Thankful for Disney - SOOZE's Thanksgiving TR FULL of PICTURES! NEW!! 6/5

[Sooze]

Yeah you updated

What a fun morning you and Shae must have had with those low crowds, but yikes for three times on the teacups in a row lol

Can't wait to see the princess pics

They shut me down... it had been so long since I updated!! I had to ask OhMari to open the trip report for me again. I'm so ashamed!!

EMH in the AM at MK..... they are the best!! We always cram a LOT in, even if it has to be the teacups 3 times... good thing I have a strong stomach!

I was great the amount of rides you were able to accomplished before the crowd arrived. I look forward to the princess pictures.

I'm looking forward to sharing them with you!! We just love our princesses!!

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Wow, you have me convinced, we have got to do EMH's more this trip. You got so much done in that hour!

I think it is great you got some alone time with Shaelyn. It looks like you had so much fun. I think it is great she is still wearing those princess ears. She looks like such a little princess herself.

Isn't the MK opening just great! We have to catch it at least once every trip.

Never knew that about Cindy's horse on the carousel. I will have to look for it this trip.

I can't wait to ride Dumbo this time to see the expansion. I saw a picture the other day of part of the new Beast castle. Have you seen that?

Okay, so we are down to less than 6 weeks so we will have to compare schedules and see when we can hook up for a dis meet. I know you have family traveling with you so I can leave it up to you. Other than dining reservations, we are pretty flexible.

 

[jwwi]

Looks like you had such a fun morning with Shae. I love going to MK first thing in the morning and experiencing a lot of attractions in a short amount of time. And it looks like the weather was cooperating too. Shae looks so happy in all of the pictures. Can't wait for the new expanded fantasyland, should be really great when it is completed.

 

[Sooze]

Wow, you have me convinced, we have got to do EMH's more this trip. You got so much done in that hour!

YES! Especially at MK! It's a pain getting up that early, but not really. I mean, how hard is it to get up and get going when Disney World is waiting!!! Plus, you feel good about going back to the resort for pool/nap time later!

I think it is great you got some alone time with Shaelyn. It looks like you had so much fun. I think it is great she is still wearing those princess ears. She looks like such a little princess herself.

I agree. Such special memories! And those ears... wow! They have more than paid for themselves with the use they have gotten. I expect to see them even more on our next trip!

Isn't the MK opening just great! We have to catch it at least once every trip.

For sure! When we go in June, we are taking my DH's family.. we must make sure we catch that show as a grand gathering!

Never knew that about Cindy's horse on the carousel. I will have to look for it this trip.

I taught you something new!! Of course, if it's crowded, it'd be hard to spend the time looking for it. You'll have to do so when you attempt EMH, right?

I can't wait to ride Dumbo this time to see the expansion. I saw a picture the other day of part of the new Beast castle. Have you seen that?

I saw the updated pics on the blog here. Wow.. that castle looks awesome!! Sure hope it doesn't take away from Cinderella's castle... but I'm assuming the Imagineers have that all figured out!

Okay, so we are down to less than 6 weeks so we will have to compare schedules and see when we can hook up for a dis meet. I know you have family traveling with you so I can leave it up to you. Other than dining reservations, we are pretty flexible.

Maybe we can meet up for fireworks, or something. When we get closer, I'll PM you with my cell phone #, so we can keep tabs on each other!

Looks like you had such a fun morning with Shae. I love going to MK first thing in the morning and experiencing a lot of attractions in a short amount of time. And it looks like the weather was cooperating too. Shae looks so happy in all of the pictures. Can't wait for the new expanded fantasyland, should be really great when it is completed.

I am DROOLING at the thought of the new Fantasyland. Shae will be the perfect age to soak up all of the princess goodness!!! The two of us DID share a perfect morning together... and the best is yet to come!

Three words:

Rah. Pun. Zel!!!

 

[shellylovesdisney]

You really haven't finished this TR yet? Geeez, you'd think you're busy or something. Love you Floooooooose..........your pictures make me giddy about our December trip! I'm very close to booking AKV 1 bedroom----wish me luck!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

 

[Sooze]

You really haven't finished this TR yet? Geeez, you'd think you're busy or something. Love you Floooooooose..........your pictures make me giddy about our December trip! I'm very close to booking AKV 1 bedroom----wish me luck!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

I can't wait to help you plan!! Here comes another update or two! Enjoy!

And get off my back...I'm surprised ANYONE is still reading this. It takes me forever to get these done... sigh...

 

[Sooze]

We had loaded up our EMH with tons of rides and a bit of dizziness. It was time for some PRINCESSES!!

Our first stop was Tiana and Naveen. Here is some video of the wonderful interaction we ALWAYS experience with these two. I just think they are such a gorgeous couple. Tiana’s gown is so beautiful! Enjoy:



And a still shot of Shae with the Prince and Princess. Naveen’s smile is so goofy!

Next we stopped by the Tangled meet and greet area. Apparently, there were scheduled times to visit with Rapunzel about every hour. There was already a line waiting for the next round, so Shae and I decided to come back later and try to get in the front of a new line!

So we meandered back to Toontown (may it rest in peace) to wait for the princesses. But first, Shae insisted on visiting Mickey and Minnie’s homes.

Shae always enjoys playing with the hands-on props in Minnie’s house. (While I cringe at the thought of millions of hands touching them every day!)

Minnie’s message board:

Love the diet cookies! I walked through this house at least 5 times before seeing these!

I think I had to pull Shaelyn away from this oven. So much fun!

Aaaaaannndd… this oven, too!

Wow… Minnie has GOT to have intestinal issues with this much cheese in her diet.

Mickey’s house was all ready for Christmas!

As a Midwestern girl, I just can’t get past the shorts and t-shirt next to a Christmas tree. This just ain’t right!

Cute Christmas touches.

My attempt at photographic creativity!

We finally made our way to the big tent, where we are faced with every little girl’s Disney dilemma… Fairies? Or Princesses? We decided to go for the Princesses, since we weren’t doing a character meal this time. Not to mention, the wait was about 30 minutes less! After a pretty quick-moving wait, we were in!

First up was Cinderella:

Then Belle, with her magnificent gown. Love it!

We were held up for a moment while we waited for the last princess.

Shae took the moment to practice her princess poses.

Finally, Jasmine.

She spent so much time talking to Shaelyn. She even shared some secrets.

I didn’t dare ask what they spoke about. It was just so precious!

Coming up... it's a good thing we didn't have to wait long to see these princesses... because Rapunzel would take up ALL of our waiting time today! WOW!! Totally worth the wait. TOTALLY!!!

 

[Sooze]

We knew the next meet-and-greet time for Rapunzel was about 90 minutes away, so we headed to her new area. This is where Belle used to have story time. The area mostly looks the same, but they have added draperies with the purple and gold theme, along with the sun design from the Tangled movies. The benches have been removed and a large table (with the sun design) now sits where the benches used to be. I was quite unsure why that table was there! As we approached, the last group of people were still standing there, waiting for Rapunzel and FLYNN! Yay! Both of them!! A very short line had started, so Shae and I grabbed our spot, about 4 families back. We knew the next show time was an hour and a half away, and I questioned Shaelyn multiple times about whether or not she really wanted to sit here that long. She insisted every single time that she HAD to see Rapunzel. Now, keep in mind, we hadn’t even seen the movie yet. Boy, Disney knows how to promote, don’t they?

Here is our view of the castle as we sat waiting… and waiting… and waiting.

I am telling you, my little princess did not complain… not once. She sat happily in her stroller eating jelly beans with me, asking me questions, chatting with the kids around us.. just completely anticipating the moment when she would meet Rapunzel! It was a positively pleasant wait.

So, finally, they start letting us into the area. They took the first 20ish kids and put them around that large table, while the parents were lined up against the wall to observe. I had no idea what was going on! I just assumed Rapunzel would come out, we’d wait to see her, we’d get our pictures taken, and we’d leave. Boy, did we get an awesome surprise!! They handed the kids a coloring page and crayons (Tangled-themed, of course). And let them color while they waited.

A view of the area:

Trying to stay in the lines:

Decorations in the Tangled meet-and-greet area:

Soon, we heard some beautiful music and out came Flynn Rider! He started to announce Rapunzel’s arrival when she just kind of burst out onto the stage. VERY in-character for both of them.

They made their way down to the table with the kids and interacted with them.

Then a very festive tune started playing and they started DANCING with the kids around the table. It was SO amazing! And what was better… Rapunzel stood RIGHT next to Shae, so she got to hold Rapunzel’s hand for the dance. AH! She was just in heaven!!

Some video of the dance. Shae just doesn’t know WHAT to think!


Love this moment:

When the dance was over, Flynn and Rapunzel moved back up to the stage. They sent the kids back to the parents to wait for autographs and pictures. The pair spent A LOT of time with each family. While we waited, the CMs brought around a big stuffed chameleon (Pascal) for the kids to get their pictures taken with. Very cute, and kept them entertained. I realized while we were waiting that we did not bring an autograph book on the trip, since it was short and we weren’t planning on doing many character meets. So I took the coloring page Shae did and asked them to sign it. It was perfect!

First meeting:

Rapunzel was just SO cute:

Another goofy prince and his goofy smile. What gives?

I couldn’t pass on jumping into a picture. These two were just precious!

We had such an amazing morning together! It was time to head back to the resort for lunch and a nap before our big Thanksgiving meal as a family!

 

[mermaid764]

Wow the tangled meet and greet looks awesome, what an awesome experience for all those kids and your pictures from there turned out great

Can't wait for more

 

[Sooze]

Wow the tangled meet and greet looks awesome, what an awesome experience for all those kids and your pictures from there turned out great

Can't wait for more

We waited for a long time for it, but, as I said, it was SO worth it. Shaelyn STILL talks about it!! Thanks!

 

[micandminforever]

The princess pictures were worth waiting for. The videos are so cute.

 

[jeremysdisneymom]

Wow, what an awesome meet and greet! You can tell Shae was having so much fun. So worth the long wait!

Love Shae's princess pose. Too precious!

I never noticed Minnie's diet cookies until you posted. Really going to miss those houses this trip.

 

[Sooze]

The princess pictures were worth waiting for. The videos are so cute.

Thanks! And thanks so much for waiting for them... I know I've been a terrible TR author!!

Wow, what an awesome meet and greet! You can tell Shae was having so much fun. So worth the long wait!

Love Shae's princess pose. Too precious!

I never noticed Minnie's diet cookies until you posted. Really going to miss those houses this trip.

So worth the wait! She is always a little sad when we have to leave the characters. You can tell she would stay there with them all day if she could!

I promise, I have never coacher her on her princess poses.. they just come naturally!!

Sorry you missed out on the cookies. Who knows what wonderful new things we will be able to see in the NEW Fantasyland!

 

[Blueyed Girl]

Love love love the updates!! Sorry I've been slacking on my TR reading. I see that we will miss each other by only a couple of weeks again on our next trips! BOO!!!!

Love the pic's with the princesses and Rapunzel. I think Flynn is TRYING to do the "smoulder" look. Remember from the movie? But it's just not working for him. He needs to practice that a little more in the mirror.

 

[Sooze]

Love love love the updates!! Sorry I've been slacking on my TR reading. I see that we will miss each other by only a couple of weeks again on our next trips! BOO!!!!

Love the pic's with the princesses and Rapunzel. I think Flynn is TRYING to do the "smoulder" look. Remember from the movie? But it's just not working for him. He needs to practice that a little more in the mirror.

I know how hard it is to keep up with my own TR, let alone reading and commenting on everyone else's. Don't you worry, Cherie! I COMPLETELY understand! I'm hoping you guys are having a wonderful time in Disney right now... someday we WILL converge at the same time, I just know it!

If that is Flynn's smolder look, you are right.. he has lots of practicing to do!! And maybe he needs to try to grow a REAL goatee (Although I think they are illegal for Disney employees, no?)

 

[JenSop]

I know how hard it is to keep up with my own TR, let alone reading and commenting on everyone else's. Don't you worry, Cherie! I COMPLETELY understand! I'm hoping you guys are having a wonderful time in Disney right now... someday we WILL converge at the same time, I just know it!

If that is Flynn's smolder look, you are right.. he has lots of practicing to do!! And maybe he needs to try to grow a REAL goatee (Although I think they are illegal for Disney employees, no?)

HI Sooze! I also just saw your update! That meet and greet looks amazing. I'm trying to pay attention to the kid stuff as much as possible, so I'll be more versed on kid-stuff in Disney when we go with our nieces next year.

So excited about our trip for this year, though! Two weeks to go!

 

[Sooze]

After a WONDERFUL morning with my little princess at Magic Kingdom, it was time to head home for our rest and nap time. We had a big night ahead of us at Epcot as a family, including a meal in Italy for Thanksgiving! On our way out, we stumbled upon the Main Street show. We were thrilled to see them in their Christmas costumes! Here are a few pictures from the show.

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but taking pictures of performers is one of my favorite things to do at Disney World. I hope someday soon I can afford a really nice camera and some photography lessons. It would be a dream to compile pictures of Disney performers and put together some kind of coffee table book loaded with them! I’d buy it, wouldn’t you?

This one would be great for a caption contest. Wonder what she’s thinking….

Clang Clang Clang went the trolley!!

Love the spats!! I really want one of these costumes to wear to the next Holiday gathering I attend.

Gotta love the swirly skirt shots!

Shae and I made it out of MK after enjoying the show (and, can I mention, I love how she just sits and takes in the dancing and singing? She never gets antsy and wants to move on. She wants to watch it ALL!), and hopped a Disney bus back to POFQ. We were starving, so we headed over to the food court. This time we stayed at POFQ since the food court was so close to our room. It was a typical counter service station… not as good as POR, IMHO, but it did the job. While we were waiting for our orders, Shaelyn started doing this silly dance.

She called it her “tray dance”.

Only a counter service in Disney World would make you break out in random dance.

What’s that? You’d like to see a VIDEO of the tray dance? Well, of course! All you had to do is ask! (Then click below….)



Aren’t you glad you asked?!

Both of us CRASHED in our quiet hotel room. Matt and Tyson decided to stay at Epcot for the day. So after we rejuvenated ourselves with the always-amazing Disney nap, we freshened up, and headed on over to Epcot. Since the boys had the car, we hopped on another bus, and were able to go into the front entrance. (Something we RARELY do anymore!)

Tyson was so happy to see his sister… really! He was! It was so sweet:

And since we were in the front of Epcot, we decided to do some of the awesome hands-on activities that they offer in Innoventions. First up was the piggy-bank game.

Getting started. Notice Ty’s hand on his sister’s shoulder. They show SO much love when we are here…

This part always reminds me of a game show, like The Price is Right, or some other old 80’s game show!

Tyson working the lever with a bit of FLAIR!

Can you believe it? We were able to save up enough money to be a cool bedroom with a slide! Now, if only Disney would REALLY give that to us!

After the piggy bank, Matt and Ty did a round of “Sum of all Thrills” and Shae and I did the waste management game. Then, we were off to World Showcase. Time for our Italian Thanksgiving meal!!

Cooked by Chef Boy-R-Dee himself….



Yep… I said it. Stay tuned…

 

[Sooze]

HI Sooze! I also just saw your update! That meet and greet looks amazing. I'm trying to pay attention to the kid stuff as much as possible, so I'll be more versed on kid-stuff in Disney when we go with our nieces next year.

So excited about our trip for this year, though! Two weeks to go!

Going with your nieces is going to be so great for your business, too! You'll be a well-rounded Disney expert with advice on couples-only, girls getaways, and kid fun, too!!

Thanks for checking in! I'm hoping to finish this today! 1 update down, 2 to go!!

We leave in a little over 3 weeks for our Grand Gathering and I'd love to get a PTR going for that... so I'm motivated to get this done!

 

[Sooze]

We began our leisurely walk to the back of World Showcase for our reservations in Italy for our big Thanksgiving meal. On our way, we stopped to enjoy the shops and displays. Tyson was being especially silly with the puppets!

Shae had some fun too!

Pretty soon, we found ourselves in Italy. We checked into the restaurant and were IMMEDIATELY escorted to our table. I mean, zipped there in a FLASH!! Our reservations were right in the height of dinner hour, so I was quite surprised to see such an empty restaurant. I just assumed that since it was Thanksgiving, people were going for more American-traditional meals. That thought quickly changed when my meal was complete…

As soon as we sat down, our handsome waiter was there to take our drink orders. Let me say, the appearance of the wait-staff did NOT disappoint. WOW! I think Disney must select the stereotypical hot Italian men to work here. But I still clung close to my OWN man.. German blooded through and through!

I’m not going to spend too much time explaining this meal, mostly because it was completely unmemorable! Bottom line… we were in and out in under an hour. The restaurant was empty, and they zipped us through everything. Not kidding, we ordered our food and it was at our table in under 10 minutes. When they sat Matt’s plate in front of him (some kind of ravioli), the color of the sauce was bright orange… it looked like it came right out of a Chef-Boy-R-Dee can. And the taste? Meh. Everything was just… Meh. The fact that our food came out in record time made us feel like it had been sitting back in the kitchen for a while… It didn’t seem like they made the meal for US, you know? Overall, we were very disappointed in our Thanksgiving meal. The waiters were adorable and nice to look at, but that was it. The service was rushed, the food was mediocre (and remember, we are NOT food connoisseurs at ALL), and the atmosphere was blah since the restaurant was empty. It will be a while before we return here, for sure.

With our meal under our belts (literally), we decided to head out into World Showcase for more family fun.

We found ourselves back in Germany…. And we found more PUPPETS to play with!

Shaelyn found a princess friend.

Next stop was Norway…. And more silliness!

Bad Daddy!

Picking the troll nose… Boogies!!

Princess ready for battle.

We enjoyed lots and lots of laughs in the shops. It was so much fun!!

But there were Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom… and GUESS WHAT?! Our friends Dean, Adrianna, and Abby had arrived from Indiana… and we were off to find them for some BAND GEEK fun!!! If you want to know more about our friends, feel free to read my last two Spring Break trip reports. We love them!! And we have CRAZY fun with them!!

After hopping on the monorail, we headed over to the TTC, then decided to take the ferry over. As we were enjoying an empty ferry and some quiet sitting time, Wishes started!! We saw some BEAUTIFUL fireworks from the vantage point of the ferry. Stunning!

My princess enjoying the view:

Oops.. I forgot to pose for you!!

Up next, the Band Geeks take over MK… and kick the crowds OUT!

 

[Sooze]

Talk about fish upstream. We arrived at the Magic Kingdom just as Wishes was finishing… and just as the HOARDS of people started making their way down Main Street. Matt and Dean found this as a PERFECT opportunity to be obnoxious! They started directing everyone OUT… since we were going IN. The more people that left, the less crowds for us. Here they are in action:

This way people… THIS WAY!

Our 1st stop was to find a place to watch the 11:00 showing of The Main Street Electrical Parade. We usually sit near the Hall of Presidents, which is exactly where we ended up again. There was nobody there, so we found spots right on the edge of the street and waited. While waiting, some great CMs came out and started painting a water Mickey face. I’ve seen pictures of these all over the DIS, but never actually witnessed one being made. It was fun!

When they finished, they let kids come over and fill in the ears. Here are Shae and Ty taking their turn:

Pretty soon the parade was on! We loved reliving memories, and singing along to the familiar music. But, honestly, we missed Spectromagic. I can’t believe I’m saying that, as I despised Spectro when it first came out… but it has grown to become one of our favorite parades, and we have some hilarious memories with our Band Geek friends with that parade. Maybe it will return again someday. Here is the one and only shot of MSEP that I took:

We wrapped up the evening with many rides, including… THIS ONE… again…

4th time Mommy!!

Only my 1st:

We maxed out the EMH and rode lots of favorites. Then it was time to head home, and face the fact that we were going home the next day.

What a fabulous Thanksgiving we had today! What will tomorrow bring?