BELLE & THE 3 BEASTS-June 9-17,2012-**UPDATED 11/27** THE END

[LifeIsDis]

I hope my mom and I get a view like that in August. That’s awesome!

How did you like the Haunted Mansion after the refurb?

I have heard great things about Trail’s End. It sounds and looks very good!

 

[solana131]

Wow what a great surprise view! Nothing like spotting the castle through the trees when you were thinking you might get a parking lot view

I can't believe they still have that stupid scrim up on the Bakery! It was there in Feb when we went. What can they possibly be doing that takes that long to the Bakery?? Hoping it is gone in 3 weeks.

Looks like you got a bunch of good rides in that first afternoon

 

[POLY1985]

I hope my mom and I get a view like that in August. That’s awesome!

How did you like the Haunted Mansion after the refurb?

I have heard great things about Trail’s End. It sounds and looks very good!

I hope you do too!

I LOVED the HM refurb! All the interactive stuff in the beginning is so cute. I am glad they got rid of those huge spiders with the flourescent background - the endless steps they replaced them with are so cool! The hitchhiking ghosts are awesome!

I prefer sit downs to buffets but the guys were so happy getting chicken and ribs - we really did have a nice meal. They have good unsweetened ice tea too!

 

[POLY1985]

Wow what a great surprise view! Nothing like spotting the castle through the trees when you were thinking you might get a parking lot view

I can't believe they still have that stupid scrim up on the Bakery! It was there in Feb when we went. What can they possibly be doing that takes that long to the Bakery?? Hoping it is gone in 3 weeks.

Looks like you got a bunch of good rides in that first afternoon

I know -right!

I thought the scrim would be down too! I've seen it on so many posts that I was sure they would be done.

We did - we got all the majors done. Actually, we never did Splash the whole trip. It never worked out - we like to ride that as the last ride before we go back to the room in case we get wet. Oh well, there's always next time!

 

[LifeIsDis]

I prefer sit downs to buffets but the guys were so happy getting chicken and ribs - we really did have a nice meal. They have good unsweetened ice tea too!

I LOVE unsweetened ice tea so I'm glad it's good!

 

[JLCJMC]

Sounds like a lovely first day! Hope the rest was as wonderful

 

[POLY1985]

Sounds like a lovely first day! Hope the rest was as wonderful

Thank you - it was! Stay tuned.

 

[gogo]

That's a really nice view! I've stayed at WL twice. The first time, standard view. We got a view of the delivery area and the beeping of the trucks around 6:00 a.m. was just bad.

The next visit, I didn't want to take a chance on the same view so I booked a courtyard view, much better

 

[POLY1985]

That's a really nice view! I've stayed at WL twice. The first time, standard view. We got a view of the delivery area and the beeping of the trucks around 6:00 a.m. was just bad.

The next visit, I didn't want to take a chance on the same view so I booked a courtyard view, much better

I know the horrible delivery area view you are talking about. Our first trip there was in 2003 and we had booked standard. We had asked for 2 adjoining rooms because my parents were coming and they would watch our DS's (then 8 and 13) if we went out at night. We checked in and we got the 4th floor delivery area view andmy parents got a 1st floor Courtyard view on the opposite side. What part of adjoining rooms did they not get. We complained of course and were moved to the 1st floor Courtyard view (still about 8 rooms away) from my parents.

 

[POLY1985]

CHAPTER 4 – DAY TWO
HYPERSPACE HOOPLA VS. TORRENTIAL RAIN AND LIGHTNING​

Sunday, June 10
I was up before 6:00AM. I guess I was just so excited for our first full day. I got up and wandered around outside, snapping pictures. The one thing I love about staying at WL are the beautiful sunrises over Bay Lake that you get.

I picked up coffee at Roaring Forks and went back to the room and sat on the balcony. I saw this guy at the pond.

I showered and then got everyone else up. We went down for breakfast in Roaring Forks and then got the bus to Hollywood Studios. Our first full day was the last day of Star Wars Weekends.
Now when I planned the trip I was more concerned about not traveling on Zach’s birthday which was Saturday, June 16 so we couldn’t fly in on that day. So now I had to have his birthday at the end of the trip so I planned our flight the week before which was Star Wars Weekends. We are huge Star Wars fans. I saw the first film when I was in high school and the last film came out when Jesse was in high school. We have all the films and have watched them dozens of times so I was excited to be there for SWW. When we arrived, we saw these guys. They were really cute with the way they interacted with the people below.

There were still Fast Passes left for Star Wars characters meet & greets but even though we are fans, we really just wanted to get on the rides. So, the guys went on RnRC while I got fast passes for TSM. I took this picture on the way.

They rode RnRC twice and then we all went to my favorite ride.

We ended up with a front row spot and our picture came out really good. I didn’t want to waste time getting the picture right away but I took the slip which says to pick it up within 48 hours. Well, with everything that ended up happening, I did not get back until about 5 days later. I decided to ask anyway, it couldn’t hurt. The CM pulled up the number and was surprised as I was that the picture was still there!

After ToT, we went on The Great Movie Ride, Backlot Tour, Lights, Motors, Action! and then we used our fast passes for TSM. I took a picture of my favorite Crayola crayon on the way.

This was our first time on this ride and it was every bit as fun as I heard. I rode with Doug and it made him sick. He cannot do spinnie rides and doesn’t like 3D so he ended up taking his glasses off and not playing.
We were starving by this time so we took a walk over to the ABC Commissary but the line was out the door so we headed back to WL to have lunch at Roaring Forks. Found this little guy waiting in our room.

Zach & I decided to go swimming. I did the water slide in the pool – not too exciting. I like hanging in the pool near wear the little creek empties into it. There is quite a current there. After the swim, I met Doug at Trout Pass.

Went up to the room to shower and got a bus to Hollywood Studios. This was a bad bus ride. First of all, it took almost a half hour for the bus to come. Then the bus went to Ft. Wilderness. The gate going into the campground was not working right and it took several tries to get it to go up. After getting dropped at HS, we took the boat to the Beach Club for our dinner at Cape May Buffet. We were 20 minutes late. Luckily, they still seated us right away.
Doug, Jesse and I LOVE crab legs so we were thrilled. I had the white Sangria with my meal.

We had excellent service. Our server was SO nice; I wish I had gotten her name. She brought out a special dessert for Zach but took pity on him and so there was no singing.

We headed to the dock to get a boat back to HS for Hyperspace Hoopla.
My guys !

When we arrived, Doug saved the spot while the boys and I went for Star Tours fast passes. The skies started darkening so Doug decided to head back to WL. We watched Hyperspace Hoopla until it was just about over but the skies were REALLY black. We decided to go and use our Fast Passes before the rain came. HA, HA! This was our first time on the new and improved Star Tours and it was Awesome! We got Hoth and Gungin which were the two places I wanted to get so I was thrilled. When we came out, EVERYONE was in the Star Tours dump store. It was pouring and lightning really, really bad. Every time a ride finished, more and more people ended up in the store because no one could leave. It was crazy! I ended up buying 3 ponchos ($25!!!) but I was still afraid to leave because of the lightning. I pulled up the radar on my phone and it did not look like it was going to stop anytime soon so we decided to brave it. We ran from cover to cover and waited at each one. It was still lightning and I was afraid we were going to get hit at any minute. Even with the ponchos we were soaked. We made it to the bus stop and luckily a bus came soon. It was standing room only. Everyone was soaked and the air conditioning on the bus was so cold.
Got back to WL and Jesse’s shoes were so soaked. He has canvas sneakers and they were the only ones he brought. I had flip flops on and Zach had extra sneakers so we were good. Jesse ended up throwing his sneakers in the dryer for 2 cycles and they were still damp the next day.

 

[Soarin4Disney]

Joining in!!! Love the TR so far!!!

 

[POLY1985]

Joining in!!! Love the TR so far!!!

Welcome!

Thank you!

 

[LifeIsDis]

Your pictures of the WL are great!

I am sorry Doug felt sick after TSM.

I am very excited to try Cape May on my next trip!

 

[POLY1985]

Your pictures of the WL are great!

I am sorry Doug felt sick after TSM.

I am very excited to try Cape May on my next trip!

Thank you! It's so pretty there.

Yeah, me too! He has no problem on RnRC though

If you like crab legs it is well worth it! Oh and the Oreo Bon Bon was all I heard it would be - YUM!

 

[POLY1985]

CHAPTER 5 – DAY THREE
KEYS TO THE KINGDOM TOUR​

Monday, June 11, 2012​

Today was our Keys to the Kingdom Tour. I was really looking forward to it. I had wanted to do this for a long time but you have to be 16 to go on it. The last time we were at Disney, Zach was only 12. Now since he turns 17, we can go. We had an 8:30AM reservation and were told to arrive and check in by 8:15. We were up at 6:00, I showered and we had breakfast in Roaring Forks. After breakfast, we made our way down to the dock. The boat directly to the Magic Kingdom was not running yet so we took the boat to the Contemporary. I love being able to take the boat – it’s such a pretty ride.

After we arrived at the Contemporary, we went upstairs and got the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. We checked in for KTTK tour and were offered bottled water and given our headphones. We went outside to wait for the rest of the guests. We saw this cute little family.
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Our tour guide was Claire. She was an older woman who truly had a love for Disney. She was absolutely amazing. I would tell anyone thinking of going on this tour to make sure you request Claire. I don’t know if they take requests but I would try – she was that good. And of course, I forgot to get a picture of her – I am SO annoyed with myself!

First Claire took us down a pretty empty Main Street. The only ones there were people arriving for character breakfasts. She gave us a lot of history on the areas, what cast members are supposed to do. It was so interesting and way too much to put down here. Below is the window for Walt and Roy’s father. See if you can find it the next time you go.

She spoke about the sculptor of this statue who is an amazing man and has done so much throughout the parks. He is in his nineties and still did work recently.

Walt was very particular about litter. He said a person would walk a certain distance (can’t remember how far) looking for a garbage can. If they did not see one in the timeframe, they would litter. He had garbage cans placed within this timeframe and when we looked around, we could see from one garbage can to the next. It was pretty amazing. She also pointed out the different styles of lights used for each area and how they changed to represent Adventureland, Liberty Square, etc. She pointed out the many, many, many lightning rods and things that were lightning rods that were disguised.
She took us to the Jungle Cruise where we went in a special entrance and got a boat for just our group. She pointed out lots of fun things along the way; how the heaters for the plants are disguised, how the water in the canals are colored, etc.
After the cruise we entered Frontierland next to Splash Mountain and went through a gate to a behind the scenes area. Here we saw the back end of Splash and where the water goes. We saw “naked” characters (Woody and Jessie). We saw the parade floats and how they test the lights on the Main Street Electrical parade floats. We saw all kinds of ride cars, animatronics, etc. which were waiting for repairs.
After this part, we went to lunch at Columbia Harbor.

This was our first time there. We really liked it. It’s so nice inside and the food was tasty. We were seated in a private area upstairs that was roped off from the other area that people can eat. At each place setting we received this!

After lunch, we had a discussion about Haunted Mansion. She gave us a lot of things to remember to look for on the ride. Then we slipped in a back area and were taken directly to the Stretching room and then waited in line with the rest of the crowd.

After the Haunted Mansion was the moment everyone was waiting for: UTILIDOORS!!!!!!
We went through one of the shops on Main Street. We walked to the back of the shop and all of us had to crowd into this tiny room. Once we were all inside (and it was a tight fit), they shut the door. Then, they opened a door to the outside. This way, no one who was in the store would be able to see the back area. They really stress keeping this from the public. No cameras or cell phones could be out.
It looked different from what I imagined. It was not sterile, but was loaded with memorabilia. They have an area where cast members go to get their pins for the day to trade. We saw break rooms, tunnels veering off here and there. We saw how medics get around the park and so many other things.
Another tidbit of interest. Walt was always concerned about his guests. When you enter MK, you are walking uphill. Walt figured everyone would be excited and would not notice the grade. But, on the way out, when people are tired, they are walking down hill to make it easier. He was really something.
We saw a few more areas, and then the tour was over. We all really enjoyed it and thought it was well worth the money.

After the tour was over, we were all beat. I believe it was around 2:00. We decided to head back to WL. The boys went up to the room and Doug & I head to Trout Pass. I refreshed myself with Caribbean Limeade and a Long Island Ice Tea.
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Had to take a picture of two of the nicest Cast Members.

Kendra, with the glasses, has served us on all three trips. She said she remembered us .
Afterward, I did a little shopping in the Mercantile and then went up to the room to shower for dinner. How about another picture of my view? Sigh…..

We walked back down to the boat dock and got a boat to the Contemporary. From there we hopped the monorail to the Polynesian for dinner at…’Ohana!
It was a little too early to check in so we wandered around and took some pictures.

I think I have a picture taken in the above seating area from almost every trip. I know I have one from when I was a kid and one that Doug took of me on our honeymoon. There is one of Jesse and I when he was three. I know in one of the pictures, the bench and wall were turquoise colored tiles! I think it looks a lot classier now.

My handsome guys! (Forcing a smile so I would leave)

I went in gift shop while the guys waited and then checked into ‘Ohana. We sat at the Tambu Lounge and I had a Lapu Lapu. Wow was it strong!

I got about halfway through it when we were buzzed to go in.
We were seated in a quiet area in front of the windows.

And then the food just kept coming. We really enjoyed it all. My favorites were the pot stickers and the shrimp. AND the BREAD PUDDING.

We were serenaded. When I took this picture, he was singing the Somewhere Over the Rainbow song. So nice!

When the dessert came out Zach also got a birthday cupcake. Doesn’t he look thrilled? They did not sing to him so he was relieved and enjoyed his cupcake.
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We had all planned on going to Magic Kingdom but Doug was pretty much done after dinner. He headed back to WL while the boys and I hopped back on the monorail. We headed to Space Mountain but it was over an hour and the fast passes were gone. We rode Buzz which did not have a very long line.

After Buzz, we went on the People Mover. It was nearing time for Magic, the Memories and You and Wishes and Jesse decided to leave. Zach and I stayed to watch. I love the way the castle looks – I just wish my picture would have come out better.

After Wishes was over, we headed out to the boat. While we were waiting, I got a text from Jesse who was stuck at the Contemporary where his boat took him. The boat was waiting for a Pirate boat to unload and then the Water Parade came and they had to wait for it. Our boat came and we actually made it back to the Lodge before him. Good to be back – it was a long day. Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom day.

 

[LifeIsDis]

That is SO cool that you got to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour. I have always wanted to do that!

I love the picture of the bird on Walt’s head!

I have always wanted to go into the utilidors. It’s so amazing that they have that.

The food at Ohana just looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it!

 

[POLY1985]

That is SO cool that you got to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour. I have always wanted to do that!

I love the picture of the bird on Walt’s head!

I have always wanted to go into the utilidors. It’s so amazing that they have that.

The food at Ohana just looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it!

Yes, we enjoyed it so much.

Our guide Claire love the bird on Walt's head too. She said it was good luck!

The Utilidoors were amazing. They have detailed map drawings so the employees don't get lost.

Go to 'Ohana with an empty stomach - they really stuff you!

 

[POLY1985]

CHAPTER 6 – DAY FOUR
ANIMAL KINGDOM DAY/MORE EVENING RAIN AND CHANGE OF PLANS​

Tuesday, June 12
Today was Animal Kingdom day. I got up around 7:00 and showered. The boys went to Roaring Forks and ate and picked up a muffin for Doug. After my shower I grabbed a banana from Roaring Forks and we headed to the bus stop. This was another morning of pokey buses. We were to the bus stop by 8:00 and wanted to hit rope drop. Today the bus also went to the Grand Floridian. We got through the gates around 9:15. Headed straight for:

Everest! We had a 15 min wait, got off and rode it again.

Love this picture – wish I would bought this one. I love our faces!
I decided to run for Fastpasses for Kilimanjaro Safari, the boys rode for a 3rd time while Doug went to get a drink. I saw Devine on the way.

I got back with the FP’s and they were done with EE so we all went on the Maharaja Jungle Trek.

By the time we were done walking through, it was time to use of FP’s. We headed over and were on the ride in about 10 minutes. The line was long, I think a 50 minute wait at that time.
I have to say I love the ride without the lame Little Red story. It was really want the Safari should be – looking at the animals. We really got close to the giraffes.

Our driver got a radio message about animals being in the road so several of the jeeps were backed up right in front of the elephants for about 10 minutes. It was really nice because we got to watch the elephants.

We were on our way.

 

[POLY1985]

CHAPTER 6 – DAY FOUR - PART 2 (TOO MANY PICS)
ANIMAL KINGDOM DAY/MORE EVENING RAIN AND CHANGE OF PLANS​

Tuesday, June 12

By the time we were done with the safari, it was time for our lunch ressies at Rainforest Café. On the way there, a man handed Zach 4 Fast Passes for Everest!!!!!
We haven’t Rainforest since 2000 and Zach kept bugging me to go. I try to avoid chain restaurants when I’m on vacation because I would rather eat at unique places, but since it was his birthday, I made a reservation. Lunch, because I didn’t want to waste a dinner LOL.
On our way in we stopped for a picture in front of the alligator. I have one of the boys from 2000 so I wanted an updated version.

We went in and gave our names and were told to wait by the aquarium. A woman came in with a party of 10 and was a walk up. She was seated before we were – I was a bit annoyed.
Had to take a shot of Dory! Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!

We were given a great seat right next to the tank.

Doug and Zach got wings and burgers and Jesse and I split an order of nachos – it was huge!
After lunch, I convinced them to go to Festival of the Lion King. Zach and I saw The Lion King on Broadway for his 8th grade class trip and we both loved it. We headed that way with the rest of the crowds and had to wait about 10 minutes before being able to enter the theatre. Everyone was thrilled with the air conditioning. We were seated in the giraffe section. Very cute show!
After the show I did a little shopping and got this cute little t-shirt.

We wandered over to Everest to use our Fast Passes. I wanted to go on Dinosaur so we walked of that way. It had a 50 minute wait and no one felt like waiting that long so we headed back to WL.
We went back to the room and hung out for a while. I may have snoozed a bit. Doug and I go up and went to Trout Pass. I had Sangria.

At that point the skies were getting really dark and we heard thunder. They chased everyone out of the pool. It was pouring.

It stopped after a while. Everything looks so pretty and empty after a storm.

Here’s where my plans began on unravel. This was to be the first of many storms this evening. My original plan was to take a bus to Downtown Disney, do a little shopping and then take the boat to Port Orleans and check out both resorts and possibly have dinner at one of their food courts. This was one night where I did not have a dinner ressie. After eating there, we were possibly going to split up and Doug and I would stay at POFQ for Yeehaw Bob and the boys would go to Hollywood Studios where I would meet them for Fantasmic. Good plan, right! Well, we did none of it.
What did we do? - Stay at Wilderness Lodge. The boys decided to eat at Roaring Forks and go to the Arcade. Doug and I wanted to eat at Territory Lounge.

Here’s where the next part unravels. The Territory Lounge menu has changed from a bar type menu to a more upscale men. Even though DIS Boards and All Ears menus show a fruit and cheese plate (which is what I planned to get), pulled pork flatbreads and wings, they were not on the menus we received. You also used to be able to get menu items from Artist Point and Whispering Canyon which they do not allow. I was really disappointed because Whispering Canyon had a smoked trout appetizer that I wanted to try. The new menu had some not so filling appetizers for higher prices. They did have a wing (not hot, can’t remember the type) which Doug got. I had some and they were not too bad.

I got the meat/cheese plate. I can’t recall anymore what it was called. It was 2 different kinds of sausage (might have been elk and buffalo but don’t quote me), some pate, and some different cheese, a cranberry bread, cranberry chutney. It was good but not really what I wanted.

We hung out here for a while with drinks and then went back to our balcony to watch Wishes. Next day Blizzard Beach and Epcot.

 

[vassar36]

Sounds like you had a good start at AK, and it looks like you got a great seat at rain forest cafe. That is disappointing to hear about the changes in territory lounge.