thing back where it came from or so help me!!”

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080278.jpg

Just look at her hugging Sully. That is magical stuff!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080279.jpg

Look how pumped she is. Like she just won a national title in something!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080281.jpg

Bryan’s visit was a bit more calm:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2BryandMonsters.jpg

And our visit was cheerful (we had never met these guys, either!)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080283.jpg

And after THAT amazing fun, I began to plead with my friends to get away from us and go audition. Could we convince them to do so?! Will anybody end up on the AIE stage?!!

[Sooze]

Well, I DID succeed in getting them to go. Hurray!! Tom took the boys to do Star Tours (I believe) and I took the girlies to ride GMR. Bryan and Jessica headed over to audition for the show!

While this ride is not one of my favorites…
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080284.jpg

we did have a FABULOUS driver and hijacker, plus the girls were just having a great time pointing everything out and laughing together. So how could I NOT enjoy myself?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080285.jpg

When we exited, the Disney Rocks show was making its way down the street. I bought the girls some yummy frozen treats and we watched the show.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080289.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080291.jpg


Now remember, I am traveling with two divas-in-the-making. So could they just sit and watch this energetic show?! Heck no! They wanted to join in! These two danced and danced and twirled and jumped and danced for a LONG LONG time. And I was in heaven watching them. Loved it!

Addy and Shae Dancing (http://www.facebook.com/v/10150911353975657)
(Ugh, sorry, I'm trying to figure out how to link this video to a Facebook Video... can anyone help me?!)

We finally got word back from Jessica and Bryan and…… JESSICA MADE IT TO THE STAGE!!! We were all super excited! Poor Bryan, tho… he is an INCREDIBLE singer, but I am convinced that had he auditioned earlier in the day, he would’ve made it directly to the show. Lesson to all who want to be on the AIE stage… audition early!

We had some time to kill before the big performance, so we wandered over to 50s PTC (where we had NO ADRs), just to see if there was availability for lunch. MUCH to our surprise… there WAS!!! Of course, we waited for it.

And waited for it…
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080296.jpg

And waited.. and waited…
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080297.jpg

and waited some more. I kept myself calm by saying to myself, “we didn’t even have ADRs and we are getting to eat here… it’s ok!”

FINALLY, after almost an hour of waiting, we were seated! YIPPEE!!

The boys were ready for some scolding as they got their elbows ready:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080298.jpg

The girls waited more politely, still playing with those notebooks we got in Seuss Landing (best purchase EVER!):
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080299.jpg

Tom and Jessica tried to get scolded by being rude with the utensils:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080300.jpg

While Bryan and I took a more contemporary approach to rudeness:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080301.jpg

Our “mom” was FAB. YOU. LUSS!!!! She really played the part well, and, of course, had a blast with a table full of people willing to play along! Here she is harassing Tyson to eat his vegetables:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080302.jpg

Our table was so much fun, that OTHER CMs came over to play. We had a “cousin” join in on the fun. He was hilarious!!! He kept playing “Peeping Tom” behind Jessica. His chemistry with our server was great. We laughed the entire meal.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080304.jpg

The food was delicious as usual. We even shared some desserts. Bryan got the S’mores.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080305.jpg

Addy enjoyed ice cream:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080307.jpg

And Shae got the brownie:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080308.jpg

Another awesome story that came out of this meal was the hokey TV shows that are playing while you eat. I can’t even tell you what show or commercial we were watching, but it had a crazy jingle tag line that said “KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE EGG!” sung in the cheesiest 1950’s commercial-jingle voices. Oh my, you can bet we sang, “KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE EGG!” for the rest of the trip! (and even now, months later, it will still appear randomly on text messages or Facebook postings!)
Here are Bryan and me acting out the "Keep Your Eye on the Egg" look:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2PTCantics.jpg


Next up, lots of talent on two very different stages!

[micandminforever]

I love 50's Prime Time it is always a fun. fun place. Hurry back to tell us how Jessica does at AI.

[Joyciemc]

I. Love. Your. Trip. Report.


Seriously! And your chapter titles are amazing-tastic, even if I end up with songs in my head after reading them. As a person with zero performing talent, but who happens to loooooove theater (especially musical theater), reading about your drama-queen adventures is great!!

[Sooze]

I love 50's Prime Time it is always a fun. fun place. Hurry back to tell us how Jessica does at AI.

PTC is one of my Top 5 places to eat in WDW! I LOVE it there... and I think the food is pretty good (although I can't say I've eaten anything but the pot roast!!)
I won't keep you waiting too long to hear about Jessica!

I. Love. Your. Trip. Report.
:banana: :banana: :banana:
Thanks so much!! I love that you're loving it!


Seriously! And your chapter titles are amazing-tastic, even if I end up with songs in my head after reading them. As a person with zero performing talent, but who happens to loooooove theater (especially musical theater), reading about your drama-queen adventures is great!!

:cool1: You are the first person to mention my chapter titles! I'm still trying to re-think the very first one... if you get an idea of a musical song that is about people having fun without you, let me know! Thanks so much for joining in and commenting!! Hope you like the rest!

[glennbo123]

I loved this update Sooze! (But what's new?)

I had been texting Bryan and Jessica all morning to get themselves over to the American Idol auditions. From experience, I knew that the earlier they went, the better their chances of being on stage.

We have one, my middle daughter Marlene, who is planning to audition.

Fortunately, Bryan only got a sprinkle. But he was still bitter at me!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080270.jpg

Oh c'mon, he's not going to melt! ;)

And NOW, one of my FAVORITE Disney memories. We were making our way out of the gift shop, laughing and talking about Bryan’s watery adventures, when suddenly, Jessica just STOPS. Her eyes widen, and her mouth drops open. The magical spark appears in her eyes and she screams “MIKE WAZOWSKI!!!!!!!!” Yes! We had accidentally stumbled on the Monsters, Inc. meet and greet area. Again, since I very rarely come back here, I didn’t realize this is where the area was. It was an awesome surprise. And, even better, there was barely a line!

Jessica just about plowed her children over to get to the two monsters. She fit RIGHT in, and even got Mike to dance with her as she sang, “Put that thing back where it came from or so help me!!”

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080278.jpg

I LOVE stories like this! I think I have a speck of dust in my eye.

Look how pumped she is. Like she just won a national title in something!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080281.jpg

Awesome!

Our “mom” was FAB. YOU. LUSS!!!! She really played the part well, and, of course, had a blast with a table full of people willing to play along!

....

Our table was so much fun, that OTHER CMs came over to play. We had a “cousin” join in on the fun. He was hilarious!!! He kept playing “Peeping Tom” behind Jessica. His chemistry with our server was great. We laughed the entire meal.

Oh that's great! We'll be eating there in about 2 months -- I hope we get a great "fun" server too.

Another awesome story that came out of this meal was the hokey TV shows that are playing while you eat. I can’t even tell you what show or commercial we were watching, but it had a crazy jingle tag line that said “KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE EGG!” sung in the cheesiest 1950’s commercial-jingle voices. Oh my, you can bet we sang, “KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE EGG!” for the rest of the trip! (and even now, months later, it will still appear randomly on text messages or Facebook postings!)

It's always fun to have an inside joke amongst your fellow-vacationers now that you're back in the real world. I'll keep an eye (and ear) out for that jingle when I'm there.

Next up, lots of talent on two very different stages!

Oooo, can't wait. :)

[Sooze]

I loved this update Sooze! (But what's new?)
Well, I loved your comments! (But what's new?) ;)



We have one, my middle daughter Marlene, who is planning to audition.
GET THERE EARLY!!! Good luck to Marlene!! :thumbsup2



Oh c'mon, he's not going to melt! ;)
You know that. And I know that. And the rest of the world knows that. But Bryan, he truly thinks he will melt!! :rotfl:



I LOVE stories like this! I think I have a speck of dust in my eye.
Do you need a tissue!?


Oh that's great! We'll be eating there in about 2 months -- I hope we get a great "fun" server too.

I hope you do, too! I think I've learned that the more YOU play along, the better they are!! (most of the time!)

It's always fun to have an inside joke amongst your fellow-vacationers now that you're back in the real world. I'll keep an eye (and ear) out for that jingle when I'm there.
Oh, please watch for it! It's so cheesily wonderful!

Oooo, can't wait. :)
Thanks for being here!

[Sooze]

Before we were able to watch our dear friend on the American Idol stage, we decided to visit another Beauty on stage… The Beauty and the Beast stage show! You can bet the boys were thrilled. Well… not really. But the girls definitely were, and Bryan was… beyond thrilled! Here are a few shots from one of our many favorite stage shows:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080312.jpg

Check out the ensemble member in blue! That is a deep fourth position plie if I’ve ever seen one. I’m betting he has some great quad muscles!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080314.jpg

This Gaston was a little willowy for my liking, but he sang phenomenally!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080332.jpg

Another drama queen story for you! Whenever one of us is put in the ensemble of a show, we call it the SRC. (S= Something I can’t post online but rhymes with ‘pity’, R= Role, and C=Club.) But none of us are ever embarrassed to be in the ensemble (or SRC). Sometimes it’s more fun to be in the ensemble, because there is less pressure and you can mess around a bit more onstage! But when we go see shows… we always give love to the ensemble, because they never get enough credit!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080333.jpg

Beautiful blue-dress Belle!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080348.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080361.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080372.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080375.jpg

The dance technique on the purple-tights girl is lights-out fabulous!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080377.jpg

Love this moment. I must have 50 pictures of this!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080387.jpg

While I despise this scene in the movie, I LOVE it in this little stage show. The way the ensemble uses their capes to create visual pictures makes my day!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080395.jpg

Spoiler!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080405.jpg

Just wondering if Belle could smile any bigger….
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080408.jpg

I think by this time, Jessica had to head to AIE to prepare for her big show! Tom took the girls to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid (again, I THINK!) and Bryan and I took the boys for some SCREAMS!!! This was Bryan’s first time on Tower of Terror, and we had a blast!!

Here are the two shots I got from the ride. #1 is a blurry self-portrait at the height of the ride:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080409.jpg

And next, the ride photo:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080411.jpg

Bryan was amazed that I knew when to take the self-portrait right at the same time as the ride photo! Little does he know, I was just lucky! (Though I DID wait until the highest part of the ride, which, I believe, is where the photo is taken. So it may have been more coincidence than luck!)

Soon we were all waiting to get into the AIE theater. Since we were VIP guests of a performer, we got seated early and were able to watch rehearsal. Jessica, in true child-of-the-80’s fashion, sang “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benetar. She sounded awesome…. Like…tubular!

Now I need to back track here a minute. When Jessica found out she was going to be on stage, she was also told she’d be in the 2nd slot. This is the slot where they do a video montage. And when they found out she had a whole gang of fans with her, we were ALL invited to participate in the video! So a few hours back, we were all at the AIE filming bits and scenes for them to edit together to make her montage. It was THE MOST FUN!!! Would you like to see the montage?! Well, lucky you! I actually (and quite illegally I’m sure) filmed it!

Soon, the show was beginning, and we had the best time watching Jessica shine on stage, like she ALWAYS does! When it was her turn, the montage began. And here you go!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/th_P1080412-1.jpg (http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/?action=view&current=P1080412-1.mp4)

Soon, she was belting out her song. Unfortunately, I didn’t get THAT on video. Her husband did, and he has it on Facebook, but I am still having trouble figuring out how to get that on here. Again, if anyone has any technical clue, please advise! You’d love to hear her, trust me.

So… did she win?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080413.jpg

Well, let me be the first to say, she SHOULD have won. Hands down, she had the best vocal talent and the most spunk on stage. HOWEVER, there was a young girl that sang a much more contemporary song. And when you have an audience full of young folks, contemporary wins over classic 80’s tunes every time!

But we were not upset, at all!! We had already planned on taking the kids over to the Neverland Club this evening, so we could enjoy a ‘quiet’ adult meal. If Jessica had made the finals, it could’ve thrown a wrench in our plans. Not that we would’ve minded changing our evening to cheer her on at finals, of course! It just made it easier that she didn’t.

So what kind of craziness can the adults enjoy without children?!?! Two words. Lapu. Lapu.

Oh yes!

[Sooze]

To wrap up our fabulous day, we had made arrangements to have the 4 kids spend some time at the Neverland Club at the Polynesian, while the adults had some grown-up time. I have never used the kids clubs because DH and I usually come to Disney by ourselves, so when we are with the kids, we don't have that need to ditch them! But this trip was different, and the four adults were longing for some fun alone. So off to the Poly we flew after Jessica's performance. And I say we 'flew' because we had to make reservations at the Neverland Club FAR in advance (it's very popular!) and because of the timing of Jessica's AIE show, we were running a bit behind. I called the Neverland Club and they said that after 30 minutes from our reservation time, they would release our reservations and we would be considered walk-ins after that, so they couldn't guarantee our spot. :scared1:

So we bussed it on over to the Poly from DHS and made it to the Neverland Club JUST in time. Whew! I am kicking myself now for not taking any pictures, but we were so rushed and, seriously, as soon as the kids were signed in... the were GONE! :moped: What a COOL place!! And since the kids didn't care about us anymore... we were GONE too!!

On our way over, I had made some calls and found a late dinner reservation at Kona. The kids were going to be fed at the club, so it was an adults-only dinner for us! YA HOO!!

As soon as we sat down, we placed our drink orders, because... well, because we NEEDED them! ;) Here is Bryan enjoying his drink decor:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080415.jpg

And here I am with the most amazing and fruitily delicious LAPU LAPU:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080416.jpg

I can't even tell you what we ate, but I did take pictures. So feel free to play a little guessing game with our Kona meals. Good luck!

Mine:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080418.jpg

Bryan's:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080419.jpg

Tom's masculine plate:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080420.jpg

And Jessica clearly felt the need to add some dramatics to her food photo:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080421.jpg

And thus continued another one of my favorite memories from the trip. Sitting with some of my best friends on Earth, enjoying some of the most delicious food on Earth, on the property of the Happiest Place on Earth, while our kids were having the time of their lives in Neverland. Doesn't get much better than that....

Or does it?

It does when one of the dessert options is called the Kona Cone. Looks like a simple, restaurant-themed title, doesn't it? But when you have crazy drama queens like us, you take the name "Kona Cone" and you stretch out the long "O" sound as far as you can and make a silly face while doing so. Try it.... "Koooooooooooooooooooona Coooooooooooone". Here, Jessica will model for you:

"Kooooooooooooooooona Coooooooooooone!"
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080422.jpg

Ok, maybe we just had a bit too much Lapu Lapu, the drink that we quickly changed the name to "Loopy Loopy". Yep.

Here's another random dessert picture:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080423.jpg

Looks good, be definitely not as fun as the Kona Cone!

Soon, our 2 hours passed, and it was time to gather the children. I have heard people talk about the Neverland Club on the boards, and how their children don't want to leave, but I was still shocked when we walked in ... and the kids TRULY did NOT want to leave. How fantastic to have a place like that on property, where you can leave your kids and have adult time, and be confident that they will still have the best of times without you. Love it!

We began to contemplate how to get back home, and after considering some options, I decided that AKL is just too far away from everything... let's just get a cab! I felt bad zooming away from my friends who were still going to find a bus way home, but I was so tired of waiting for buses, and then driving ten years to get home!

... of course, I found out the next day that they eventually also opted for the cab! ::yes::

Up next, our last bit of fun with the drama queens.... at Animal Kingdom!

[jwwi]

What a fun day and night for everyone! I love DHS, so I really enjoy when others write about it positively. How awesome that Jessica was able to do AIE. The montage was so funny, esp being able to hear you all laugh while it was playing. Kona Cafe is a great place to eat, and who wouldn't like cotton candy as part of a desert? You all truly look like you are having the best time ever.

[Sooze]

What a fun day and night for everyone! I love DHS, so I really enjoy when others write about it positively. How awesome that Jessica was able to do AIE. The montage was so funny, esp being able to hear you all laugh while it was playing. Kona Cafe is a great place to eat, and who wouldn't like cotton candy as part of a desert? You all truly look like you are having the best time ever.

It's crazy how many DHS-haters there are out there, isn't it?!:confused3

I also enjoy hearing our giggles during the montage! Such a wonderful moment.... something we won't be forgetting anytime soon!

Thanks for your comments!

[PrincessV]

We awoke the next morning refreshed and ready to start anew. In fact, the zebras and giraffes were grazing outside our window AND we decided to sleep in. So, life was good!
:cloud9: Know what I'll be doing in 3 days? Sleeping in at AKV. :thumbsup2

Jessica just about plowed her children over to get to the two monsters. She fit RIGHT in, and even got Mike to dance with her as she sang, “Put that thing back where it came from or so help me!!”
This is beyond awesome! :rotfl2:

While this ride is not one of my favorites…
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080284.jpg

we did have a FABULOUS driver and hijacker, plus the girls were just having a great time pointing everything out and laughing together.
Lucky girl! I haven't seen a fabulous driver or hijacker in eons. And yet, we keep going back for more... :confused3

The food was delicious as usual. We even shared some desserts.
I really wish they offered a "no entertainment" zone at 50's PT - my kid is so not a joiner and would be miserable there, but the food always looks so good!

Just wondering if Belle could smile any bigger….
:lmao: I'm fairly certain her poor little head would crack right open if she tried!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080411.jpg
There simply are not words to describe the awesomeness of this ride photo. :rotfl2::rotfl::lmao::thumbsup2

Well, let me be the first to say, she SHOULD have won. Hands down, she had the best vocal talent and the most spunk on stage. HOWEVER, there was a young girl that sang a much more contemporary song. And when you have an audience full of young folks, contemporary wins over classic 80’s tunes every time!
Jessica was ROBBED. :mad:

Two words. Lapu. Lapu.
To which I have two responses: YES! and YES!

Soon, our 2 hours passed, and it was time to gather the children. I have heard people talk about the Neverland Club on the boards, and how their children don't want to leave, but I was still shocked when we walked in ... and the kids TRULY did NOT want to leave. How fantastic to have a place like that on property, where you can leave your kids and have adult time, and be confident that they will still have the best of times without you. Love it!
::yes:: Leo still hasn't been to Neverland, but he's always had the best time at the other clubs. We'll be solo this summer - no DIS family reunion - and I'm thinking of dropping him at a club one evening, just so he can get a break from me.

[glennbo123]

Sorry, I read these last couple of posts back a week ago when you put them up, but didn't have time to comment.

Oh man, sorry that Jessica didn't win the American Idol Experience, but I'm sure she loved the experience. It was great that she was picked for the little fan-montage thing they do.

I love Kona Cafe! :thumbsup2

[katt789]

Great updates! I absolutely love the B&B show, it's just such a classic! The tower of terror pics are great as well, love it!

I've always wondered how the AIE works, we had a friend on our most recent trip who was debating it, but didn't want to screw up plans for the rest of the day, next time!

A lapu lapu is on my list of things to drink next trip, that's for sure, they just look too tasty!

[Sooze]

:cloud9: Know what I'll be doing in 3 days? Sleeping in at AKV. :thumbsup2
Yeah...and you also ran 5K... so I'm not THAT jealous! :roll eyes:
Congrats, by the way!! You guys rock!


Lucky girl! I haven't seen a fabulous driver or hijacker in eons. And yet, we keep going back for more... :confused3
We do, indeed because maybe, just once, we will stumble on a good one. And I am living proof that it CAN happen!


I really wish they offered a "no entertainment" zone at 50's PT - my kid is so not a joiner and would be miserable there, but the food always looks so good!
You know, I think the CMs are very in tune with their guests on this. If the guests aren't playing along, I really think they tone it down! The times Matt and I went alone, it was very mild. But since we had a crazy loud table that was working the story line, they ran with it! I hope you give it a try (especially if you like cheesy 50's tv and pot roast!)


:lmao: I'm fairly certain her poor little head would crack right open if she tried!

Right?! That is one big smile!

There simply are not words to describe the awesomeness of this ride photo. :rotfl2::rotfl::lmao::thumbsup2
Glad you approve! It's always a challenge to find new ways to photo-document our Disney experiences!

Jessica was ROBBED. :mad:
::yes:: Totally robbed!

To which I have two responses: YES! and YES!
You know.... YOU were the one who introduced me to the Lapu Lapu! Yep... it was in a trip report somewhere...


::yes:: Leo still hasn't been to Neverland, but he's always had the best time at the other clubs. We'll be solo this summer - no DIS family reunion - and I'm thinking of dropping him at a club one evening, just so he can get a break from me.

It's so wonderful to let them go to those places and know that they will have the time of their life! And you don't have to feel guilty about getting some adult time in!

Thanks for your fabulous comments, V!

[Sooze]

Sorry, I read these last couple of posts back a week ago when you put them up, but didn't have time to comment.

Oh man, sorry that Jessica didn't win the American Idol Experience, but I'm sure she loved the experience. It was great that she was picked for the little fan-montage thing they do.

I love Kona Cafe! :thumbsup2
I do that all the time! I read, but then can't find a second to comment. Just know that I'm following along with your report too!

Jessica still had the experience of a lifetime on that stage! The montage was icing on the cake! So glad she convinced herself to audition.

I, too, love Kona Cafe! Breakfast, lunch, or dinner! mmmmmm!

Great updates! I absolutely love the B&B show, it's just such a classic! The tower of terror pics are great as well, love it!

I've always wondered how the AIE works, we had a friend on our most recent trip who was debating it, but didn't want to screw up plans for the rest of the day, next time!

A lapu lapu is on my list of things to drink next trip, that's for sure, they just look too tasty!

Classic is the perfect word to describe that show! Old-school Broadway flair! Love it!

The AIE thing is all dependent on when you are scheduled to perform! AND if you make the finals or not! If your friend auditions and makes it, they will give her/him a performance time. He/She will need to report back to the stage an hour before the performance time. So not counting the audition, the experience will take about 90 minutes out of the day. If they end up making finals, then the minutes increase! But the finals are a pretty cool experience, too! I hope your friend auditions... even if they don't make it, it is so memorable and worthwhile!

[Sooze]

It’s time to wrap this trip up. We had a flight leaving on this sad last day in the evening. So we were able to squeeze in some park time with our friends. Have you been keeping track of which park we still hadn’t seen together? Here’s a hint for you:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080424.jpg

Too obvious?

We hit the AK and went immediately to the Kilimanjaro Safari. I had heard that the animals are more active in the am, and were they ever! I saw so many animals I hadn’t before! So please enjoy my trip through the savannah:

Hungry Hungry Hippos
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080428.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080429.jpg

I still think these guys are fake! They lie so darn still!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080430.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080431.jpg

Big horn dudes
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080433.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080434.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080436.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080438.jpg

When we came up to the lion part, the driver started talking about how the lions sleep most of the day… blah blah blah… and I expected to see a tuft of lion hair near the rocks, as always. But much to our surprise, a lioness leapt up from her slumber and appeared majestically on Pride Rock. I had never seen such a great view of a lion on this attraction before! It was great!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080441.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080442.jpg

I wanted to get these guys some coffee! Wake up!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080443.jpg

Another shot of the lioness
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080445.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080446.jpg

Pumbaa! (Can you see him hiding under the rock?)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080447.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080448.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080449.jpg


After the safari, we had another animal to conquer… the YETI! I don’t even remember who rode this, but I know it wasn’t the little princesses!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080426.jpg

The girls went with Jessica to prepare for the Festival of the Lion King show, which I was so anxiously awaiting to share with my friends!! On their way, they found Pocohontas, standing completely alone. She spent an eternity talking to the girls, which of course, they ate up!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/GirlswithPocohontas.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/GirlswithPocohontas2.jpg

Soon we were all seated for FoTLK… well, ALMOST all of us! Tom had run back to Asia to pick up some bracelets that they had made for some cousins back home. Unfortunately, by the time he made it back to the theater, they had started re-routing the latecomers to a different entrance, and making them sit in a different section than us. I could tell Jessica was stressed about it, and I’m afraid it tainted her enjoyment of the show. Boo for procedures and routines!

But the show was great as always. I took no pictures, but enjoyed every moment!

[micandminforever]

I love the Lion King. The pictures of the animals were wonderful. It is great that the lioness was standing up where you could get a good picture.

[Sooze]

Next up was lunch, which I insisted on being Flame Tree BBQ! Love that food and love the seating area. The kids enjoyed looking across the lake at EE as they ate their meal. They also found a friend floating in the water near our eating area!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080450.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080451.jpg

Our next stop was one final Musical…. Yes… Nemo: The Musical. Well, we HAD to end our time together with a show, didn’t we? Again, I took no pictures, but we enjoyed a fabulous performance.

Finally, it was hitting us that our time in Disney together was coming to an end. We decided to drown our sorrows in one last Mickey bar.

Addy was still smiles, because she got to stay a few more days
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080452.jpg

Even Shae was smiling, because who can be boo-boo face with a Mickey Bar?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080454.jpg

Keslen gobbled his down and was ready to go on more adventures
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080455.jpg

And Tyson (who chose a cookie sandwich instead) savored every last bite
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080456.jpg

One last Mickey bar for us
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080457.jpg

And goodbye hugs for my BFF (who would be moving to Pittsburg shortly after this trip)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080469.jpg

Yeah, that thought made the Mickey Bar happiness dissipate very quickly
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080470.jpg

After many hugs and a few tears (from the grown-ups) I finally dragged my kids away and headed back to AKL to catch our ME bus. They were both crying the whole way out of the park. I just couldn’t help myself and stopped at the gift shop on the way out. Baby Simba and Perry the Platypus plush friends decided to come home with us. :rolleyes:

We spent a few moments taking in our AKL home
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080461.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080464.jpg

But soon found ourselves the sad victims of Disney withdrawal as we pulled onto the interstate and headed to the airport.

I didn’t really talk much about it, but during the entire trip, I was fighting off some kind of nasty…. It was like a head cold with a bit of achiness, but with a constant flow of Advil, I was able to keep it at bay.

Unfortunately on the plane, the nasty decided to rear its ugly head. The decent into Indianapolis was the most painful I’ve ever had. My ears felt like someone was stabbing them with serrated daggers! Even as we were claiming our luggage, I couldn’t hear a THING and they were throbbing with pain. This was super unfortunate, because although the trip was coming to an end, my hubby had a very big surprise waiting for us at home and I just couldn’t respond to it the way I wanted to, because I felt like death!

What was the surprise, you ask? Well, if any of you ever used to watch the TLC show called “While You Were Out”, you will completely get what happened! During the 5 days we were gone, my husband apparently had a team of people completely redoing our master bedroom. I came home and headed upstairs to the smell of paint, and the view of a new flatscreen TV in our room. As I headed in the room, I just stood there, mouth wide open. It was beautiful. Here, check it out!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bedroomsuprise.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bedroom3.jpg

And our not-so-hidden-Mickey
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bedroom2.jpg

There are also some subtle Mickeys in other décor items… can you find them?

So that’s where my fantastic trip came to an end. And it’s a good thing my room looked so amazing, because I spent the next 2 days in that bed trying to recover from the nasty, because it hit me full on as soon as I was home, of course!

I will still have an update to share, letting you all see some of the fun the rest of the drama queens had without us. So come on back!

[Sooze]

I love the Lion King. The pictures of the animals were wonderful. It is great that the lioness was standing up where you could get a good picture.

FoTLK is our number one show on property. It makes me cry every time!

We certainly lucked out on the lioness! Kind of a natural magical moment! :goodvibes

[Sooze]

So what did our Drama Queen friends do when we left?! Well, here’s a small sampling of their endeavors.

At first, they were sad that we were gone
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bartleylastday.jpg

But that wore of quickly and they were soon back to their dramatic antics.

Bryan works for a bank, so this was a perfect dramatic interpretation
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2BryanTSMBank.jpg

Musical theater geek anyone?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2Brysinginintherain.jpg

They enjoyed the luau one evening, and Tom was chosen to hula on stage! Never challenge a drama queen… he will take you down!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Tomonluaustage2.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Tomonluaustage.jpg

So proud of daddy!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/KelsenAddyluau.jpg

They visited with characters in every park!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/JessKelsenAddyFlik.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/JessAddyMaryPoppins.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Cinderellasfam2.jpg

Apparently, Jessica was teasing the red-headed sister and was punished….

You can see the sister getting upset
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Cinderellasfam.jpg

And, then, the punishment is delivered
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/CinderellasfampunishesJess.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/BartleysBuzzWoody.jpg

Bryan was able to find a few more princesses:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2BryanAurora.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2BryanJasmine.jpg

And even asked to get another ‘feet’ shot, just for fun!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/AladdinJasminefeet.jpg

Two of my favorite people in the world, in the happiest place on earth:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/JessandBryanMK.jpg

And, there you have it, folks! Another trip report on the books. I hope you enjoyed this stretched out story of drama queens in Disney! Please turn your programs in at the door if you’d like to recycle them, and don’t forget to ask about our season ticket holder specials!

“Bravo!!” “Bravo!!”

Thank you. Thank you so much!

[glennbo123]

I'll take a season ticket! It's been a great report! :cool1:

Your hubby is the bestest! The room looks awesome! :thumbsup2 I'm very impressed. It looks kind of Contemporary-y. :rolleyes:

I'm glad that Jessica and the gang were able to enjoy themselves without you guys for their remaining time. I'm sure they missed you, but it looks like they had fun. I've never met the Stepsisters, but in every report I've ever seen them they never fail to provide great interaction.

[Sooze]

I'll take a season ticket! It's been a great report! :cool1:
Box seats or center orchestra? :rotfl: Thanks for being here! I'm starting my Christmas report soon. Better late than never!

Your hubby is the bestest! The room looks awesome! :thumbsup2 I'm very impressed. It looks kind of Contemporary-y. :rolleyes:
Isn't he, though? I leave him behind while I go to Disney and he treats me to a new Master? I'm a lucky gal!

I'm glad that Jessica and the gang were able to enjoy themselves without you guys for their remaining time. I'm sure they missed you, but it looks like they had fun. I've never met the Stepsisters, but in every report I've ever seen them they never fail to provide great interaction.

I think the stepsisters are my favorite meet n greet characters in the whole resort! They are hilarious! And did you check out their facial expressions in the pictures? AWESOME!

[chinchiller]

It's kind of cool to find someone I "know" on here. Matt was my band director from the fall of 2000 until I graduated in 2004. I have one very vivid memory of your son banging drums during one of our run-throughs my senior year. He could barely stand. I wound up marrying another band member (he was two classes older than I) and we just had our first child, our daughter.

I knew Matt was a fan of Disney, but it's pretty awesome to see just how much of a fan you guys are. :)

[micandminforever]

I look forward to your Christmas Trip report. Please be sure to let us know when you start the new report.

[Blueyed Girl]

After getting our musical theater fix, we headed over to the Haunted Mansion for a screamtastic ride. First, though, we got our fill of the interactive queue:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080159.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080160.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080161.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080163.jpg

Bryan is so glad to have Jessica back!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080164.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080165.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080166.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080169.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080170.jpg

The ride was a hit with everyone, especially the amazing hitch-hiking ghosts at the end. I just LOVE that technology!
We decided to find another classic ride that we could all enjoy together. Yes, I said ALL of us could ENJOY. And when you are with your best buds, even THIS can be enjoyable:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080174.jpg

There was no line, thankfully, so we sailed around the world in no time.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080178.jpg

Still smiling even after getting the song stuck in their heads.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080179.jpg

Them too…. Well, if you can get past their bad acting!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080180.jpg

And these two… well, apparently, they did not get my message about all of us being able to enjoy this classic with our best buds!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080181.jpg

Next up was a gorgeous walk back to the castle, where we wanted to get some group shots now that Jessica was back!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080182.jpg

Our first shot… the traditional head shot smiles…
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080466.jpg



And, the picture of all pictures. The very BEST picture of the WHOLE entire trip. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you…. THE DRAMA QUEENS!!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/Allcrazyatcastle.jpg

Somewhere in this evening, we ate dinner … I’m not even sure where. We rode some rides… I’m not even sure what. But soon it was time for the MK to kick out the people who didn’t pay for the Halloween party, and that meant half of us had to go. Tom, Jessica, Kelsen, and Addy had done the MNSSHP a few years earlier and didn’t feel the need to spend money on it again. Bryan, Tyson, Shae and I had never been. So we forked over the money, and were able to stay and enjoy the park longer.

And by enjoy, I mean ‘be tortured by’. Mmm hmm… I will not be spending money on that party again… unless I can go the first week it opens. Stay tuned for my not-so-special Halloween party!

(Oh, and the Aladdin shoe story… now THAT’S worth coming back for)

Sorry I have been MIA. I was enjoying your TR and then i got behind. I just started from the beginning since I couldn't remember what chapter I left off. I think I have found myself again! :yay:

What a stinker that Jessica got food poisoning! And in DISNEY WORLD no less. Glad she got better and was able to join all of you again. Love all the pictures. The "Drama Queens" in front of the castle made me laugh out loud. Great pic!

Ok, off to keep reading.........

[Blueyed Girl]

Our next stop after the parade was in front of the castle for our viewing of the special Halloween fireworks show. We found a spot, crammed in with the masses of people around the hub. Of course, we had to do this super early, and had to stand there waiting for quite a long time. But this was worth the wait. The fireworks were outstanding, and I enjoyed watching them choreographed to the Halloween soundtrack. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my all-time favorite soundtracks, so I enjoyed hearing this great music!

After the show, we snuck to the left of the castle and soon found ourselves at the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. There was no wait for it, so we figured… why not? Soon we were on board, ready to fly, and sing “A Whole New World” for all of Agrabah to hear!

Classic Gunkle pose:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080235.jpg

Let’s ROCK these carpets!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080236.jpg

Thinking magical princess songs:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080237.jpg

Soon, we were flying. Remember I told you earlier, that Bryan LIVED for meeting characters? What I didn’t mention ,was that Aladdin is his ULTIMATE favorite movie. Jasmine and Aladdin are precious to him!! So as we were circling around, we came upon the shop in the back of that area, where the Aladdin and Jasmine meet n greet takes place. But Aladdin and Jasmine were no there. No… Aladdin was there… WITH ABU! What?! That is so rare! Bryan starts freaking out! “Get me off this carpet! I wanna go see Aladdin and ABU!!!!” It was the longest ride ever. But as soon as we got off, we ran over to the line. As soon as we got in the pretty short line, the lady in front of us, who heard how BEYOND excited we were, said, “They are leaving in a few minutes.” OH NO! Sadness… sadness. Well, maybe we will just make it!
I grabbed a picture from the line, just to capture this special duo:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080240.jpg

Sure enough, five minutes later, when we were a mere 3 or 4 families away from meeting them, out came Genie and Jasmine to take their place. This lucky family got to meet ALL FOUR OF THEM! Bryan was DYING!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080241.jpg

Realizing his opportunity was slipping away, Bryan actually stopped them on their way backstage and said, “Can I PLEASE just grab a picture with you both?!” They happily said yes, and Bryan quickly snapped a picture and said, “THANK YOU SO MUCH!” He was so glad he at least got a picture.


...


Or did he?

...


You know when you take a picture with a digital camera, and there is that lag of time between when you press the button and when the camera actually records the image? Yeah…. In his anxiety-ridden request to take this picture, Bryan forgot all about that, and lowered the camera just as it was recording the image. So THIS it the picture of Aladdin and Abu that he captured:




http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2FamousAbufootpicture.jpg
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!
:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Oh my goodness, he was SOOOOO bummed! Of course, we were able to laugh about it later, but at the time, he was so upset!

He pulled himself together quickly to get a nice shot with Genie and Jasmine. Bryan loved her outfit!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Bryans%20pics/2GenieJasmineBryan.jpg

So the picture of the feet became the most-retold story of the entire trip. And now YOU are in on the joke. See? Aren’t you glad you decided to read along?

We didn’t last long this evening. The crowds just sucked all of the energy from me. We decided to head home early and get ready for a fun day at Hollywood Studios. You know, the park with the American Idol Experience?! A group of singers going to the park with the American Idol Experience?! Will one of us end up on the stage?!

You’ll just have to see!!

Once upon a time we did the Pirate and Princess party. This is the only "special" party that we have been to. Back then my son was only about 3 so we mostly stuck to taking in the rides which had no lines. We saw the awesome firework show too. But the lines for characters or pirate "loot" were long for that too. However, I don't remember it being that crowded AT ALL. I wonder if they have increased the amount of tickets they sell for these events since then? What a shame! :sad2:

I'm so sorry for Bryan but I was :rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: about his feet picture! This has happened to me on a couple of occasions. It is SO ANNOYING!!!!

Ok, off to read more............popcorn::

[Blueyed Girl]

Before we were able to watch our dear friend on the American Idol stage, we decided to visit another Beauty on stage… The Beauty and the Beast stage show! You can bet the boys were thrilled. Well… not really. But the girls definitely were, and Bryan was… beyond thrilled! Here are a few shots from one of our many favorite stage shows:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080312.jpg

Check out the ensemble member in blue! That is a deep fourth position plie if I’ve ever seen one. I’m betting he has some great quad muscles!!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080314.jpg

This Gaston was a little willowy for my liking, but he sang phenomenally!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080332.jpg

Another drama queen story for you! Whenever one of us is put in the ensemble of a show, we call it the SRC. (S= Something I can’t post online but rhymes with ‘pity’, R= Role, and C=Club.) But none of us are ever embarrassed to be in the ensemble (or SRC). Sometimes it’s more fun to be in the ensemble, because there is less pressure and you can mess around a bit more onstage! But when we go see shows… we always give love to the ensemble, because they never get enough credit!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080333.jpg

Beautiful blue-dress Belle!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080348.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080361.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080372.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080375.jpg

The dance technique on the purple-tights girl is lights-out fabulous!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080377.jpg

Love this moment. I must have 50 pictures of this!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080387.jpg

While I despise this scene in the movie, I LOVE it in this little stage show. The way the ensemble uses their capes to create visual pictures makes my day!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080395.jpg

Spoiler!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080405.jpg

Just wondering if Belle could smile any bigger….
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080408.jpg

I think by this time, Jessica had to head to AIE to prepare for her big show! Tom took the girls to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid (again, I THINK!) and Bryan and I took the boys for some SCREAMS!!! This was Bryan’s first time on Tower of Terror, and we had a blast!!

Here are the two shots I got from the ride. #1 is a blurry self-portrait at the height of the ride:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080409.jpg

And next, the ride photo:
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080411.jpg

Bryan was amazed that I knew when to take the self-portrait right at the same time as the ride photo! Little does he know, I was just lucky! (Though I DID wait until the highest part of the ride, which, I believe, is where the photo is taken. So it may have been more coincidence than luck!)

Soon we were all waiting to get into the AIE theater. Since we were VIP guests of a performer, we got seated early and were able to watch rehearsal. Jessica, in true child-of-the-80’s fashion, sang “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benetar. She sounded awesome…. Like…tubular!

Now I need to back track here a minute. When Jessica found out she was going to be on stage, she was also told she’d be in the 2nd slot. This is the slot where they do a video montage. And when they found out she had a whole gang of fans with her, we were ALL invited to participate in the video! So a few hours back, we were all at the AIE filming bits and scenes for them to edit together to make her montage. It was THE MOST FUN!!! Would you like to see the montage?! Well, lucky you! I actually (and quite illegally I’m sure) filmed it!

Soon, the show was beginning, and we had the best time watching Jessica shine on stage, like she ALWAYS does! When it was her turn, the montage began. And here you go!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/th_P1080412-1.jpg (http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/?action=view&current=P1080412-1.mp4)

Soon, she was belting out her song. Unfortunately, I didn’t get THAT on video. Her husband did, and he has it on Facebook, but I am still having trouble figuring out how to get that on here. Again, if anyone has any technical clue, please advise! You’d love to hear her, trust me.

So… did she win?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080413.jpg

Well, let me be the first to say, she SHOULD have won. Hands down, she had the best vocal talent and the most spunk on stage. HOWEVER, there was a young girl that sang a much more contemporary song. And when you have an audience full of young folks, contemporary wins over classic 80’s tunes every time!

But we were not upset, at all!! We had already planned on taking the kids over to the Neverland Club this evening, so we could enjoy a ‘quiet’ adult meal. If Jessica had made the finals, it could’ve thrown a wrench in our plans. Not that we would’ve minded changing our evening to cheer her on at finals, of course! It just made it easier that she didn’t.

So what kind of craziness can the adults enjoy without children?!?! Two words. Lapu. Lapu.

Oh yes!


The AIE video montage was hysterical!! Loved it!! :dance3: Wish I could see Jessica's video. Would love to hear her sing. Maybe I will check your facebook to see if I can get a glimpse....

[Blueyed Girl]

Great animal shots! Our most favorite time to do the safari is in the morning. :thumbsup2 How awesome for the girls to get to spend quality time with Pocohontas! :yay:


It’s time to wrap this trip up. We had a flight leaving on this sad last day in the evening. So we were able to squeeze in some park time with our friends. Have you been keeping track of which park we still hadn’t seen together? Here’s a hint for you:

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080424.jpg

Too obvious?

We hit the AK and went immediately to the Kilimanjaro Safari. I had heard that the animals are more active in the am, and were they ever! I saw so many animals I hadn’t before! So please enjoy my trip through the savannah:

Hungry Hungry Hippos
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080428.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080429.jpg

I still think these guys are fake! They lie so darn still!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080430.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080431.jpg

Big horn dudes
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080433.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080434.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080436.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080438.jpg

When we came up to the lion part, the driver started talking about how the lions sleep most of the day… blah blah blah… and I expected to see a tuft of lion hair near the rocks, as always. But much to our surprise, a lioness leapt up from her slumber and appeared majestically on Pride Rock. I had never seen such a great view of a lion on this attraction before! It was great!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080441.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080442.jpg

I wanted to get these guys some coffee! Wake up!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080443.jpg

Another shot of the lioness
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080445.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080446.jpg

Pumbaa! (Can you see him hiding under the rock?)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080447.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080448.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080449.jpg


After the safari, we had another animal to conquer… the YETI! I don’t even remember who rode this, but I know it wasn’t the little princesses!
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080426.jpg

The girls went with Jessica to prepare for the Festival of the Lion King show, which I was so anxiously awaiting to share with my friends!! On their way, they found Pocohontas, standing completely alone. She spent an eternity talking to the girls, which of course, they ate up!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/GirlswithPocohontas.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/Jessicas%20pics/GirlswithPocohontas2.jpg

Soon we were all seated for FoTLK… well, ALMOST all of us! Tom had run back to Asia to pick up some bracelets that they had made for some cousins back home. Unfortunately, by the time he made it back to the theater, they had started re-routing the latecomers to a different entrance, and making them sit in a different section than us. I could tell Jessica was stressed about it, and I’m afraid it tainted her enjoyment of the show. Boo for procedures and routines!

But the show was great as always. I took no pictures, but enjoyed every moment!

[Blueyed Girl]

OH-HOW-AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! :dance3: Your room looks FANTABULOUS!!! Sorry you weren't feeling well. That happened to me back in 2007. I hate being sick at Disney and then REALLY feeling it when you get home. But glad you had an awesome room to spend your sickly-ness in! ;) Your hubby rocks!


Next up was lunch, which I insisted on being Flame Tree BBQ! Love that food and love the seating area. The kids enjoyed looking across the lake at EE as they ate their meal. They also found a friend floating in the water near our eating area!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080450.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080451.jpg

Our next stop was one final Musical…. Yes… Nemo: The Musical. Well, we HAD to end our time together with a show, didn’t we? Again, I took no pictures, but we enjoyed a fabulous performance.

Finally, it was hitting us that our time in Disney together was coming to an end. We decided to drown our sorrows in one last Mickey bar.

Addy was still smiles, because she got to stay a few more days
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080452.jpg

Even Shae was smiling, because who can be boo-boo face with a Mickey Bar?
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080454.jpg

Keslen gobbled his down and was ready to go on more adventures
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080455.jpg

And Tyson (who chose a cookie sandwich instead) savored every last bite
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080456.jpg

One last Mickey bar for us
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080457.jpg

And goodbye hugs for my BFF (who would be moving to Pittsburg shortly after this trip)
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080469.jpg

Yeah, that thought made the Mickey Bar happiness dissipate very quickly
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080470.jpg

After many hugs and a few tears (from the grown-ups) I finally dragged my kids away and headed back to AKL to catch our ME bus. They were both crying the whole way out of the park. I just couldn’t help myself and stopped at the gift shop on the way out. Baby Simba and Perry the Platypus plush friends decided to come home with us. :rolleyes:

We spent a few moments taking in our AKL home
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080461.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/P1080464.jpg

But soon found ourselves the sad victims of Disney withdrawal as we pulled onto the interstate and headed to the airport.

I didn’t really talk much about it, but during the entire trip, I was fighting off some kind of nasty…. It was like a head cold with a bit of achiness, but with a constant flow of Advil, I was able to keep it at bay.

Unfortunately on the plane, the nasty decided to rear its ugly head. The decent into Indianapolis was the most painful I’ve ever had. My ears felt like someone was stabbing them with serrated daggers! Even as we were claiming our luggage, I couldn’t hear a THING and they were throbbing with pain. This was super unfortunate, because although the trip was coming to an end, my hubby had a very big surprise waiting for us at home and I just couldn’t respond to it the way I wanted to, because I felt like death!

What was the surprise, you ask? Well, if any of you ever used to watch the TLC show called “While You Were Out”, you will completely get what happened! During the 5 days we were gone, my husband apparently had a team of people completely redoing our master bedroom. I came home and headed upstairs to the smell of paint, and the view of a new flatscreen TV in our room. As I headed in the room, I just stood there, mouth wide open. It was beautiful. Here, check it out!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bedroomsuprise.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bedroom3.jpg

And our not-so-hidden-Mickey
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t161/sooze73/11%20Drama%20Queens%20in%20Disney/bedroom2.jpg

There are also some subtle Mickeys in other décor items… can you find them?

So that’s where my fantastic trip came to an end. And it’s a good thing my room looked so amazing, because I spent the next 2 days in that bed trying to recover from the nasty, because it hit me full on as soon as I was home, of course!

I will still have an update to share, letting you all see some of the fun the rest of the drama queens had without us. So come on back!

[Sooze]

It's kind of cool to find someone I "know" on here. Matt was my band director from the fall of 2000 until I graduated in 2004. I have one very vivid memory of your son banging drums during one of our run-throughs my senior year. He could barely stand. I wound up marrying another band member (he was two classes older than I) and we just had our first child, our daughter.

I knew Matt was a fan of Disney, but it's pretty awesome to see just how much of a fan you guys are. :)

Ha ha! I've run into a few folks from the 'band world' on here! Glad you found me! If you really are bored, there are links in my signature to most of our other trips... so you can get a true feeling for our addiction.. and see your former band director acting all sorts of crazy! Hope you can come along on my next TR.. I'll be posting a link soon!

I look forward to your Christmas Trip report. Please be sure to let us know when you start the new report.

I hope to start it soon! I'll put a link right in this TR, so you can't miss it! Thanks for being such a consistent reader/responder to my TRs. It means a lot! :hug:

[Sooze]

Sorry I have been MIA. I was enjoying your TR and then i got behind. I just started from the beginning since I couldn't remember what chapter I left off. I think I have found myself again! :yay:

What a stinker that Jessica got food poisoning! And in DISNEY WORLD no less. Glad she got better and was able to join all of you again. Love all the pictures. The "Drama Queens" in front of the castle made me laugh out loud. Great pic!

Ok, off to keep reading.........
I am terrible about going MIA on the DIS sometimes, too. Then it's so hard to catch up! Thanks for spending time with my TR today!

Once upon a time we did the Pirate and Princess party. This is the only "special" party that we have been to. Back then my son was only about 3 so we mostly stuck to taking in the rides which had no lines. We saw the awesome firework show too. But the lines for characters or pirate "loot" were long for that too. However, I don't remember it being that crowded AT ALL. I wonder if they have increased the amount of tickets they sell for these events since then? What a shame! :sad2:
Yeah... I don't know what it was. This was our first ticketed event, and I was NOT impressed with the huge crowd size. It will make me think long and hard about ever doing one again!

I'm so sorry for Bryan but I was :rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: about his feet picture! This has happened to me on a couple of occasions. It is SO ANNOYING!!!!

Ok, off to read more............popcorn::
I know! I was laughing at the time, but he was NOT happy. He has come to terms with it, though, and can now laugh a bit!


The AIE video montage was hysterical!! Loved it!! :dance3: Wish I could see Jessica's video. Would love to hear her sing. Maybe I will check your facebook to see if I can get a glimpse....
Thanks for watching it! I thought she was pretty awesome myself.

Great animal shots! Our most favorite time to do the safari is in the morning. :thumbsup2 How awesome for the girls to get to spend quality time with Pocohontas! :yay:
That was the first time we had gone first thing in the morning. I don't think I'll do it any other way from now on! Lots of great animal time!

OH-HOW-AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!! :dance3: Your room looks FANTABULOUS!!! Sorry you weren't feeling well. That happened to me back in 2007. I hate being sick at Disney and then REALLY feeling it when you get home. But glad you had an awesome room to spend your sickly-ness in! ;) Your hubby rocks!

He does... he does! I still can't believe he did all that for me while he was stuck at home and I was at Disney. Doesn't seem fair, does it?!

[Sooze]

I've started my next trip report! This is from when 14 of us went on a NYE cruise!! Come join the fun!

A Gaggle of Band Geeks on a NYE Cruise! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=44870397&posted=1#post44870397)

[jwwi]

What a great safari you had, I have never seen the lioness so active either! Loved all the pictures with your Mickey Bars, could go for one of those right now.

Your new bedroom is beautiful, love the not so hidden Mickey. I then had to look back at the other pictures to see the hidden ones. Really nice of Matt to do that while you were gone.

Fun report, thanks for taking the time to write it.:)

[Sooze]

What a great safari you had, I have never seen the lioness so active either! Loved all the pictures with your Mickey Bars, could go for one of those right now.

Your new bedroom is beautiful, love the not so hidden Mickey. I then had to look back at the other pictures to see the hidden ones. Really nice of Matt to do that while you were gone.

Fun report, thanks for taking the time to write it.:)

Mmmmmmm... Mickey Bars.....:mickeybar

The room was such a surprise! I am still thanking him for it.... it's the best room in our house! :thumbsup2