"Excuse me, your child can NOT go on stage with Mickey":Jan 2013 TR! updates x 3! 6/5

[lvcourtneyy]

So when we left off, it was 2:30 and we were waiting for a bus to go to Downtown Disney!

We must've gotten there quick cause at 2:47 I was taking this picture!


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I figured it would take a little longer to get there because we had no set plans until later on but this just meant more time to look at stores!

While we were looking around, we got these text messages:


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They were finally on their way!

Our first stop:


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After I resisted buying everything, because after all, we had only been in Disney for 6 hours, we headed on to:


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I absolutely adored this store! It's so amazingly themed. I loved that they had tables set up so kids could play with Mr. Potato Head in the stores. Once again, I resisted temptation.

We headed

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here because that's where the Photopass counter is at Downtown Disney. I had preordered Photopass+so I had to exchange my voucher for the card and wanted to make sure I had it as soon as we got to the parks the next day!

There was no line whatsoever at the counter and I had my card, took a picture of the back of it and we were back on our way!

This was our next stop:


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DANGER for my budget ahead! But proudly, I resisted everything!! I'm a huge stuffed animal collector, especially Disney ones and I really wanted to buy all of them. However, I had to have room in my suitcase to get them home. The rule my Dbf instituted was that I could not buy any stuffed animals that I could buy at the Disney store back home!

My major quest this trip was to find the Beast stuffed animal. They had him for the longest time at our Disney store and when Dbf finally went to get it for me for Christmas, he was gone and never to be seen again! So I HAD to find one at Disney. NO store at DTD had one!!!


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We didn't go in the Lego store but we stopped to admire the sculptures outside.


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Then, we started making our trek over towards the West Side!


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[lvcourtneyy]

Later on, this would be our destination, but we had other things to do first! So we snapped a picture and continued on!


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We looked around the candy store and I'm pretty sure I got a cookie.

That big tent at the end there was that big tent at the end!

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We were going to see Cirque du Soleil: La Nouba!!! I've loved Cirque since I took French in middle & high school and our teacher would show us videos of the shows when she didn't plan a lesson for the day but had never seen one in person. Last year, when we started planning our trip for Jan 2012 and I found out there was a Cirque show AT Disney, I knew I had to see it. I wasn't sure Dbf would be a fan but regardless, my mom gave us tickets to see it for Christmas. We were in the 5th row and we fell in LOVE! He bought the DVD and we were obsessed.

Zarkana, another Cirque show came to NYC a few months ago and we saw that one also and loved it! So when we started planning this trip and found out they might be replacing La Nouba with a different Cirque show, we had to see it again!

It was only 4 pm and the show wasn't until 6 but this time my mom had gotten us prepaid Category 2 vouchers and we had to exchange them at the Box Office for actual tickets. We did so in no time and were back to exploring!


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We checked out the Cirque store!

Both trips we've wanted to check out Disneyquest and never could quite fit it in.

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We decided to check out the new Splitsville! I wish I had taken more pictures but it's really nice inside! There's 2 levels, some merchandise and a bar (maybe 2?) and tables to eat at! Another thing we wanted to come back to and never got to.


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After we checked out Splitsville, we found some tables to sit out across from the Cirque theater and got some sodas and just sat to people watch for a bit. We had been up for over 12 hours already and were exhausted!! Finally, it was time to head into the show!

I have no pictures of it because they're not allowed but the show was just as amazing as I remembered! I highly recommend it to anyone! We were seating all the way to the right but in the first row so we still liked the view because the performers were right in our faces!

After the show, we had 8 pm reservations at Planet Hollywood and it was time for Dbf's first meal off his diet! We had made the reservation for all 5 of us hoping they would make it in time but they didn't and the restaurant was PACKED with people waiting for a table so they wouldn't let us wait so in we went!


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Trying to decide what to order!


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We got Texas Tostados for our appetizer:
Crispy mini tortillas topped with barbeque chicken, sautéed onions, Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar cheeses with sour cream and pico de gallo.
They were good but nothing special.

Then for our meal we both ate the same thing.

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Celebrity BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger
A USDA choice 10 oz. burger finished with hickory-smoked bacon, sweet barbeque sauce and cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle.

The burgers were very good!

We chose not to get dessert and paid the bill and were on our way!

At this point, Jen, Rick and Presley had made it to Downtown Disney! They had just eaten at Pollo Campero so we started making our way over to them. I didn't take any pictures after this because once Presley saw me and her Tio, she was attached to us like glue! We walked around DTD and saw everything with them. We stopped for a cinnamon sugar pretzel at Wetzel's pretzels which was amazing! I also got a strawberry smoothie from a stand across from the pretzel place which kinda tasted more like juice with ice but Presley liked it!

We all headed back to the hotel by around 10-10:30 because we had big plans tomorrow! Our first park day would be to Epcot!

 

[MK2010]

Wow! That was a BIG day! We've done DQ. My boys are gamers so they liked it, but I would really like to see the Cirque show, whether its La Nouba or a different one. DH and I are going back just the two of us for our 20th anniversary in a few years. Maybe then!

 

[katt789]

Yay! They’re almost there!

Wow! Somehow I missed out on all that Jack stuff! It’s in the Christmas store? I remember Paige not wanting to go in….and Jack’s her favorite, baha!

Ahh! I have such a hard time resisting stuffed animals, or pillow pets, I had a huuuuge collection as a child and I’m pretty sure all the ones I have left are Disney. I just want to buy all of them!

Aw man, I would love to go see Cirque, anywhere really, but I’m sure the magic of Disney adds to that experience!

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY THINGS TO DO IN DISNEY?!? Seriously, I’ve gone too many times, and there’s still so many things I want to do, like, I could spend an entire trip at DTD and resorts! Then there’s tours! UGH. This is how they keep ya coming back!

Wow that certainly was a big day!! You guys did so much! I really do wish I could actually get to Disney earlier than 5pm, but that’s just never gonna happen unless I take a midnight flight, and those are always like $300.00 more expensive, so no thanks!

You guys certainly had a full and awesome first day!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Wow! That was a BIG day! We've done DQ. My boys are gamers so they liked it, but I would really like to see the Cirque show, whether its La Nouba or a different one. DH and I are going back just the two of us for our 20th anniversary in a few years. Maybe then!

Aw I can't decide if I would like it! I'm not huge on video games but I'd still like to try it! Cirque shows are definitely amazing. Your 20th anniversary could be the perfect time

Yay! They’re almost there!

Wow! Somehow I missed out on all that Jack stuff! It’s in the Christmas store? I remember Paige not wanting to go in….and Jack’s her favorite, baha!

Ahh! I have such a hard time resisting stuffed animals, or pillow pets, I had a huuuuge collection as a child and I’m pretty sure all the ones I have left are Disney. I just want to buy all of them!

Aw man, I would love to go see Cirque, anywhere really, but I’m sure the magic of Disney adds to that experience!

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY THINGS TO DO IN DISNEY?!? Seriously, I’ve gone too many times, and there’s still so many things I want to do, like, I could spend an entire trip at DTD and resorts! Then there’s tours! UGH. This is how they keep ya coming back!

Wow that certainly was a big day!! You guys did so much! I really do wish I could actually get to Disney earlier than 5pm, but that’s just never gonna happen unless I take a midnight flight, and those are always like $300.00 more expensive, so no thanks!

You guys certainly had a full and awesome first day!

It was a ridiculously full day but we loved it! Even though we collapsed of exhaustion at the end of it!

I'm obsessed with Cirque shows. There's a new one in NYC right now, Totem, that I can't wait to see! But being in Disney definitely makes it more magical.

I love that WDW has so much NBC merchandise but I wish they would incorporate it into the parks more!

How strange, for us this is the cheapest time to fly in. Flights were $90 each way.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hey,

I just want to let anyone who's reading to know that I'm waiting on my photopass CD to start the park day updates! So please bear with me, it should be here any day!

Thanks!

 

[meowmarie]

Great report so far. We are off to Pop on Feb 1st so loving the build up!

Us too, see you there! And thanks for the TR OP, can't wait for updates!

 

[shan23877]

Joining in! I am also a caffeine addict (and I don't like coffee)! I made DH carry my mug in the backpack the whole trip so that I could fill up every time we passed OPR

Love the pictures of POP. We've never stayed there but I love all of the colors.

DTD is such torture. I could spend so much money there.

Awesome that you guys did Cirque on your first night! I can't wait until DD is old enough to enjoy it.

And flights for $90? I can't even find Southwest prices that cheap. An awesome score-I'd love to try JetBlue.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Us too, see you there! And thanks for the TR OP, can't wait for updates!

Ah how exciting! You both are getting so close to your trips! Enjoy! and thanks for reading!!

Joining in! I am also a caffeine addict (and I don't like coffee)! I made DH carry my mug in the backpack the whole trip so that I could fill up every time we passed OPR

Love the pictures of POP. We've never stayed there but I love all of the colors.

DTD is such torture. I could spend so much money there.

Awesome that you guys did Cirque on your first night! I can't wait until DD is old enough to enjoy it.

And flights for $90? I can't even find Southwest prices that cheap. An awesome score-I'd love to try JetBlue.

Thanks for coming over! Ah another caffeine, non-coffee addict, I love it! I can totally support that idea with the mug. Sounds like something I would do as well

DTD is definitely a dangerous place. Disney is excellent at making me want to spend money Cirque is amazing but definitely wait a bit and Maddie will appreciate it more

I find that jetblue pretty consistently has good rates from here to Orlando. I know everyone else seems to get good rates on Southwest but any time I checked, the flights were more expensive and they weren't nonstop. Buying flights is such a crazy game!

 

[wiigirl]

Joining in....great pics!

 

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

loving this so far, can't wait to find out where the Title "Excuse me,your child can NOT go on stage with Mickey" comes in, really got me curious!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

loving this so far, can't wait to find out where the Title "Excuse me,your child can NOT go on stage with Mickey" comes in, really got me curious!

Glad you like it! Ahahaha it's a pretty good story! We'll get there soon enough....if I ever get my photopass CD! Impatiently waiting.....

Joining in....great pics!

Aw thanks! Glad to have you along!

 

[CleKait]

Those burgers look delicious!!! You guys did a lot for your first day so far!

 

[Mel*Pie]

Love your trip report so far! Can't wait to hear more.

Oh and GO GIANTS!

 

[TriniandBre]

Yay, I'm here and all caught up. Can't wait to read more.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Those burgers look delicious!!! You guys did a lot for your first day so far!

They were very food! It was a very full first day!! We passed out as soon as our heads hit the pillows

Love your trip report so far! Can't wait to hear more.

Oh and GO GIANTS!

Aw thanks

Yay a fellow giants fan! They won the Superbowl on my birthday last year so this year is a little upsetting!

Yay, I'm here and all caught up. Can't wait to read more.

Yay! Glad to have you here Still waiting for my photopass CD before we start the first park day

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Hey everyone, thanks for your patience! My photopass CD just got here so I'm gonna start our first park day! I've realized that with all my photos it's gonna take awhile to get through each day. I'm babysitting a 10 month old right now so I'm just gonna get through what she'll let me and hopefully pick up more later!

So for this day, Epcot was open from 9-9, with EMH from 9 pm- 11 pm. In real life, we're not morning people but at Disney we are! So we woke at 7, got ready and headed to the food court for breakfast. We're pretty quick to get going in the morning so we decided we were best off eating breakfast at the food court each day so we could get to the park and keep moving for a while. Jen and Rick decided since the park was open so late that night, they'd get there later and text us when they were at the park.


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We got through bag check pretty quickly and got in line for the turnstiles at around 8:40 and the lines were crazy long! Of course, when they did start letting people in, our turnstile had a problem and it took FOREVER to let people in but then we were moving.

Of course, we stopped for photopass pictures because I prepaid for photpass plus!


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I guess it only seemed like it took an eternity to get through the turnstiles because these pictures were taken at 9:05!

We really weren't concerned with hitting much in Future World. On our trip last January, we went to Epcot on our last Disney park day and hit just about all of Future World before deciding to leave to MK because we weren't impressed with Epcot so we bypassed the WS completely! So, we stopped for characters!


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After this, it was 9:25 and we decided to check out Test Track because we wanted to see the new design-a-car deal.


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It was a pretty miserable rainy day!


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Unfortunately it was down! Boo. I felt so bad for these CMs who had to stand out in the rain and explain to everyone that the ride was down and answer 4 million questions that they had no answers for. I checked the wait time for Soarin' on those screens and it said 110 minutes so we decided we'd head over and get FPs for later. I guess everyone else had the same idea I did cause there was a huge mob of people waiting for FPs! I finally got them with a return time of 2-3 pm!

We decided to head over to Mission Space because the wait time was posted at 20 minutes but as soon as we got in line it went up to 40 minutes. But we had nothing else to do and the World Showcase wasn't open yet so why not.


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When we were done, it was nearing 11, so we made a bathroom stop and then decided to head over to the World Showcase!


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First stop: Mexico!


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Onto the Gran Fiesta Tour!


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Continued in next post!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

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I wanted a picture of the CMs outfits because they were so gorgeous but I felt weird asking!


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Most of my pictures didn't come out between the dark and the movement! I thought the ride was cute! It was like a Mexican Themed It's a Small World.


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Then we found Donald!


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Then we stopped to listen to the Mariachis for a few minutes!


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Norway was next of course!


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We got on line for Maelstorm!

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We were getting hungry so we ducked out of the movie at the end.


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Instead of making an ADR for Epcot, we decided we wanted to snack around the world! So we headed back to the Kringla Cafe, and got this! Only time will tell if we accomplished our goal!


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It was different but pretty yummy!

Next we headed for China!


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We stopped at the quick service place in China and decided to split Orange Chicken. It was okay, but nothing particularly special.

That's my photo limit for this update! When the baby lets me, hopefully I'll be back on with more!

 

[Enchantress01]

I love your trip report! Your pictures are great too! My daughter and I like the CM costumes too and when we finally got the nerve up to ask for a picture, we found out they love to take pictures with guests. Now we do it all of the time, some of our best pictures. Anyway, loving your report and can't wait to hear more!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I love your trip report! Your pictures are great too! My daughter and I like the CM costumes too and when we finally got the nerve up to ask for a picture, we found out they love to take pictures with guests. Now we do it all of the time, some of our best pictures. Anyway, loving your report and can't wait to hear more!

Aw thanks! Glad you're here!

The CM costumes are so amazing. I'm definitely going to have to ask them on future trips. I'm pretty bummed I didn't but there's a good reason to go back right?

I hope to have another update up soon!