Hide the rum, the 2007 Bad Girl Adventures have begun....Spirit of Aloha New Pg 2!

[lillygator]

Now, we haven’t changed that much from last year…. a bit older, heavier and of course, wiser. 2007 promises to bring fun filled Disney adventures for us and marks the last full year that we have to vacation without regards to school. So grab yourself a “Bikini Martini” (recipe to follow) kick back and join in this years adventures!!

Bikini Martini
~ 1 oz coconut rum
~ 3/4 oz vodka
~ 1 oz pineapple juice
~ splash of grenadine

Shake rum, vodka and juice Bond style. Pour into your favorite martini glass and splash in the grenadine. Garnish with you favorite fruit. Adjust liquor amounts as necessary. Clothing optional.


Me, the still ravishingly beautiful wife (although packing quite a few more pounds than last year…gonna work it out though), adoring and devoted mother, and passionate Disney planner. Name: Vanessa, aka: V, Mommy and sometimes “step-mudder”, when Samantha doesn’t like what I am saying to her (reference: Cinderella). “V” is what most everyone calls me. Bad Girl Motto: Why be a gossiper when I can be a gossipee?

DH, the handsome, looks great in a pair of ball pants husband, dedicated and loving father, and probably has to have another beer to discuss Disney plans for the umpteenth time. Name: John, aka: Johnny, Charming or Daddy. I usually refer to him as Charming, unless of course, he has done something to be less than charming. Bad Boy Motto: …tbd, has a hard enough time keeping up with his three Bad Girls.

DD, the bright blue eyed, spirited - yet gorgeous - four year old princess, who is as passionate about Disney as her mother and who firmly believes we are real Royalty and that the “castle” is the Carlin Family’s vacation home (smart kid!). Name: Samantha, ska: (sometimes known as) Samantha Paige ~ strong emphasis on the Paige when she is not listening or doing something she should not be doing, which coincidentally is 99% of the time. (just kidding) Bad Girl Motto: I’m an angel, the horns are only there to keep the halo in place.

DD, the bright blue eyed, go with the flow, gorgeous almost two year old princess, who now yells “MICKEY” upon seeing the dear mouse. She is the souvenir of our May 2004 trip and she did stand for the first time on Castaway Cay – total Disney Babe all the way! Name: Haley, aka: Haley Baley. She now has aliases in the form of first and middle name when up to no good with her imaginative sister. Bad Girl Motto: Princess in training!


~ Sunday January 14, 2007 ~ 6 days following the GATORS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WIN! (OS WHO?)

On a whim last night we decided to hit the Magic Kingdom today. Ok, truth be told, I decided. If Charming had his way, it would have been to lie around watching the playoffs. Nope!

So last night I cleaned, did laundry, got the girls stuff for school ready so there would be no guilty feelings of “oops, forgot to get that done, I was at Disney World”….but really, Bad Girls never feel guilty.

I tried to sleep, but I was up at 4:30 waiting for the rest of the brood to stir. Watched a very interesting documentary on Eve….seems she was in fact, the original Bad Girl, not content in her Garden of Eden…..at least as far as this show was concerned. Heck, running around naked in a tropical paradise sure seems like my idea of fun…not sure I could give all that up for an apple. To each their own.

Now my plan, and I always have a plan, was to be AT the Magic Kingdom at rope drop. Since they opened at 9 am, this meant arriving at 8:30 thus leaving our house in Sarasota at 7am. Before retiring for bed, I had written up our detailed itinerary. What ride and when. I was very pleased with myself and was anxious to see just what we could get accomplished.

Well, after dragging everyone up, gassing up, we weren’t on the rode until 7:25 am…at 8:50 am we saw our first “Mickey Ear”…the electrical wire one….Charming thought maybe they would have a delay of game at the rope drop and it wouldn’t happen until we got there….no such luck. Amazingly enough (ok, maybe a tad bit over the speed limit) we were in the 16th row of parking at MK at 9:05 am, walked, ok slightly jogged, from our car to the monorail and made it into the park as the sun was no where to be found and the rain was in a slight, slight drizzle.

After reading “finger scan” mishaps on the board, I was subject to my finger not matching….the CM did not ask for my id or anything simply, after 4 tries, let me through. Now I know better than to get hung up with characters but upon entering we ran smack into Horace Horsecollar….with almost no line we got pictures and an autograph. Haley was more than happy to tell him goodbye.

Passed under the Main Street Railroad Station, grabbed park maps and a times guide…(not sure why, have this park memorized) and strutted our stuff down Main Street…as we passed I reminisced over the flower carts that used to be on the left side, my mom always made my sister have our photo there and this year for Christmas she blew one up and gave to me. I am not sure if the convenience of having all the stores connected beats an awesome photo spot. But hey, an extra 50 feet of merchandise over a silly bench with fake flowers? I can see the $$ signs in WDW’s eyes.

I decided to scrap my itinerary….we Carlin’s just are not the go by the book people. We headed towards Adventure Land….rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpets

view of the spitter from the carpets...

and Pirates of the Caribbean…(love me some Johnny, as in Depp).

On the way to POTC….we decided that the non ADR for lunch was not going to cut it. The misting that was still happening made us want to be indoors…so while I parked the stroller in a NEW parking area for POTC, I called 1-407-WDW-Dine and was able to get an ADR for Liberty Tree Tavern for 11:40 am…. Yes, V rocks.

Rode Pirates, via left side, singing all the way…skipped the Mr. Smee, Hook, Wendy and Pan meet and greets and headed to Thunder Mountain. Charming and Samantha rode TM while Haley and I went to change diapees…. No “r”…We headed to the bathroom at the back of Splash Mountain. Presently, Splash is closed for refurbishment. There are several large signs relaying the fact as well as two CM’s manning the joint. This sure doesn’t stop every guest passing by asking if Splash is open or what time to come back today….apparantly the lifeguards were off duty in certain gene pools.

We all got back at the same time. We decided to head over to Haunted Mansion before lunch. On the way we ran smack into Brer Bear and Brer Fox…notice that Brer Bear is a GATOR lover….he and Goofy always sport their orange and blue colors proudly!

 

[lillygator]

Haunted Mansion was a walk on. No line at all, the girls loved it….after HM it was just around 11:20 am…we started making our way to Liberty Tree Tavern. We were second checking in and waited in an empty waiting area.

Of course bathroom breaks were needed for V and Samantha and I could hear Haley complaining about it the whole time. (read, screaming) God forbid we get to do something that she doesn’t.

“We are now seating the Carlin Family from FLORIDA”….I can’t tell you how many Floridians were called before us (most), they used to add your city, but I guess that is a cutback. We were led to the right, up some stairs to a quaint, cozy room with a non-working fireplace. There was only one other couple in the room when we were seated. We got ourselves situated and Walter came by to deliver the menus and take our drink order. Sprite and milk for the girls, diet coke and coke for the grown ups….

Charming and I both decided upon the New England Clam Chowder to start and Charming also felt the need for some Tavern Fried Cheese with Marinara Sauce.

The chowder was a perfect blend and was really quite good…now keep in mind I am a native Floridian so the New Englander’s may have different thoughts on this. Charming loved the fried cheese and I was extremely fortuitous to score a log. It was very good. The perfect amount of fried greasy gooiness.

For entrees, I decided upon the The Tri-Corner, which is roast beef and swiss cheese with liberty slaw, horseradish cream sauce, and arugula served on herbed focaccia with tavern fries.

This was really very good although even with sauce on it, it was extremely dry due to the thickness of the bread. I think next time I will skip the chowder and go for the New England Pot Roast.

Charming went with the Old Glory, a 6 ounce burger topped with bacon and cheddar, served with French fried potatoes.

It was really juicy and Charming wolfed this down as well. He said it was very good.

Both girls had the kid’s meal pizza which came with apple slices as well as carrot and celery slices.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I get a pizza the furthest thing from my mind is some apples, carrots and celery…more like beer and football. The girls enjoyed the pizza and Haley ate almost all of hers.

The bill came to $46.95 (pre-tip) with the 20% DDE discount. Overall, we really liked this restaurant and will be back for lunch. We have been to the character dinner here and lunch was more relaxed, less rushed and an overall nice experience. The table next to us was a large round one which sat around 7. During our meal a family had been seated there. On our way out a woman at the table touched my arm and complimented me on the girls behavior. I was so touched. What a compliment. I think as a mother, I always see the imperfections in what I do or don’t do. It was a wonderful thing to hear and really made my day.

 

[lillygator]

Around 12:45 we were finished up with lunch and we decided to hike over to Tomorrowland. Big mistake. Huge! Our route took us through Fantasyland and my word, it was SWAMPED! Walked through Toontown and even Goofy’s Barnstormer had a wait, we’ve never seen a wait there (that I recall)! Took the back road into Tomorrowland and were greeted with mass chaos. It was like 5 tour busses just let the herds out. Space Mountain had an 80 minute wait, Buzz was 40 minutes, Astro Orbiter was 50 minutes…even the Wedway People Mover (I know, I know) had a line of people going up the escalator…no wait though, so we headed up and away we went.

It was pretty darn warm at this point and Charming was glad he had a Mickey Tee on underneath the Sparrow shirt!

After the ride we strolled back up Main Street, not really wanting to leave we took a chance with the Main Street Barber Shop and sure enough, a 5 minute wait. Princess Samantha was going to get her very first hair cut. Yes, she is 4 and no she’s never had a pair of snippers touch a hair on her head.

It was a tad challenging keeping her head straight, but somehow we managed. A couple inches off and a smattering of pixie dust and viola! She was presented with special mouse ears which were embroidered with “my first haircut” on the back. Samantha also received a special certificate and the CM packaged up her hair in tissue paper for a keepsake.

Charming decided to have a trim as well…at $17 for adults and $14 for kids, that’s probably gotta be one of the best bargains in all of Walt Disney World!

the before:

and after:

Now that everyone, well at least two, are neat and pretty we tooled around Main Street a bit and saw Gideon

and a new character for us, Victoria Trumpetto, a Main Street charcter performer. We got a picture and an autograph which she promptly sealed with a kiss….that’s a V touch there!

Felt like a salmon going upstream Main Street but we went over to Adventureland

bypassing the spitting camel and going on the Jungle Cruise….now we actually waited in line for this….a good 25 minutes in line! So unlike us, but what the heck. Now – this is a ride that is completely made by the driver and I am sorry to say our driver was about as impressive as a magician on the radio.

We were seated up at the front and even being right next to the CM, we could barely hear what was being said.
Haley was completed enthralled...

we made it through the "falls"....

and past the natives...

Unlucky for us our boat was stuck at the end for a good five minutes. I was more than ready to exit….after the cruise we decided to call it a day and head back home…Samantha wanted to go to her Disney home and was rather upset that we weren’t spending the night.

On our way out Clarabelle and Horace Horsecollar were out front doing meet and greets as was Daisy, Minnie and the rascally chipmunks Chip and Dale. We stopped to buy some Mickey head gummies and were on our way up the monorail ramp and back to our car. The princesses were asleep before we got past the Hess station.

Now all in all, even though the Magic Kingdom was very crowded (stupid me, wasn’t thinking about the holiday weekend) it was a fun day. We got to do a few things we hadn’t done before, which is always a winner in my book! We rarely come over for the day…I really love to hit the resort by early afternoon and you can’t easily do that when you are staying over! But no worries…only four more sleeps until we head over for Haley’s birthday weekend!

 

[mlill]

Felt like a salmon going upstream Main Street but we went over to Adventureland

LOL! That's a perfect analogy! My DH sometimes 'moos' when we are going the same way as a big crowd - like we're all a herd of cattle. (Yes, he get's dirty looks! ) Great start to your TR! I'm really enjoying it!

Take care,
-Michelle

P.S. Your girls are adorable!

 

[lillygator]

3 morse sleeps to WDW = much more obsession........DISNEY obsession.....what changes can I make at this point?

No values at rack, FL or AP rates available, so guess we are sticking with Caribbean Beach Resort.....Jamaica? Most definitely no, but hey it's 50 degress here......we can pretend.

So far for ADR's, in case ya'll are interested:

Thursday: PIRATE and princess party ----- Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
Friday: Sci Fi Lunch, Luau Dinner
Saturday: Le Cellier Lunch, 1900 Park Fare Birthday Dinner
Sunday: Flame Tree and some Hooter Wings to Go for the "bowl"


YUM!! The Luau may be cancelled....on one end or the other...it has been cancelled the past few cold nights....

 

[lillygator]

Thursday February 1, 2007 ~ Bubble Gum Day ~ Hula in the Coola Day (sounds kinky) ~ the “I can’t believe my baby is going to be 2” trip!

So Thursday dawns, I have to make an appearance at work while my darling family sleeps in and lounges around doing nothing to be ready. I am overly anxious to leave but have a noon meeting. I am hoping to leave directly afterward….finally I can break free and I arrive home to find Charming (imagine nails on the chalkboard as I say this…..) has put he girls down for a nap and is cooking burgers…..


HELLO – people, we are going to DISNEY…..or did I forget to TELL YOU?


Men, ok, naps were supposed to happen along the drive over….oh well. The weather was looking crappy and I really felt like sitting down and having a good cry. I had been struggling with a career decision and finally made my choice today, something I am still wrestling with but must come to peace with eventually. I sat on the coffee table and decided, what the heck, lighten up, we’re going to Disney, not necessarily on my time schedule, but whatever….


2:15 pm and we are on the road. We stopped off at County Line Rd exit in Lakeland as my mom had a box of Disney goodies for us…two new Ariel pillows for the girls as well as sweatshirts and sweaters….may come in handy. And then, there is was:

And again:

I ran in to check in, while Charming and the girls waited in the car, it was raining at this point. Check in was very smooth and we had landed building #26, one of the closest to the food courts and main pool. Sweet!

So we were given room 2641 and basically had time to change and get the heck out of dodge to the party. We got to the room and wow – something major happened in this room. There were two “jello’s” out….room deodorizers. I did not see crime scene tape or blood stains and really had no time to question it, hopefully no one was horribly ill or anything.

Samantha pointed out our Disney boat....

Overall the room was ok, great location, nice corner with two large windows. Would we stay here again? Sure, not as a first choice….it wasn’t first choice for this trip either, it was ALL that was available aside from SSR.

We got decked out and headed out to the party….

the rain had stopped and we were thankful as we got into the car nice and dry.

 

[lillygator]

5pm we left for the party. I was convinced it would be rained out and I had wasted some $$......it actually was ok, in the beginning. We had 5:05 LTT reservations that we obviously weren’t going to make so I called and let them know. I had read about the limited food options at the party and was a tad worried but not much I could do. Ok, actually, in my mind I was FREAKED! But of course, portrayed otherwise. Finally around 5:20 we were at Guest Services and picking up our will call tickets. We entered and were greeted with a red carpet, treat bags and even a fog machine!!

We walked over to Adventure Land as the map said El Pirata y el Perico would be open….our fav ---------- YES TACO’S!!!! Unfortunately everything but the rides pretty much close down before the party starts. We walked onto Pirates…bypassed Hook and Mr. Smee meet and greet…and then wandered over to Frontierland….the fry wagon was closing (actually – they had given out the “last” fry!!) but Pecos Bill’s was still open! Yippeee..provisions! As much as I wanted to hold out for TACO’S….just could….not…..be…….done!

The kid’s selections pretty much bit the big one – ok, not pretty much….DID…sloppy joe’s (whoever put this on there obviously doesn’t have children or the need for a bib or to do laundry!!!) and chilled chicken - WTH??

So we got one kids chilled chicken with carrots, celery, grapes and applesauce and Sprite and milk and both Charming and I had the BBQ Pork Sandwich with fries and beans with Coke and Diet Coke…we ordered an extra side of fries for the girls to split. $29.62 and no dining card discount!

The sandwich was ok, but bland compared to Flame Tree BBQ and the roll was very dusty, beans ~ yuck and the fries were nice and crispy, just what my thighs need! Can I mix them with mayo and ketchup? (or catsup?) We, ok I, also took note of everyone around us and who walked by in the restaurant who did not have wristbands on. Quite a few people who wait until the last minute to eat and get the heck out of dodge.

This is terrible but there were so many stencil projections throughout the park. Pirate ships, hooks, crowns, etc. It was fantastic!

….also, throughout the park were different displays set up ~ sooooo cool!!

After filling our bellies ….we wandered over to Fantasyland and then Toontown where Charming and Samantha became Goofy’s Barnstormer Frequent Fliers, complete with a special card and Charming added the Cannibal Jack eyes to his wardrobe courtesy of the face painting stop

I had the girls in the stroller and went off to the restroom while Charming was getting duded up, we came back with FULL INTENT on getting the girls some face painting as well. There were three ~ THREE ~ 3 CM’s working….not one even looked up or over to us and there was NO ONE there, besides Charming in the chair. And honestly we would have paid $20 per kid for a heart on the cheek, but man, I was quite shocked, no, actually I was beyond shocked. But hey, I’ll spend my $$ elsewhere I guess.

This is an example of the party sites set up ----- X marks the spot!!

 

[lillygator]

….afterward it was time for the party to start – officially and finally!!!…we headed back to Fantasyland and caught the dance party with Sebastian and the two fish from Ariel…sorry, I never knew their names in the movie and still don’t know.

See - DD had a jacket on, it was COLD, and yes, aside from Charming, we are all NATIVES! While Charming and Princess Samantha were whooping it up with some wild looking fish, I was trying to find out where the RARE characters were....WELL....MR. CM, with Glasses - if you remember talking to me....you were full of.........



.........

............



false info. We were directed to the High School Musical stage area for the nasty stepsisters......He was a handler so he knew better...and if he didn't "know" he should not have said!!

So, of course we high tail it to TL and of course...dead, empty, no lighting, so we rode Buzz 4 times!

 

[jordansmomma]

Presently, Splash is closed for refurbishment. There are several large signs relaying the fact as well as two CM’s manning the joint. This sure doesn’t stop every guest passing by asking if Splash is open or what time to come back today….apparantly the lifeguards were off duty in certain gene pools.

Who reads signs anyway?? They are just there for the heck of it!!
I think I work with people where the lifeguards are off duty in the gene pools.
I am lovin' your TR. Hmm I am going to have to try that drink this weekend.

 

[krismom]

I found you again! And I'm still waiting for the rest of the cruise trippie- I love your reports, your DH is such a good sport!

 

[JJBEAN]

Subscribing...can't wait to hear more!!

 

[tubachick]

love the pics from & party!!!

 

[averill94]

Wow youa re on a roll! Thanks for sharing.
That lunch at LTT looked good- I think we will check it out next time.
Pretty neat to see Sebastian- I've never seen him before.
Looking forward to more.
Thanks

 

[KimAshton]

The girls are too adorable. Cannot wait to read more.

 

[lucas]

Great report and pics!

 

[lillygator]

Who reads signs anyway?? They are just there for the heck of it!!
I think I work with people where the lifeguards are off duty in the gene pools.
I am lovin' your TR. Hmm I am going to have to try that drink this weekend.

It's deee-lish!

I found you again! And I'm still waiting for the rest of the cruise trippie- I love your reports, your DH is such a good sport!

He is a great sport....gotta love him for putting up with three drama queen princesses and my family! BTW, I "grabbed my glass and am getting back to writing" right now!

Subscribing...can't wait to hear more!!

it's coming!!

Wow youa re on a roll! Thanks for sharing.
That lunch at LTT looked good- I think we will check it out next time.
Pretty neat to see Sebastian- I've never seen him before.
Looking forward to more.
Thanks

Sebastian was pretty cool...I mean I know he's a crab..but I could not picture exactly what the costume would be like...nor Abu.

The girls are too adorable. Cannot wait to read more.

Thank you, they are growing up on me!

Great report and pics!

Thank you!!

 

[lillygator]

As we left Buzz we ran into our MNSSHP guys…although when we photo’ed them in October and I could have sworn they were on stilts…there was a stilt guy tonight as well in a different outfit though. Look, they are not much taller than Charming!

They spoke with the girls (ya know, I never thought until now – do they autograph?) and then we went to retrieve the stroller which we had discarded across the entryway to Buzz. That’s just such a funny word. Buzz. Buzz. How did they come up with the character names for Toy Story?

Ok, so now we were Buzz’ed out, and not the V Bad Girl kind of buzzing and despite the fact I had lost, or should I say, received less points than Charming, I was in quite jovial spirits. We really had no plan of action, or itinerary so to speak. I had specific wants that I had instructed (or maybe told) Charming – HAD to be accomplished. Rides were absolutely last IMHO.

Step sisters, Jack and (now that we’d already swam under the sea with Ariel’s friend’s) Abu…..ok, maybe that should read Jack first…nah, I really wanted to see the step sisters.

Really --- and definitely wanted the autographs. Theirs are not in my sister’s “learning” pack. And she’d never seen ‘em either.

Parade and fireworks also made that list….definitely fireworks…we are a fireworks family, not necessarily, the stake a spot an hour early, but we have fireworks at home all the time….(and yes, those kind too! )

So we made our way out of Tomorrowland and onto the castle…..we passed another photo op. Which was really something I could have done without tonight as well. I mean I had characters to find! But Charming wanted to sit in that chair….who was I to stop him, I mean, I do drag him everywhere. Well there were two families in front of us and both had two children and one child from each family was very uncooperative. I.E. not wanting to smile or pose correctly, and I guess since there was only us and two couples behind us waiting neither family thought about hurrying their precious babies along. Seriously, I was ready to leave and Charming was no V, I want us up there. Yadda yadda. When it was finally our turn I was so anxious to get out of there I – it turned into Charming’s photo op….only!

And actually, this was “my” pic…the Photopass pic shows the castle in the background and is well, obviously done by a Photopass photographer.

It was now to the point the parade was about to begin…what was that? The parade? YES, it’s on my list. Since we also don’t camp out for parade spots nor squish our way in…I was so positive we would never get a spot….well it just so happens we landed a FANTASTIC spot…a really really really great one….so great I cannot tell my fellow DIS’ers because it will be known forever as the secret V spot!

And what was this? The parade was about 50 feet away from us at the very beginning…I could not have paid someone to do this better for us.

Sorry my parade pictures are not that fab….I have a great camera, but am very technologically challenged!!

Haley waving to the princesses…

These pesky digitals....have the time difference between pushing the button and actually taking...I am sure it isn't a user malfunction...

The parade was good….not as great as the MNSSHP parade…but then I am partial to those guys whacking the shovels on the ground…but good! Cinderella’s float got stuck…or “off track” I should say….they brought a guy in a tractor to get her back on!

Now, as far as the pirate boat…well, I was IMPRESSED…there was an ELIZABETH…ok, she’s not a WDW character – but she was fighting, had the same hair and from the distance really resembled her character! I never did get a clean shot!

 

[lillygator]

And here is the showstopper of the parade…and the entire reason I wanted to actually sit still and watch the parade…..


TINK!

She was fantastic….so in character and man, I so wanna be TINK!

And just as the parade came to an end…we were able to duck out with no crowds!!

The parade – well I know I have read some harsh reviews, but I liked it…the girls loved it and well Chaming? He’s up for anything that will keep us quiet, occupied and not spending $$ for more than five minutes. And I think he was secretly hoping the Headless Horseman would appear.

After that it was off to Adventureland to catch Abu….and well…we go to the area and there was a line – you know V and lines do not mix!! …we got in it and of course two LARGE families ahead of us, we wer informed Abu and Genie had to go soon and Jasmine would come out. Now here I have an issue….there was a quite large party – one family in front of us that was doing weird things…they had strategically placed a family member in x spots throughout the line. And were essentially holding multiple spots. It is hard to explain but for example…two of the kids got up to see Genie and Abu, they got photos autographs and then BAM they swooshed under the ropes and were in FRONT OF US in line again….NOW, we have had this happen several times in WDW as a family may be waiting for a character to come out…which ---- this family was waiting for Jasmine…THAT IS FINE, LET THE REST OF US THROUGH PLEASE. It was very rude. Also…Genie and Abu were very much in character and were taking a lot of time with everyone which was fantastic but I wish the handler would have noticed that the same children had multiple turns before others in line did.

Jasmine came out and the Buzz was still about Genie and Abu…and she was standing right next to us…

She commented on how “no one wants to see her”….I didn’t say anything as in all honesty I was there for Abu and Abu only!! We’ve seen plenty of Miss J, Aladdin and the Genie!

So then, the unthinkable happened…right in front of us…Abu left…..

But we opted to greet Jasmine…after all, she is the most gorgeous of the Jasmine’s I have seen and she was quite witty, mentioning Charming better keep his sword at bay!! LOL!

And she was gorgeous and sweet…and as we were leaving Aladdin arrived…in time to save Jasmine from Charming!!

As we left the “line” we stumbled…and not a drunken stumble as MK is dry….into the “Jasmine store”…where we purchased a PNP frame…it’s fantastic and still boxed up in the MK bag on my dining room table…during this time I heard a blast and started worrying that the fireworks had started….checked my watch, checked trusty map….and NO. They were not about to start….

So we made said purchase and headed back toward the castle…the DOLE WHIP line was none existent but they were open! Charming had spotted one of these babies on a prior trip and every time we went by it seemed they were backed up into the Swiss Families roots! But we got two…one for Charming and one split three ways….now here’s the Charming deal. We grow things…ok, he does. I do orchids and that is it. Charming, well he’s a rare breed…we are sporting about 8 grape plants in hopes of a future vineyard – pineapples…well really, they are our, er his, thing…our yard is not huge but we have well over xxx plants. Seriously, in season, we can’t give enough away before they go bad. So back to the float. Charming was in heaven…more like….

“V, we’ve passed this stand many times, now we’ll never pass without stopping”
I can safely say, I can live without a Dole Whip…I also don’t like chocolate so take it for what its worth.

So then it’s on to PIRATES ---- whoo hooo!! I am secretly hoping that one of the YOAMD giveaways is a night with Johnny, um Jack Sparrow… - You know, watching the movie!!

Poor people riding in our boat…Captain is used to getting an empty boat in his costume….so riders were subjected to Carlin Family Yo Ho’s!

 

[lillygator]

Safely exited the pirate ship…and no dream Depp was awarded….

Now it was time to make our way to a good fireworks spot….

so we headed towards the castle and chose the breezeway and stood up against the rail facing the castle.

We spoke with a very nice young couple who I can’t help but wonder if one or both were cast members….they were very nice to talk to!

The fireworks were delayed quite a while….it was a bit windy and misty that night….

But once they started….OMG – they were so fantastic…REALLY, absolutely worth every cent of the admission price. Honestly, best fireworks and “show” HANDS DOWN!
I didn’t get any pictures because honestly I do not know how to adjust my camera to do the best shots…lame excuse I know, but you’ll just have to trust me…the show was great, the music was awesome and timed to perfection.

After the fireworks and since we were so close to Adventureland, Charming wanted to go get Jack’s autograph. Not that I minded or anything. We went to his line and luckily it was still inside the building as they did have ropes set up outside and out there it was an hour + wait!! Yowser! He’s one popular pirate! The line ended up being around 25 minutes…not terribly bad, one of the longest we have waited in with the girls and I was a tad scared when the CM told us the wait time…you know kids and lines mix about as well as V and lines….NOT GOOD! They were ok, stayed in the stroller for the most part which was nice.

We got to the room and it was decked out with lots of booty.

Jack was not to thrilled with the princess pen!

Haley was a little skeptical….

Now it was off to find the step sisters….we got to their line just as the handler was closing it off. They were scheduled to come again at 11:40….I was not leaving the park without seeing them….that was for sure.

We had some time to kill so we decided to head over to Toontown to see who the “special guests” were. One handler told me Tinkerbelle had done a couple meet and greets as a test in the judges tent. With the erroneous information I had received earlier I was pretty sure we would not find her…and of course we didn’t but we did stumble upon Snow White, her prince and Dopey. Upon seeing Haley, Snow White exclaimed “Look, a little me!”

The line wasn’t that long and the characters really took their time with us and were wonderful. We strolled out and ran smack into Pirate, err Jack Goofy!

We decided to slowly head back to where the step sisters would be in front of Sir Mickey’s and get in line. Luckily we were first.

 

[lillygator]

So we sat….and waited….and waited a bit more. And then a woman with a stroller came by and said the “girls” were either already out or would be coming out at Pooh’s Thoughtful Spot.

Drat.


Actually, it was a few different choice words in my head.



“mother signs first”, “move over” --- too bad Charming was dressed as the Captain, THE Captain…..

Jack Sparrow….although Anastasia and Drizella were all over him regardless – it’s probably a “man” thing and let’s not forget CJS gets all the booty ----








--- that’s TREASURE people!! Those step’s know all about the gold!

They were fantastically in character and my goodness, the dark haired one reminded Charming and I both Drama Queen, my dear sister. Although I did not get in the photo I was like a toad in the sprocket with the autographs.

So the Bad Girl met badder girls. And I would never dream of ripping someone’s sash or grabbing their beads….

I mean, there is no need.


After that we went over to the Pirate Interactive area in Toontown. Charming had been chomping at the bit to dunk the dunkee in the dunking booth. There was a ring toss set up, a sledge hammer into the treasure chest and the dunking booth…..I was in desperate search of the Captain Jack Sparrow kissing booth but never did find it.

So Samantha tossed a few rings, I sledged a few hammers and Charming got to dunk the goofy pirate. They gave out Pirates of The Caribbean tattoos, stickers and beads --- whooo hooo!! Nothing like Mardi Gras’s requirements for beads…but then, this isn’t a Bad Girl establishment.

Pirate – have you met Charming’s arm?

The clock had long since struck midnight and we decided to meander on down Main Street. We stopped in one of the shops and bought the special Princess and Party Pins and I talked myself into buying the party night T-shirts. They are cute but I don’t typically wear traditional t-shirts…they just aren’t cut for Bad Girl bumps.

The pins were the same each night, not like the other parties ~ each night has a different pin and a sucker to buy them all.

We walked up the monorail ramp and Samantha was out….

Haley, on the other hand, takes after her mom and was upset we were leaving….

Got back to the car and swung by Hess for some provisions…..


BEER!

Made it back to Caribbean Beach Resort and chilled out ready for another day of fun.

Thoughts on the party – I really thought the weather would ruin the night, it in fact, turned out perfect. Charming and I thought the party was great. The fireworks were wonderful, as was the parade (aside from Cinderella’s float getting stuck) I keep reading about the “bugs being worked out” and other than not having an officially closing and reopening of the park, I am not sure what I or others thought the bugs were. The treat spots were fun – lots of beads, chocolate coins and tattoos. The crowds were very low, not something WDW is in love with I am sure, but I loved it. The characters were great, I love seeing new and “rare” characters. We will definitely go again next year and I am thinking of buying tickets for ESPN weekend next week!