And at Last I See the Light...Or at Least the Tangled Bathrooms! **COMPLETED 2/8**

[khertz]

Joining in to this TR! I got myself all caught up today, and I'm really loving your updates. Your enthusiasm is catching!

I really loved your IoA update! We used to do Disney & Universal every trip, but when we started going with my son a couple years ago we skipped Universal for his first two trips because there wasn't a lot he could do. This year we are FINALLY going back which means I FINALLY get to experience WWoHP! I'm such an HP nerd and I've been so excited to finally see it all, so your update got me pretty pumped for that! Also really excited to check out New Fantasyland for the first time and the TANGLED BATHROOMS! I'll be honest, that's what drew me in was your Tangled title. Favorite!

Anyway, I'll be looking forward to more updates!

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I cannot wait to see those Tangled bathrooms!!!!

 

[Goofy442]

New Fantasyland is seriously MIND BLOWING. LIKE I COULD NOT GET OVER IT THE ENTIRE TIME I WAS THERE IN APRIL AND ON THIS TRIP TOO. That's so cool that you got to preview the cottage! When did you go?[/QUOTE]

It was September 2012 when we got to see it.

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Joining in to this TR! I got myself all caught up today, and I'm really loving your updates. Your enthusiasm is catching!

I really loved your IoA update! We used to do Disney & Universal every trip, but when we started going with my son a couple years ago we skipped Universal for his first two trips because there wasn't a lot he could do. This year we are FINALLY going back which means I FINALLY get to experience WWoHP! I'm such an HP nerd and I've been so excited to finally see it all, so your update got me pretty pumped for that! Also really excited to check out New Fantasyland for the first time and the TANGLED BATHROOMS! I'll be honest, that's what drew me in was your Tangled title. Favorite!

Anyway, I'll be looking forward to more updates!

Welcome! Thank you for joining!
Disney does have better rides for younger kids than Universal does, definitely.
Hooray for being able to go back! WWoHP is AWESOME. It's like the books came alive, I swear. It's incredible! If you're an HP nerd, you'll definitely fall in love with it, trust me.
New Fantasyland is also beautiful! AHHHHHHHHHHH THE TANGLED BATHROOMS. I'm so excited that you get to go see them!
Hahaha YAY FOR TANGLED OBSESSIONS! Really, every Disney fan who can't get enough of the perfection of Tangled should just start a club. And we can spend all day obsessing and do nothing else. That would be GREAT.
Updates shall be on the way!
Thank you again for joining!

I cannot wait to see those Tangled bathrooms!!!!

THEY'RE INCREDIBLE. I PROMISE.

It was September 2012 when we got to see it.

That's amazing! It's definitely a wonderful experience.

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 13th (Part Six)-Doors that open "Automagically" and the never ending song of dolls.

Once we left Pinocchio's Village Haus, we traveled to Mickey's PhilharMagic.

This show is one of my all-time favorites and I tear up every time. It's just so magical and when it combines all of these different movies, it's incredible.

We walked through the queue and laughed at all of the witty posters.

This one is my favorite, because Hades is my absolute favorite villain. He's just so sassy, it's hilarious.

We entered the large waiting room that is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast because of the colors and the chandeliers. The doors were already open, so we just walked right into the theater!

Now, I really love how above the doors, they have this ridiculously adorable pun. Caution: Doors Open AutoMagically Toward You. It's my favorite.

We sat down and waited for the show to begin!

Like always, it was beautiful and I cried a bit. Whoever thought of this attraction is basically a genius.

Next, we got in line for "it's a small world."

My friend Abe is kind of terrified of this ride, because he has a fear of porcelain dolls. It's quite hilarious.

It was 1:30 when we got in line, so the clock thing (I don't know the technical name, haha) told us the time!

We waited and enjoyed the sparkly-ness of the queue!

Then we got on the ride and it was fantastic! The song was indeed stuck in all of our heads for the rest of the day, but that's a given. I actually got some good pictures of the ride; that was a monumental moment, because my pictures usually turn out grainy or really really really really blurry. This time, the blur factor only made a slight appearance and it actually makes the pictures look pretty artistic.

I can never decide if the picture below is my favorite room, or if the jungle room is. THEY'RE BOTH SO DETAILED AND BEAUTIFUL. Actually, ALL of the rooms have insane detail, just like everything else at Disney!

When I was younger and we went on a scary ride my little self didn't like, my parents would always bring me back to Small World to calm me down. It was seriously miraculous how I would be bawling from fright and then we would come here and I would instantly switch my mood to "child in awe" because I just loved everything about the ride. So it has sentimental value!

Last but not least, the goodbye room!

After that, we made another stop at the WONDERFUL BRILLIANT INSANE BEAUTIFUL MARVELOUS INCREDIBLE AMAZING SPECTACULAR MAGNIFICENT I'M-RUNNING-OUT-OF-ADJECTIVES TANGLED BATHROOMS. IT WAS ANOTHER LIFE-MAKING EXPERIENCE. But I only took one picture, which is this:

BEAUTIFUL.

Then we headed in the direction of Tomorrowland!

Next Post​

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 13th (Part Seven)-Exploring the technology of tomorrow!

We left Fantasyland in search of a more futuristic area. Tomorrowland! We entered by way of passing by the Mad Tea Party and the Tomorrowland Speedway.

As we passed Mickey's Star Traders, I had to take a picture, because my cousin was actually doing the DCP alumni program in Disneyland at the time. He was working in Disneyland's Star Traders store, so of course I thought of him. He has also done the DCP in Disney World, too, and his job then was a driver of the Friendship Boats. How cool is that? I'm very thankful for his love of Disney and DCP experiences, because I really hope to do that someday and knowing that I can talk to him about it is a wonderful thing!

Into Tomorrowland we go!

Nick got a smoothie at Auntie Gravity's and then my mother got us all Fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

We decided to go on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and the line ended up being CRAZY long. But it moved quickly, thank goodness!

We made it to the top and the ride got stuck while we were waiting there! It was only for about five minutes, though, and it started moving again! This is my second favorite ride in all of Disney World. Only Splash Mountain can top it. I just really love riding above Tomorrowland and being able to take everything in from a different point of view. It's very relaxing; you can see about every inch of Tomorrowland without having to walk!

Nick likes to wave to passersby below from the highway in the sky.

We had a lovely ride with lovely views!

Our next stop was the Carousel of Progress! My dad is a big fan of the song!
THERE'S A GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW SHINING AT THE END OF EVERY DAY.
So inspirational.

Before they told us to put away cameras and recording devices and I belted out the lyrics, I was able to get this picture of the stage!

The show was great and a hit with the family, as always! I love when they overcook the turkey. So great.

Next, we went on another family favorite: The Laugh Floor!

It's just so hilarious! Especially Roz. Everybody always loves her!
It's a minor dream of mine to make it up on the screen there, but unfortunately the Laugh Floor didn't realize it this time around.
But the show was brilliant nonetheless!

We made our way to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin next.

IT WAS TIME TO USE OUR FASTPASSES!!!!

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[khertz]

I LOVE the perspective on this photo! PhilharMagic is definitely the clear winner when it comes to 4D attractions in WDW. I love those Muppets and their silly 3D antics, but PhilharMagic knocked it down a peg when it made its debut! Gotta love all that wonderful 90's Disney movie music!!!

That's a good tip to remember about taking DS on Small World if he gets upset riding some of those "big boy" rides in the future. At almost 3 it's definitely a favorite of his.

Yay for the TTA! Such a great way to relax in the park with some awesome views.

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

I LOVE the perspective on this photo! PhilharMagic is definitely the clear winner when it comes to 4D attractions in WDW. I love those Muppets and their silly 3D antics, but PhilharMagic knocked it down a peg when it made its debut! Gotta love all that wonderful 90's Disney movie music!!!

That's a good tip to remember about taking DS on Small World if he gets upset riding some of those "big boy" rides in the future. At almost 3 it's definitely a favorite of his.

Yay for the TTA! Such a great way to relax in the park with some awesome views.

Thank you! I tried to get different, unusual perspectives on things this trip, so I don't just have a bunch of repeats from other trips.

PhilharMagic is definitely AMAZING. I was never a big fan of the Muppets as a child, so I didn't appreciate their show as much. I was IN LOVE with the renaissance Disney films, though, which are showcased in PhilharMagic. That's probably why I can't get enough of it!

Awww, Small World will definitely calm him down if he loves it! Peter Pan or the carousel might also work if he gets frightened.

The TTA is wonderful for just taking a break!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 13th (Part Eight)-Evil Emperor Zurg is going DOWN.

We got in line for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and immediately found the Hidden Mickey on one of the planets on the wall.

This is always such a classic Hidden Mickey and we make it a priority to find it every time we come here.

We traveled through the queue pretty quickly, thanks to our Fastpasses.
Pretty soon we were up close and personal with Buzz himself!

TIME TO BOARD!

I sat and battled with Nick on this ride, and I was expecting to lose to him because I'm REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY bad at this ride. Like, I only hit a maximum of nine targets every time. I'm terrible at aiming. It's sad, really. And Nick is REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY good at this ride, probably because he plays video games, haha. I don't know. He just has a hidden talent or something.
So, I was expecting me to get below 20,000 and him to get between 300,000 and 400,000.

I was half right. I did get below 20,000. But Nick did not get between 300,000 and 400,000. He still beat me, though. His score? Take a look at the picture below.

HE GOT 999,999 POINTS. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT AND NEITHER COULD HE. IT WAS UNREAL. LIKE HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?!?!?! CRAY-ZY. We both died a little bit from freaking out. The people around us probably thought we were insane. BUT NICK JUST GOT THE HIGHEST SCORE POSSIBLE AND WE WERE NOT GOING TO CALM DOWN ANYTIME SOON.

After that I just decided to give up and take pictures, hahaha. There was no way I would catch up, obviously.

Here's the comparison picture of our scores.

His FANTASTIC 999,999 next to my TERRIBLE 3,600. It was really really depressing on my part, but I was still pretty elated over his 999,999 POINTS.

We got off the ride and retold the whole novel-length story of Nick's impressive shooting scores to our parents and they were both kind of in shock, too. IT WAS INSANE AND I STILL CAN'T GET OVER HOW HE MANAGED TO DO THAT.

Here's our awkward ride photo.

You can tell it was before the 999,999, because Nick's face does not look thrilled. I would have loved to see a picture of our faces when he reached that unreal score. WE WOULD HAVE LOOKED CRAZY. LIKE ONE OF THESE.

After we got over our bout of insanity, we decided to leave the futuristic world of Tomorrowland!

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[WildernessExplorer04]

June 13th (Part Nine)-"What's a Dole Whip?"

We left Tomorrowland and went to the bathrooms near the Ice Cream Parlor on Main Street. Dream Along with Mickey was going on then, so we watched it from there!

"Gosh Minnie, you've ALWAYS been a princess to me!"
AHHHHHHHHHHH I DIE EVERY SINGLE TIME I HEAR THAT. MICKEY AND MINNIE ARE SERIOUSLY THE MOST ADORABLE COUPLE EVER.

Then we crossed Main Street after looking both ways and headed to Adventureland!

We had a very special stop to make.
Aloha Isle!

Because I am obsessed with the glorious creation that is the Dole Whip. It's my favorite food in the entire world and I don't care if that's weird or not. Dole Whips are THE BEST THINGS EVER.
Besides the Tangled bathrooms, of course.

Dad, Nick, and I got in line while my mom went to get Fastpasses for the Jungle Cruise.

These two women in front of us in line had no clue what a Dole Whip exactly was and asked me if I knew (this is where the update title comes into play).
Hahahahahahaha OF COURSE I KNEW.
I explained to them that there were many different varieties, such as vanilla, pineapple, or vanilla and pineapple swirl, and that you could get it in a dish or as a float with pineapple juice.
They were very grateful and spent much time contemplating which kind they wanted, haha. I was glad that I could help them!

The line for this amazing food item was super long. When Mom got back from retrieving Fastpasses, she took a picture of it. You can see us and the people in front of us in the line.

Being in the long line also proved to be EXTREMELY hot. We were sweating just standing there.
When we were about four people from the front, one of the aforementioned ladies' husband and kids came by her and they had one of those fan/spray bottles with them. Her husband sprayed her with it and some of the water drifted over to us. AHHHHHH SWEET RELIEF. I must have said something about how the water felt nice, because he was like, "Here, have some!" and proceeded to spray me with it, too!
It felt INCREDIBLY nice on that hot day! Thank you kind sir!
Finally, we got up to the window and I ordered two Dole Whip swirl floats (MY FAVORITE) for my brother and I, and a water for Dad.

Here's my Dole Whip of perfection before I consumed it.

And after! YUM THAT THING WAS AMAZING AND MUCH NEEDED IN THAT HEAT.

Honestly, I wanted another one, but I had to save room for dinner and it was time for MY FAVORITE RIDE EVER. First my favorite food, then my favorite ride; it was a VERY nice day.

We passed by the Magic Carpets of Aladdin...

And headed into Frontierland!

This is where we were going!

It was time to put our Splash Mountain Fastpasses to use and I COULDN'T HAVE BEEN MORE EXCITED.

I love this sign because it always makes me think of my friend Tyler when he posed with it in April.

FLASHBACK!

Hahahaha it's just too funny.

Anyway, we boarded the ride and took off into the briar patch!

This ride NEVER fails to disappoint. I just love it so much.

Nick and I took a selfie post-drenching.

Here's our ride photo:

Nick and I were supposed to be looking confused as to what we were speeding down a huge drop for. WHERE'S THE BRIAR PATCH?!
Needless to say, we found it in the end.
Dad was just having fun, because this is the wildest ride he will ever agree to go on.
I don't think Mom was quite ready for the photo.
And those guys in the back...well, they just make the picture that much better. They're hilarious! It kind of looks like they just made a huge discovery as to where the camera is located. CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES, COME ON.

I took another photo of Chickapin Hill that I absolutely LOVE because of the lack of people and the beautiful location of the sun.

Then we were off to Adventureland again to use our Jungle Cruise Fastpasses!

I love the wittiness of the ride and queue.

I can't remember our skipper's name, but she wasn't exactly enthusiastic. She was, however, sarcastically funny. It was pretty unexpected, but a nice change from the energetic personalities of the skippers I've had in the past, I suppose.
I didn't get any pictures, because I video-recorded the whole thing, but that means that I can remember the jokes word for word!
She told one joke that went like this: "This ride actually used to be really intense, and then they decided that tents don't float at all. So now it's in boats."
I also like this one: "I actually had so much fun with y'all today that I'm gonna go again. And again. And again. And since they extended park hours tonight, AGAIN!
We got stuck in a "jungle traffic jam" near Trader Sam and she just started rambling off jokes in a bored kind of voice. She was like, "Aaaand we're still here. This is just going to get awkward. I should start thanking my legs for always supporting me, start thanking my arms for always being by my side, my fingers and my toes because I can always count on them."
At the end, some people started clapping and she said, "Thank you for the pity applause. All the more pitiful coming from two people."
She was actually REALLY funny, just lacking in enthusiasm.

After that, I stopped in one of the stores in Adventureland; either Island Supply or the Agrabah Bazaar. I bought a dress there with Hidden Mickeys on it! I didn't get a picture of it then, but I wore it the next day, so you'll see it eventually! I wear it all the time now and I LOVE IT. It's great.

It was getting close to our ADR time, so we headed over to Main Street, but not before stopping by this adorable fountain by the bathrooms near Crystal Palace.

After that, we finally made our way to Main Street and looked in the Emporium, where I spotted this shirt that made my life.

About two years ago, when on the Jungle Cruise, our skipper told us that that was honestly the most frequently asked question at Disney World.
He told us that the answer to the question was 2:60. Hahaha, those clever Jungle Cruise skippers.

I tried to be artsy by taking this photo of the outside of the Emporium from a different angle.

Then we headed off to our restaurant of the night!

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[WildernessExplorer04]

Hello readers! Unfortunately, photobucket has decided that I've reached something called a bandwidth and now the pictures on all of the updates besides the previous one are gone. I'm going to try switching to a different photo-editing website, which is what I did for the photos that are still showing up. Please bear with me while I try to restore all of these photos.
Thank you!
--Alex​

 

[khertz]

Hello readers! Unfortunately, photobucket has decided that I've reached something called a bandwidth and now the pictures on all of the updates besides the previous one are gone. I'm going to try switching to a different photo-editing website, which is what I did for the photos that are still showing up. Please bear with me while I try to restore all of these photos.
Thank you!
--Alex​

Been there, done that. It's so frustrating! But I was lucky enough to have caught both your posts before the photos went away.

I love riding Buzz Lightyear, but I am truly terrible at it!!! I've probably scored even less than your score in the past. I can never figure out which blinking dot is mine, much less aim for certain targets. DH has maxed his score out too, and he typically does well at it anyway. I guess it's the gamers in them?

Never had a Dole Whip float, but I have had a Dole Whip (though not at WDW), and they are sooooooo delicious! I can just never make myself stand in that long line though. Looks like it was just what you needed on a hot day!

Yay, Splash Mountain! My all time favorite WDW attraction!

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Been there, done that. It's so frustrating! But I was lucky enough to have caught both your posts before the photos went away.

I love riding Buzz Lightyear, but I am truly terrible at it!!! I've probably scored even less than your score in the past. I can never figure out which blinking dot is mine, much less aim for certain targets. DH has maxed his score out too, and he typically does well at it anyway. I guess it's the gamers in them?

Never had a Dole Whip float, but I have had a Dole Whip (though not at WDW), and they are sooooooo delicious! I can just never make myself stand in that long line though. Looks like it was just what you needed on a hot day!

Yay, Splash Mountain! My all time favorite WDW attraction!

YAY for being able to see the pictures! I've gotten the pictures back up for the first few updates and when I have time, I'll do the rest. School just started, so that doesn't help because I'll be SUPER busy.

I TOTALLY understand everything you said about Space Ranger Spin. There are so many dots and so many people and I don't even understand how it's possible to aim. I'm envious of your DH's and my brother's abilities, haha!

The line for Dole Whips can get ridiculous, but I made it a priority to get one on this trip. The regular Dole Whips are absolutely FANTASTIC, too!

Splash Mountain is the attraction that I worship, basically. Hahaha, it's just AMAZING.

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

This is when the phrase "Thank God It's Friday" is a legitimate thing. After a week of school and homework, I've FINALLY found time to restore all of the photos!
I'll probably post an update or two tomorrow, so stay tuned!
--Alex
​

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

June 13th (Part Ten)-This Lovely Bella Notte

Last we left off, we had wandered out of the Emporium and were on our way to dinner!
Where were we eating?
It was in this general direction.

Aaaaand the answer is...Tony's Town Square!

Before we went in, we got a picture with Goofy!

We walked in and it was BEYOND crowded!

That probably had something to do with the fact that Tony's waiting area shared the area with the Town Square Theater entrance.

We checked in for our ADR and waited.
During that time, a CM was teaching a few kids how to toss a pizza with rubber pizza dough, so we were entertained by them!
However, Nick was just really hungry and wanted to eat.

Soon we were seated.
And I'm not even kidding, we were seated RIGHT by the Lady and the Tramp fountain.
Literally, this was my view from our table, no zoom or anything.

Mom took the time to get a picture from the front, though!

Then she photographed us at the table!

Our waitress, whose name was Sharon, came quickly and took our drink and appetizer orders. She wasn't very talkative, but she did work efficiently.

Nick and I split the Pezzi Parmesan Bread.
IT WAS DELICIOUS. We couldn't get enough of it!

Mom and Dad split the tomato and mozzarella salad. From what they said, it was also amazing!

When Sharon brought the appetizers, she took our entrée orders.

I ended up getting Grilled Pork Tenderloin, which came with pasta and asparagus.

It was the best pork I've ever had in my life! So good. I wasn't a huge fan of the pasta, because it was lacking in flavor, so I didn't eat all of that. But I gorged myself on the pork and asparagus!

Mom got the Cannelloni. It was some type of noodle filled with beef, sausage, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese.

She said it wasn't the best Italian food she's ever eaten, but it was still pretty good.

Dad and Nick both got the Chicken Parmigiana. That's a pretty self-explanatory entrée.

They both thought it was good!

Then, we GOT DESSERT. YUM SUGAR.
Mom and I each had Pistachio Crème Brulee.
It was PHENOMENAL.
I love any kind of crème brulee, so this was the perfect dessert!

Nick got the Tiramisu. He said he loved it and it was very coffee-like, which was a good thing.
They served it in a bowl-type dish, which was a little weird, though.

Dad didn't get anything for dessert, although he did continually rant about the fact that someone at a table near us took one bite of their chocolate cake and left the rest.
So we told him that he should just get his own chocolate cake if it bothered him so much.
But he claimed he wasn't hungry and went back to ranting, haha.

We finished and paid and went across Main Street to find a spot for the Electrical Parade, which was starting in about 40 minutes.

On the way, I saw this letter box that I had NO IDEA existed until then.

We ended up sitting where my friends and I sat in April--right where the floats first come out!

While we waited, I wrote in my trip journal and took pictures of details I've never noticed before, such as this flag with the castle on it!

It's the little things, honestly.
Married Life from Up started playing and I was just so content sitting on Main Street. I wish I could do that every day.

The light in the sky continually decreased.

Mom took our picture.

And the parade began!

The Disney parade that is my favorite is a tough decision between this one and the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade.
I love the lights on the floats in the Electrical Parade and all of the detail you're able to see in the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade.
But mainly, it's the music that I'm in love with.
I don't even know why.
They're both pretty upbeat, but the Celebrate a Dream Come True parade has lyrics, whereas the Electrical Parade is just, you know, electronic-sounding music. AHHHH I CAN'T DECIDE. I LOVE THEM BOTH.

When the parade was over, we followed the last float up Main Street to get a good spot for Celebrate the Magic and Wishes!

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[tiggerfan77]

Hello there!! Subbing in for your trip report! Can't wait to hear more of you and your family's adventures

 

[khertz]

That picture of your bread just made me sooooo hungry! That's pretty cool that you were seated next to the fountain! And also, it sounds like your dad really wanted a piece of chocolate cake.

What a great spot for the parade! I am a big fan of MSEP, and we all love the music. I think DS likes the lights the most, although he does enjoy seeing so many recognizable characters in the daytime parade. Disney parades are just the best!

 

[dismagiclover]

I'm joining in! Sounds like both your Islands of Adventure Day and your Magic Kingdom day were awesome! And I love the new Tangled bathrooms too.

 

[WildernessExplorer04]

Hello there!! Subbing in for your trip report! Can't wait to hear more of you and your family's adventures

Thank you and welcome!

That picture of your bread just made me sooooo hungry! That's pretty cool that you were seated next to the fountain! And also, it sounds like your dad really wanted a piece of chocolate cake.

What a great spot for the parade! I am a big fan of MSEP, and we all love the music. I think DS likes the lights the most, although he does enjoy seeing so many recognizable characters in the daytime parade. Disney parades are just the best!

Mmmmm Disney bread is always the best bread!
Oh yes, he was basically staring at it and drooling throughout the whole meal. It was a bit ridiculous, haha.

I can definitely see why your DS likes the lights in the parade; they're so mesmerizing and the way that it looks like they're dancing along with the music is phenomenal.
The characters are very fun, too!

I'm joining in! Sounds like both your Islands of Adventure Day and your Magic Kingdom day were awesome! And I love the new Tangled bathrooms too.

Glad you're joining in!
Thank you, they were SPECTACULARLY awesome!
So were those bathrooms!

 

[Surfinpiratee]

I just read the last like, 4 updates. I loveeeee splash mountain! I actually had a dream I rode it last night (its the Disney planning...lol) except it was like, more of a water slide in my dream haha!