"Everyone! Come see how handsome I am!" **FINISHED** 2/17

[SAT887]

Great update you know I read somewhere that Mary Poppins doesn't ever have a PPP because of how the "rights" are with the character. Not sure how true it is

 

[dawnmichele]

Great update you know I read somewhere that Mary Poppins doesn't ever have a PPP because of how the "rights" are with the character. Not sure how true it is

Thanks! Sorry I got so behind in updating. At this rate I might get this thing finished by my next trip in December!

Interesting about Mary...

 

[SAT887]

Thanks! Sorry I got so behind in updating. At this rate I might get this thing finished by my next trip in December!

Interesting about Mary...

Dont feel bad about updates... I have day 4 written.. No pictures uploaded so I am pretty behind, maybe tonight hehe... Im hoping to get it done soon though! Before I get too too busy!

 

[gracer9977]

Great update. Loved all the pictures, especially the ones of you and your daughter with Chip in your hand.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[dawnmichele]

&or "This is the day your dreams come true."

It was hard not to notice Gaston standing at the end of the bridge. Not only was he the only enormous guy standing around in a bright red and yellow shirt, he was also surrounded by a crowd and calling out for the attention of everyone passing by.

Its ok to stare...
I see you looking at me. Who can blame you?
I wish I could remember the hilarious things he was shouting, but my favorite was:

Everyone! Come see how handsome I am!!

Now m not really a Gaston fan (I think of him as more of a jerkulese), but I had time to kill and I didn't think I could pass that fun up. He certainly knew how to work a crowd and charm the ladies. He kept me laughing and when it was my turn to meet him - well it turned out to be one of the hilights of my trip!

He showed me his muscles first thing as I walked up. Impressive, of course. But Id heard a rumor about him and I was curious.

I hear youre especially good at expectorating.. I said.
I am, he boasted. Would you like a demonstration?

Of course I would.

He took a moment to gather his.. um.. expectorant,

then turned to lean over the bridge and Spit.

!!!
I wasnt expecting that. He looked quite proud of himself and asked how I liked it.

To show how impressed I was I put my hand to my forehead and sighed.
Look! he shouted. Shes swooning. I was sad the PPP didn't get a shot of that.

She got plenty though. I was cracking up through the whole rest of our really fantastic interaction. I had the best time!

After experiences like this, Of Course I love meeting characters! They are fantastic entertainers no matter what your age!

As I was walking away, I got a text from Hannah. She was waiting for me by the FP entrance for our ride so I was off from the villages of France to it's lovely coast.

Next up: Undersea Journey of the Little Mermaid

 

[murmkc]

The villains are always the most fun!

 

[dawnmichele]

The villains are always the most fun!

Oh, this is why we need to go for the Not So Scary Halloween Party!!

 

[dawnmichele]

I headed through the crowd towards Ariel's ride (Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid is just too long of a title) and found the girl.

It was about 2 minutes before our ride time but the nice CM just waved us on in.

Oh Eric, I love your castle so much!

The waterfall was beautiful from both sides.

Like in the grotto, it was was kinda cavey and clamy inside and I was glad it wasn't summer. We missed the interactive bits of the queue since we went through the FP line but that was ok with me. We were soon climbing into our own clamshell. I took a lot of photos, but I'm only going to show you my favorites.

Hannah really liked the way this Ariel's hair moved, as if she were really under water.

I thought this shot of Ursula looked especially scary. Watch out! She's trying to steal your soul!

I really wanted to love this ride. I did like the going underwater effect, with the leaning back, going downhill, temperature change and ceiling full of bubbles. But overall, not so much. Id say its definitely better than Nemo but that's not saying much. I guess I was expecting more fancy modern technology. H liked it a lot more than I did, so that was good. I didnt dislike it, I just wasnt impressed.

We left FantasyLand and headed for the frontier.

I love this view you get now with the new walls, the castle and the carousel!

We got a good look at Rapunzels tower. Hannah could not believe it was just going to be a bathroom. I'm still holding out hope it'll be more than that.

As we walked into FL, H decided it was time for a snack. We passed Chip and Dale

and stopped at a cart full of snacks. We decided to share a Mickey head pretzel, a cup of cheese and a Diet Coke. H was upset that they charged us a dollar for the cheese. Be thankful, girl, I told her. Theres not much you can find at Disney for a dollar.

We found a nice wooden bench/platform across the street and settled in for our midmorning snack. We love that spot and came claim it as our spot. It is now our secret emergency meeting spot at the MK.

I remembered to take a picture just after we devoured its ears.

This cheeky bird thought he might get a bite if he looked charming enough, but I have charming beggar dogs at home so it didn't work with me.

As we were finishing, I noticed this trio of musicians walking towards us. I always love a banjo so I was interested. They started to play and sing, stopping to gather a crowd.

Full and entertained, we headed to my most favorite ride in the MK. Maybe in all of The World: Big Thunder Mountain.

Next up: Rides and a parade.

 

[murmkc]

I check for updates every day! The suspense is killing me!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Your interaction with Gaston was hilarious! I love it when the characters really get into character. Ten points for Gaston!

Thank you for the excellent pictures of Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid! Yes, I agree the title of the ride is far too long! I don't have super-high expectations of this ride (I'm expecting a touch above The Seas with Nemo, but with brighter colors?) but I do look forward to seeing it.

 

[Mel*Pie]

Just found this thread. Consider me subscribed! Thoroughly entertaining!

 

[murmkc]

You are totally snowed in - time for the next update!

 

[murmkc]

The blizzard of Oz is over... I am still looking forward to the next update.


Maybe tomorrow?

 

[murmkc]

Yawn...

 

[dawnmichele]

No yawning, brother!
I admit I have been nearly inexcusable with my delinquency here. Life can get crazy, but I am back in the groove! I will have the next installment up tomorrow and be consistent with the updates until I'm done! So help me Mickey!

 

[gracer9977]

No yawning, brother!
I admit I have been nearly inexcusable with my delinquency here. Life can get crazy, but I am back in the groove! I will have the next installment up tomorrow and be consistent with the updates until I'm done! So help me Mickey!

Yeah!!! Can't wait to read more!!!

 

[Cira]

Hope that Danny liked the scooter enough to get one when you go home. Sounds like he discovered something new and liberating. Am loving your TR! Hannah looks real stressed in that photo; she's a beautiful girl! You look ROCKIN'!! You look like you are a lot of fun and, of course, we already know you are a GREAT photographer! The photos are super! Thanks for sharing!

 

[murmkc]

When was tomorrow?

 

[dawnmichele]

Yesterday is... Today!
I know I've fallen quite behind, but it's been a crazy couple months. Blizzards, emergency dog surgery, eplieptic emergencies, brand new Doctor Who obsession to catch up with, holidays... I'm pretty sure everyone knows how life can get. I didn't stop thinking about the trip report, but I have to admit I did even stop checking the boards at all! Sacrilege, I know. But it happens.
Two days ago I had my Disney travel agent (and super long time friend) reserve our rooms for December 13 and that has clicked the Disney obsession back into it's rightful place. So here we go again, and let's all cross our fingers I made it straight through to the end in a reasonable amount of time.
Thanks for your interest, though, and your kind compliments. Nothing makes a girl want to keep up with the report like great comments, so thanks.
Now let's get on with the show!

 

[dawnmichele]

After our tasty Disney snack, we headed for Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road.

It is one of my top three all time favorite Disney rides - Tower of Terror, BTMRR and Dinosaur, in case you are curious. On each trip, the first time you ride a favorite again is the best, I think, so I was Excited!

I was thrilled at the low wait time, even though that meant we walked through quickly and couldn’t admire all the mine thrain theming I love so well. Of course I still managed to snap a few shots.

Of course it was incredible. I love roller coasters with big drops and lots of sharp turns, which is BTMRR exactly. Did you know that because of construction delays, it’s one of the first Disney rides to use computers in it’s design? Apparently that helps with how smooth the ride is. Whatever. I just love it.

I wasn’t brave enough on this trip to take any photos while I was on the rides. It seems silly now. For sure next time.

Favorite ride enjoyed, we continued around the road until we came upon Pirates of the Caribbean and jumped in a barely there line. It kinda stunk in the queue like mold and mildew or damp things. And that waterfall like cloud of mist you go through - it smells funky and makes me cough. Neither make me want to ride it any less though. Hannah and I were both on the lookout for the new mermaid bits. We saw the skeleton and heard some song, but didn’t really notice any ruckus in the water. I managed to get a big plunk of water spalsh when a cannon ball “landed” next to me.

We weren’t really impressed with the changes, but since we already loved the ride it didn’t really matter. Hannah looked through the gift shop and reminded me of our second trip when she was so in love with the ride, she convinced us to buy her a pirate hat, flag and sword.

If she had any idea I was posting that picture here she’d complain for about an hour. Luckily she doesn’t do the disboards!

Here she is (with Danny) on another day from that trip, right before Captain Hook started chasing her.

Next up was a thrilling ride through the great rivers of the world. It really goes more quickly than you’d think it would (kind of like the African safari at the AK). Especially with this kind of wait time.

We climbed aboard the Sankuru Sadie and took off, the quite clever Mary Kate as our guide.

We saw African elephants,

lions so hungry they could eat a whole zebra,

beautiful ruins of an ancient holy temple,

and my favorite, playful baby Asian elephants.

Hannah really loved Mary Kate and thinks she was the funniest skipper ever. I agreed she was pretty funny. H loved it when she told us to “Get Out”, and we still often say it to each other. Mostly I do, when I’m dropping her off somewhere in the car. I know some people think your Disney vacation is over when you leave, but it really does live on in family memories like that forever.

Heading on, we stumbled upon the Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! Parade just in front of the Castle.

Lift it up, get loud, start pumpin’ up the party now!

I love that song but we weren’t in the mood for a parade and we just caught the very end, so we only stopped long enough for me to snap some photos.

(Thinking about made me watch it on youtube. That song will be in my head for weeks now, and I won’t even be bothered.)

Next up: Lunch and the circus!