"One Step Ahead of the Slowpokes!"- A Dec '10/Jan '11 Trip Report! FINISHED 3/9 pg 38

[JessicaFaye508]

The Best Safari is a Pizzafari!
^^ That is one of the most brilliant things I have EVER heard. Legit.

Oh. My. God. That story about the parrot and your sister is TERRIFYING. I can just picture it. GAHH I would have freaked OUT.

I think that one animal is some sort of Dinosaur? I think? That's what I always assumed.

I always avoid the bee sting too! It HURTS! I just don't like it haha. That is a pretty scary attraction, I have to say! However, it was my FAVORITE when I was in like first grade. I'm more scared of it now than I was back then.

Those photopass pictures are ADORABLE! You guys are so cute!!

I... want... pizza.

Great update! Can't wait for the next one!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

I have to say that I think this is my favorite picture I've ever seen of the two of you

 

[stephielela]

Those PP pictures are great!! Six times on EE!! I know we rode at least 3 on our trip but thats because it was raining and no one else wanted to get pelted with shards of rain that felt like glass!

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

DW is terrified of birds. She won't go through the bird part on the trail. We did convince her to sit though the bird show at AK once and she did pretty well. It's tough for her because DD loves birds and will chase them.

Mmm, pizza.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Yay, so many updates!!!

I loved all the details at AK Yay on doing another safari. Lol at getting so many butt photos

What great interaction with King Louie and Baloo - I love the PP pic of King Louie with John and how he is telling him to get his face as a tattoo on his arm

Wow at seeing the gorilla eating off the plate. You lucked out with the tigers on Maharajah jungle trek - they were sleeping when we paid them a visit.

Oh no on being terrified of birds - I guess you stay away from Flights of Wonder then. OMG you should have seen me on ITTBAB - I was definitely screaming my head off!!

Great PP pics! Also I hope you don't mind me mentioning this on here instead of your other TR but I'm soo happy that your December trip is still going ahead!!

 

[Tracy161]

Great updates! Cannot believe how many times you got to ride EE that morning!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

6 times on EE?! That sounds like a dream AK morning for Miguel and I! I agree, the PP spot with EE in the background is one of the best. We came across a great photographer there, too. He took lots of time with us and did lots of neat poses. Wonder if it was the same one?

 

[therussells08]

Woah I am seriously behind here! I gotta catch up! ASAP!

Haha I am so far behind on so many TRs! I wish I could just take a whole day to sit around on the DIS and catch up!

Haha, I love parrots, but I have to look at them from a distance too! They freak me out...my ex bf had a parrot that his mom kept just sitting out, on a perch, and it was such an angry parrot, and once in a while, it would randomly fly throughout the house...every time it did that, I would scream and duck...and get laughed at!

Ok, I've never done ITTBAB, and now I'm never going to! It feels like a bee stings your back??? Dude. There's nothing more terrifying than bees. No freakin way. I'm glad you mentioned that, you pretty much just saved my life!

Aww, your PP pictures are too cute!

Camp Minnie Mickey is so adorable, all decorated from the holidays! Yum, Pizzafari...we've only eaten there once, but I really liked it! People complain about Disney pizza, but I think it's so good!

Ugh that would scared the heck out of me! I don't see why that laughed at you! I think that is a pretty legitimate fear!

Hahaha sorry to freak you out! It doesn't actually feel like a bee sting, it just pokes you, but it does hurt a little and it always catches me off guard!

Thank you!

I don't understand the complaints about Disney pizza either. I love it!

The Best Safari is a Pizzafari!
^^ That is one of the most brilliant things I have EVER heard. Legit.

Oh. My. God. That story about the parrot and your sister is TERRIFYING. I can just picture it. GAHH I would have freaked OUT.

I think that one animal is some sort of Dinosaur? I think? That's what I always assumed.

I always avoid the bee sting too! It HURTS! I just don't like it haha. That is a pretty scary attraction, I have to say! However, it was my FAVORITE when I was in like first grade. I'm more scared of it now than I was back then.

Those photopass pictures are ADORABLE! You guys are so cute!!

I... want... pizza.

Great update! Can't wait for the next one!

Hahaha thank you! I just love Disney pizza!

It was SO scary! Everytime I mention it she still gets freaked out. I don't blame her!

I think you're right... I had no idea!

The bee sting does hurt! You're right, that attraction in general is kind of scary. It's definitely not one of my favorites.

Thank you so much!

I want some pizza now too!

I have to say that I think this is my favorite picture I've ever seen of the two of you

Thank you! I really like that one too!

Those PP pictures are great!! Six times on EE!! I know we rode at least 3 on our trip but thats because it was raining and no one else wanted to get pelted with shards of rain that felt like glass!

Thank you! Hahaha I can see why no one would want to ride in the rain. I bet it was painful!

DW is terrified of birds. She won't go through the bird part on the trail. We did convince her to sit though the bird show at AK once and she did pretty well. It's tough for her because DD loves birds and will chase them.

Mmm, pizza.

I don't blame her! I still haven't seen the bird show...maybe it's not such a good idea.

I know, that pizza looks so tempting!

Yay, so many updates!!!

I loved all the details at AK Yay on doing another safari. Lol at getting so many butt photos

What great interaction with King Louie and Baloo - I love the PP pic of King Louie with John and how he is telling him to get his face as a tattoo on his arm

Wow at seeing the gorilla eating off the plate. You lucked out with the tigers on Maharajah jungle trek - they were sleeping when we paid them a visit.

Oh no on being terrified of birds - I guess you stay away from Flights of Wonder then. OMG you should have seen me on ITTBAB - I was definitely screaming my head off!!

Great PP pics! Also I hope you don't mind me mentioning this on here instead of your other TR but I'm soo happy that your December trip is still going ahead!!

I love all of the details of AK too! So gorgeous!

Meeting King Louie was so fun! He was a trip.

That gorilla was so weird! We really did get lucky with the tigers. I've never seen them that close before!

I still haven't seen Flights of Wonder, but I might someday. As long as the birds can't get after me I'm okay! I bet ITTBAB did scare you; it scared me the first time I saw it!

Thank you! I don't mind at all! I'm so excited about the trip. It's getting really close!

Great updates! Cannot believe how many times you got to ride EE that morning!

Thank you! I couldn't believe it either!

6 times on EE?! That sounds like a dream AK morning for Miguel and I! I agree, the PP spot with EE in the background is one of the best. We came across a great photographer there, too. He took lots of time with us and did lots of neat poses. Wonder if it was the same one?

It was definitely a dream morning for John and me! I love that PP spot. It sounds like we may have had the same photographer!

 

[therussells08]

When I left off we hadn't had much luck with meeting characters at Camp Minnie-Mickey. We decided to go to Island Mercantile and try our luck there. On our way we went through the Tree of Life Garden so I could take a few pictures.

I never get tired of looking at that tree!

After I had my fill of taking pictures of the exact same landmark that I have fifty million pictures of at home, we made our way to Island Mercantile. There's usually some pretty neat characters standing outside, and this time wasn't an exception!

Meeko! I love meeting obscure characters, and I've always loved Meeko. I remember when Pocahontas came out I was SO obsessed with it (my mom's dad was a Cherokee Indian, so growing up I always loved anything and everything dealing with American Indians) and I used to try to eat crackers like Meeko. You know how he holds them in his little hands and nibbles on them really quickly? Yeah, that was me.

After we met Meeko we went into Island Mercantile to do a little shopping. I bought some pins and John contemplated getting another shirt but decided not to. When we came out there were new characters to meet!

I love meeting Lilo and Stitch! Stitch is always so silly and flirty. This picture is adorable too because John is straight hugging Lilo, which I find to be super precious.

I was really happy to have met Meeko, Lilo, and Stitch, but I still wanted to meet more! We used our map to find the different character spots, and we ended up finding one that I never knew existed. I don't even remember where it was now, I just remember it was down this sort of long path. I didn't even know who would down there until we got to the end of the line and I saw this:

Oh my Pooh bear. Okay, let me try to sum up my obsession with Winnie the Pooh for you. When I was little Winnie the Pooh was pretty much my life. Everything I owned had Pooh characters on it, I read Pooh books before bed every night, I watched Pooh on TV constantly, and I wanted to name every pet we owned either Eeyore or Tigger. Now that I am grown up my obsession with Pooh has turned into an emotional rollercoaster. I love the Pooh characters, but they remind me so much of my childhood that it is seriously hard to look at them without bawling my eyes out. All of the characters are so sweet and perfect in their own way and I love them so much.

And seriously, if you've ever read the Pooh books by A.A Milne, I'm sure you understand how the adorableness is almost too much to handle. Here's one of the quotes:

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. i'll always be with you."

Want another one? Here you go:

"If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you."

Okay I have to stop. It' just too sweet to handle! Anyway, We had reservations for the next morning for breakfast at Crystal Palace, but I was more than happy to meet my best buddies a little early!

First we met the bear himself. He was sweet and cuddly, as always!

Then we met my personal favorite, Eeyore. Oh bless his heart. I love that donkey.

Then we met Tigger! Tigger was definitely the most fun to meet this time around because he was super excited. He started "bouncing" and got John to do it with him. I was cracking up because John is already ridiculously tall so to see him jumping up and down was almost too much.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, here's a couple pictures they added to my PhotoPass CD!

Absolutely precious. We told Tigger "ta ta for now" and went on our way while I tried very hard not to burst into tears from the onslaught of nostalgia. I figured meeting those three couldn't be topped, so we decided to quit while we were ahead and leave Animal Kingdom.

I was sad to go, but we still had big plans for the evening. I was finally going to try Ohana! Also, unbeknownst to me at the time, I was going to have my first DIS meet!

Up Next: Ohana means family...and FOOD!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

I love your crossbody bag The pink one is SUPER cute!

HAHAHA oh my God I TOTALLY would have done something like eating a cracker like meeko That is the cutest thing ever.

I like Lilo and Stitch's Christmas attire! That's really cute!

Winnie the Pooh IS emotional! Like the whole concept of childhood is perfectly summed up by all of those characters and their little adventures. Anytime I watch any winnie the pooh TV show... I instantly am carefree and happy because it just takes me back to that time when I had no troubles in the world! That's why I loved the movie that came out this summer so much!

Yay I can't wait to hear about your experience at Ohana!!

p.s. you're going to Disney SOON! and so am I!! we need to figure out if we are going to ever be at the same place at the same time!

 

[therussells08]

I love your crossbody bag The pink one is SUPER cute!

HAHAHA oh my God I TOTALLY would have done something like eating a cracker like meeko That is the cutest thing ever.

I like Lilo and Stitch's Christmas attire! That's really cute!

Winnie the Pooh IS emotional! Like the whole concept of childhood is perfectly summed up by all of those characters and their little adventures. Anytime I watch any winnie the pooh TV show... I instantly am carefree and happy because it just takes me back to that time when I had no troubles in the world! That's why I loved the movie that came out this summer so much!

Yay I can't wait to hear about your experience at Ohana!!

p.s. you're going to Disney SOON! and so am I!! we need to figure out if we are going to ever be at the same place at the same time!

Thank you! I love that bag so much. This was supposed to be a surprise for the end of my other TR, but who knows when I'll finish it, so I won't be all secretive anymore. As a surprise anniversary gift in June when we left Disney John bought me the large sketch tote! OMG it is so beautiful but I hardly ever carry it because I'm paranoid about messing it up!

I was so weird about Disney movies when I was a kid. I never wanted to be the princesses; I always wanted to be the animals! Well, except for Jasmine. I always pretended to be her. Other than that I was all about being Simba or one of the 101 dalmatians.

All of the characters had the cutest Christmas clothes! That was one of my favorite things about going during the holidays!

You summed up Winnie the Pooh very well! All of the characters are just so stinking sweet. I watched the Pooh Christmas special last week and couldn't get over how adorable all of Pooh's little makeshift gifts are.

I can't wait to do my 'Ohana update. I think I'll go type it right now (after I catch up on your TR)!

I just sent you a PM about our trips!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Thank you! I love that bag so much. This was supposed to be a surprise for the end of my other TR, but who knows when I'll finish it, so I won't be all secretive anymore. As a surprise anniversary gift in June when we left Disney John bought me the large sketch tote! OMG it is so beautiful but I hardly ever carry it because I'm paranoid about messing it up!

I was so weird about Disney movies when I was a kid. I never wanted to be the princesses; I always wanted to be the animals! Well, except for Jasmine. I always pretended to be her. Other than that I was all about being Simba or one of the 101 dalmatians.

All of the characters had the cutest Christmas clothes! That was one of my favorite things about going during the holidays!

You summed up Winnie the Pooh very well! All of the characters are just so stinking sweet. I watched the Pooh Christmas special last week and couldn't get over how adorable all of Pooh's little makeshift gifts are.

I can't wait to do my 'Ohana update. I think I'll go type it right now (after I catch up on your TR)!

I just sent you a PM about our trips!

Hahaha that's totally okay! It's hard to keep things like that a secret They're too exciting!

But OH MY GOSH that is SOOO nice of him! Yayy how wonderful! Hahaha I totally understand though! They are a very important prized possession!

Jasmine is the best that's why And hahaha aww that's so cute!! The animals are just too dang precious. Ahh I want to go watch a Disney movie now!

I hope I get to meet some while I'm there!

Aww thanks! I want to watch that!! It's been so long!

Ahh I am veryyy excited to read it!! YAY OHANA!

And yay for our trips!

 

[stephielela]

Wow, Meeko? That really is an obscure character, how cool!!

I love Winnie the Pooh too, but no matter how hard I try, Jack just isn't that into it!! What is wrong with that kid??

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

Caught back up again! I haven't been on the DIS since we've been celebrating our new addition to the family. DS is two weeks old today!

That Pooh and Friends meet and greet is our favorite and it never seems to be crowded. Tigger and Pooh are DD's favorite characters.

 

[therussells08]

Hahaha that's totally okay! It's hard to keep things like that a secret They're too exciting!

But OH MY GOSH that is SOOO nice of him! Yayy how wonderful! Hahaha I totally understand though! They are a very important prized possession!

Jasmine is the best that's why And hahaha aww that's so cute!! The animals are just too dang precious. Ahh I want to go watch a Disney movie now!

I hope I get to meet some while I'm there!

Aww thanks! I want to watch that!! It's been so long!

Ahh I am veryyy excited to read it!! YAY OHANA!

And yay for our trips!

Check me out, responding to a comment from months ago. Speaking of our trips, remember that time we met and it was super awesome? Awww yeah!

Wow, Meeko? That really is an obscure character, how cool!!

I love Winnie the Pooh too, but no matter how hard I try, Jack just isn't that into it!! What is wrong with that kid??

I was pretty proud of that Meeko picture!

I can't believe Jack doesn't like Pooh! Maybe he'll grow into him? He just needs to get to know him!

Caught back up again! I haven't been on the DIS since we've been celebrating our new addition to the family. DS is two weeks old today!

That Pooh and Friends meet and greet is our favorite and it never seems to be crowded. Tigger and Pooh are DD's favorite characters.

Wow, congratulations on your new addition! Two kids at Disney sounds like a blast!

 

[therussells08]

Once again life has gotten in the way of my Disney obsession, and I've neglected my poor DIS. Shame on me! That being said, I'm nothing if not determined, so I'm back to finish this thing! I have this TR and another in the works, a new one I haven't even started, and a new trip that needs a PTR! :Wow, I'm going to be busy. Luckily, I'm on Spring Break, so I plan on doing A LOT of posting. I hope I still have some stragglers out there who want to see how this trip that is over a year old turned out. Let's see!

When I left off it was New Years Eve and we had just spent an amazing morning at Animal Kingdom. Our trip was almost over! But there was no time to be sad, because we had a special dinner coming up- at Ohana!

We went back to the resort for a little while, cleaned up, and then tried to figure out what to do next. We still had several hours until our dinner reservation, but we weren't really feeling like trying to get back into a park. John is a video game junkie, so he suggested we go to the arcade. I agreed, albeit a little bit hesitantly. We headed to the POP arcade, but John automatically decided it wasn't up to his strict arcade standards. He remembered that the ASMo arcade was pretty impressive, so he asked if we could go there. Now, the last thing I felt like doing was driving all the way to the edge of WDW to play some video games, but I love my dear husband so I said okay.

When we got to the arcade John was instantly drawn to the Deal or No Deal machine. Combine John's love for video games with his addictive personality, and I knew we were going to be there for awhile.

Unfortunately, he wasn't having the best of luck.

John takes losing very personally, so suddenly he had a vendetta against this game. He played again with a little more success.

But it still wasn't enough. I got bored watching pretty quickly, so I decided to wander around and try a game for myself. I found one that I thought I could handle: Wheel of Fortune. A few minutes later when John was so angry with the Deal or No Deal machine that he was ready to break it, he came over and found me. Here is the sight he stumbled upon:

I won. A lot.

I won't rub it in too much, but let's just say John was not very happy that he spent about $20 playing a game only to win 102 tickets, and I won 1402 tickets on my first try. We rounded up my loot and his bruised ego, traded in our tickets for a stationary set for our niece that I could've bought at Wal Mart for $5, and headed to the Polynesian. Moral of this story? Men, don't take your wives around competitive machinery, because they will embarrass you.

Aaanyway, we were off to my new favorite resort again! I had fallen in love with the Polynesian earlier that week, so I was ready to see it again!

We still had some time before our dinner reservation, and after his big lose John was itching to go to the bar. I won't disclose too much information because I'm a teacher, but John convinced me to try an adult beverage that includes a giant pineapple (you know what I'm talking about). Holy cow, never again. Unless you can handle drinking your body weight in alcohol without getting nauseous, I do not recommend this drink.

Throughout the trip I had been texting one of my DIS friends who was also at Disney. We had been trying to figure out a time to meet up, and she was at the Polynesian that evening too! She decided to come up and meet us before our dinner.

It was so cool having my first DIS meet! We chatted for awhile and snapped some pictures, then said our goodbyes. So fun! I love meeting people through this community that become friends.

After that it was finally time for DINNER! I was so excited to try this, and it did not let me down! I only managed to snap one picture of the food because we were so busy stuffing our faces the entire time, and that one pictures was of this appetizer!

Oh my, how I love potstickers. I could eat those bad boys everyday! This entire meal was absolutely phenomenal! I really regretted having that drink beforehand because my stomach was a little queasy, but I still thoroughly enjoyed every bite. The skewers of meat were amazing, and the dessert was to die for! John and I left very happy, with full bellies!

I took a few more pictures on the way out.

By this time it was almost midnight on New Years Eve, so it was almost time for some crazy fireworks! We decided to check out the Polynesian beach and see if we could spot MK fireworks. It was really crowded, so we only stayed for a few minutes. I know I might seem crazy for not staying the entire time, but I was so tired and full, I just wanted to go to bed!

We made our way back to POP dreading the next day. I couldn't believe it was already almost time to go home! On the elevator, however, I spotted something that improved my mood significantly. For those of you who may not remember, I am a high school English teacher. One of my favorite hobbies is spotting grammatical errors in public places. Well, I found one on the elevator!

It's really hard to see, but they spelled "guilty" as "guility." How lame is it that I noticed that? Well, I guess not quite as lame as me taking a picture of it. Haha, oh the life of a grammar nerd.

Up next: Departure day. One last stop at MK, then we become smothered in sandwiches! Stay tuned!

 

[Nermel9]

Haha, I totally did not believe that you would be on the DIS yesterday when we were talking, I'm shocked! I also can't believe you can remember your trip from almost 2 years ago, if I had to still write my November TR from 2010, I'd give up by now!

I love Wheel of Fortune games! My friend has a Nook Tablet and she got a Wheel of Fortune app, and I'm always stealing it from her to play it, it's so much fun! It would be better if I could win ticket, though!

Yay, the Poly! And 'Ohana! I LOVE that place! I can't believe Brandon said no to 'Ohana for our anniversary! Oh well, if we go in the Fall, we're eating there twice! You didn't like the Lapu Lapu? I love that drink! It is kind of strong, though!

Have you seen the new FP's that came out today? There is a huge spelling mistake on them! Embarrassing, Disney!

 

[therussells08]

Haha, I totally did not believe that you would be on the DIS yesterday when we were talking, I'm shocked! I also can't believe you can remember your trip from almost 2 years ago, if I had to still write my November TR from 2010, I'd give up by now!

I love Wheel of Fortune games! My friend has a Nook Tablet and she got a Wheel of Fortune app, and I'm always stealing it from her to play it, it's so much fun! It would be better if I could win ticket, though!

Yay, the Poly! And 'Ohana! I LOVE that place! I can't believe Brandon said no to 'Ohana for our anniversary! Oh well, if we go in the Fall, we're eating there twice! You didn't like the Lapu Lapu? I love that drink! It is kind of strong, though!

Have you seen the new FP's that came out today? There is a huge spelling mistake on them! Embarrassing, Disney!

I told you I was determined! I'm not letting this thing go!

I wish I could go on the Wheel of Fortune...I think I'd be good at it, although I'd probably get nervous and choke!

I can't believe Brandon doesn't want to go there either! I can't wait to go again- it's so good! No, the lapu lapu was not for me! That 151 is too strong! I'm a wimp!

I haven't seen them, but I need to! I must get one and save it forever!

 

[therussells08]

Two updates in one day! I'm telling you, I'm finishing this thing!

New Years Day dawned bright, warm, and beautiful. We couldn't have asked for a more gorgeous day. Unfortunately, my mood didn't exact reflect the gorgeous weather. Just like most other Disney fanatics, I think I woke up that morning crying. I couldn't believe it was time to go home! I had waited for this trip for nine months and it was almost over! I quickly sucked it up though, because we still had more to accomplish! It was time to go to Magic Kingdom one last time!

We had an early ADR, so we were some of the first guests to arrive. It looked like everyone had a pretty late night (understandably) so the park was practically empty. It was such a gorgeous morning, I couldn't resist some castle pictures!

We made our way over to Crystal Palace and checked in. While we waited I took a few more pictures of this gorgeous day!

Within minutes it was time for our Friendship Day Celebrashun, which means more time with my childhood faves!

The restaurant had just opened, so we were one of the first groups seated and there were no characters in sight yet. We used this opportunity to run and grab our first plate!

YUMMY! I'm a southern girl, so I love my biscuits and gravy. I also had eggs with tomato, sausage, fries, and smoked salmon. It was all delicious. I couldn't eat all of the smoked salmon, but I had some of it with the tomato and it was fantastic!

About halfway through our first plate some characters started to show up!

Sweet Piglet!

I love this picture of John!

Right after Piglet, Tigger arrived!

So cute!

After Tigger I was ready for more food, so I made a mad dash to the buffet!

Fresh berries, chocolate Mickey waffle, and Pooh's puffed French toast! Yes please!

Haha, I just realized I didn't get any pictures of John's plates at this meal. I guess I was too concerned with my own!

I guess Pooh wanted me to share his French toast, because he showed up next!

Okay, forgive my creepy face in this picture.

By this point I was getting pretty full because it was so early, but I still hadn't seen my sweet Eeyore, so I sipped my soda until he came out.

He sat on the booth with me, and hugging his big soft belly was like hugging a giant teddy bear. It's hard to remember there's people in there!

After Eeyore we realized we had seen everyone so we were ready to head out. We always love Crystal Palace, but this was probably the best experience we've had there. The food was wonderful, and the characters came out really quickly. If you're going to eat there I definitely recommend trying to get the earliest possible ADR!

Up Next: We try to make the most of our last day. I still had one more DIS inspired obsession to try! Stay tuned!

 

[BelleTinkMom]

Glad to see you back.

Great update, Ohana is one of our favorites also.

So sad that your last day is here. But, you have so many more TR's and PTR's to work on.