A Post Open-Heart Surgery/Anniversary Trip Report!!! Updated 5/30 PTR started!!

I love your stitch dress-up! I guess if you ever move to Florida you could always be a mouse keeper with your creative towel skills. So, did it work? Did you get a towel animal.

Great posters at the Muppets. I am so glad you took all those posters because they are classic. I really need to look for them.

Oh - and that Happy feet or whatever it was called. I think that's supposed to be Footlight parade. They show that movie trailer all the time at the GMR. Either that or its actually in the ride.

Anyway - fun update!!!!!
 
I'm here! and all caught up, whew! :goodvibes Sorry to hear you had to delay your anniversary trip but I'm glad that you are feeling better and you got to go!

The engagement ring was actually a myth. DH & I did the Keys to the Kingdom tour in September and I asked our guide. He said someone thought that one of the rings in the ground used for poles for queue lines was the ring and the rumor started after that! Isn't that funny?!

AGREED! :thumbsup2

Hi, welcome!! :wave: Thank you!! I was definitely happy that we were able to go, just slightly later than planned!

I know it's a myth, but I still wanted to see it! :laughing: It is funny how rumors and myths start like that. Supposedly they were trying to remove the pole, but the tip of the tool got embedded in the ground and stuck. Hooray for accidental Disney magic! :wizard:

Your little Stitch animal made me laugh. He's so adorable! And looks like he's wearing a winter hat!

OMG those "movie" posters are AWESOME! How did I not know about them? That would totally be something we'd love to see.

Weird that it's an un-used area, but there's fairly current movies (like Wall-e) and Hannah Montana.

Hahaha I should have given him a little scarf! Don't worry, the towel animal saga will continue...:laughing:

The movie posters are so fun, it's a shame they're all hidden! Or maybe that makes them even cooler. But I agree, I did think it was strange that they had really recent stuff in the unused queue area. Little treats for the crazed Muppets fans, I presume. Definitely check it out next time you're there! :thumbsup2

Great updates! I love that carrousel in the lobby. I love the Muppets too!, the show was closed for our trip in May, I was so bummed, I am looking forward to seeing it again this year.

Thank you!! :goodvibes The carousels and gingerbread houses and other holiday touches are so cool, aren't they? I can't believe the amount of ingredients and labor that goes into them (particularly spices...that one I always find mind-boggling.)

I honestly think if the Muppets were closed while I was there I would cry. I'm not even kidding. I would sit down on the Miss Piggy fountain and weep, quoting the preshow through my tears. And then people would talk about the pathetic sight they witnessed in DHS that day. You may have to see it multiple times, to make up for the previous trip. That's what I would do, anyways. :3dglasses

Hello!:)

I found your report and am on board! I am enjoying your pictures and your very fun writing style!

The "movie poster" you can't figure out.....is it "Die Hard" with Bruce Willis?

Hi, welcome! Thank you!!! :goodvibes

We figured out that one, the one we're lost on is this:



(of course the one I didn't get a clear picture of, right? :laughing:)

Hi Jumping on board. Love this TR so far!:thumbsup2


KIM

Hi, welcome!! Thank you!! :goodvibes

I love your stitch dress-up! I guess if you ever move to Florida you could always be a mouse keeper with your creative towel skills. So, did it work? Did you get a towel animal.

Great posters at the Muppets. I am so glad you took all those posters because they are classic. I really need to look for them.

Oh - and that Happy feet or whatever it was called. I think that's supposed to be Footlight parade. They show that movie trailer all the time at the GMR. Either that or its actually in the ride.

Anyway - fun update!!!!!

Hahaha my proudest towel creation is coming up...I was a bit impressed with myself for this one. (And so you don't get too anticipatory, Wingnut wasn't exactly speechless with amazement :laughing:).

The Muppets posters can be found by walking around the right side of the building (although I'm sure you could go around the left too, that's where we exited from), going past the unused queue chains, and they are along the back side of the building, on both sides of the walls. It's a nice little stroll. I'm sure you don't have to ask to go back there, but I did anyways.

It could be Footlight Parade! I just looked at their movie poster and it doesn't seem to look the same though. Hmm...
 
Our loitering outside of the Muppets building completed, Wingnut and I went back around to the entrance, said our "Hi again's" to the CM, and went inside, to where the pre-show was just beginning. :yay:

Okay, I know pre-shows are generally pretty lame (Captain EO, anyone?), but the Muppets one is fantastic! A classic! Pure, unparalleled genius!

Yes, I am that person laughing uproariously in the middle of the mostly-quiet preshow area, why do you ask? :lmao:

::MickeyMo "Rat, schmat. They're tourists, what do they know?"



Not walking while wearing our 3D glasses.



While I do appreciate the room, it does make me sad that the Muppets don't get the same rope-drop crowd rush that, say, TSM does.

Yeah, I'm not holding out for that either.



A blurry photo of my favorite scene. Well, one of them. How could I choose?



My two favorite hecklers.

Muppets over, Wingnut and I perused the store for a bit. This is the moment of my life I regret not purchasing the Beaker hat. Ah, sad. I also checked out the Phineas and Ferb merchandise. I love that they are getting more exposure. If there was a Phineas and Ferb meet and greet, I would be first on that line, asking them where Perry is.

Because they wouldn't be asked that 6,000 times a day.

It's alright, I still think I'm clever.

Have I mentioned recently how cold it was during this trip? The jackets were still on, Wingnut had just purchased gloves (you know it's cold when he does that), and I convinced him to go into One Man's Dream. Yeah, very cold.

I love One Man's Dream (and I am not a museum fan, at all). It's filled with fun facts and nuggets of history. Check it out if you're interested (or, like Wingnut, cold). It's pretty cool. They let me help open the Magic Kingdom.



(I'm not sure if photos are actually allowed, it did feel a bit rules-breaky doing this.)

We then rolled on.



Speaking of which...The DHS edition of While In A Wheelchair

(passenger's perspective):

Pros: Wide pathways around the Streets of America. Mostly flat layout. Easy to find stroller/wheelchair parking.
Cons: Strange park layout, we got easily turned around and lost. A few little hilly walkways.

(Driver's (or as Wingnut puts it, Professional Wheeled Sitting Apparatus Operator) perspective)

According to Wingnut, nothing of note stands out to him. Fair enough.



I mentioned the cold, correct? It was so cold that a few of the attractions weren't operating (the Backlot Tour, for one) because of hydraulics issues. For Indiana Jones, they said that they were only running an abbreviated version of the show, again, hydraulics issues.

Dutifully, Wingnut, I, and enough people to fill the entire auditorium went in and sat down on the freezing cold bleachers. And then I took a picture.



They explained that they were unable to move any of the sets because of the cold, so we'd only get to see the first scene. Alright, we're here already, we'll stay.

The first scene played out, with a few issues (again, the do-no-gooder of the moment, hydraulics), but it was still fun to see. Us and the 6,000 other people then dutifully filed out of the theater.

Pretty cold at that point, we decided to (what else) make our way to Epcot. The Friendship boat was briefly considered, but it wasn't there. We then went over to the bus area, where a bus to Epcot was waiting.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh warm.

(I never thought I'd be trying to escape the cold in Florida. I feel a tad misled.)

Time for another round of me thinking "why are the bus stops so far away from Epcot?" :confused:

We made our usual route through Future World, pondering what we should do for lunch. What followed was our only truly unfortunate dining experience during the trip.

Rule of thumb: Boulangerie Patisserie should never be an afterthought. :thumbsup2

Our view from either France or the International Gateway. I'm a bit confused.



We were wished a magical day. Why doesn't this happen more often at home? (And by more often, I mean ever, save for if you are planning a Disney trip and are on the phone with Reservations.)



When we entered the Yacht Club, we saw a bride and various other wedding-attending-looking people around the lobby. "A Disney bride! A Disney bride!" I exclaimed as quietly as I could muster (probably not very). Wingnut shushed me, and we headed upstairs...

...to our view of the Wedding Gazebo being set up! :bride:



No, I didn't stalk their wedding, I didn't want to be a creepy person in the background of their photos staring down at them.

Also, it was nap time. :wave2:
 
Wow - A wedding right outside your window. How could you NOT stalk?
 


There doesn't seem to be many people in the Muppets theater with you. Did you encounter that a lot on this trip?

I also checked out the Phineas and Ferb merchandise. I love that they are getting more exposure. If there was a Phineas and Ferb meet and greet, I would be first on that line, asking them where Perry is.

Because they wouldn't be asked that 6,000 times a day.

It's alright, I still think I'm clever.

I would do the same thing! and then giggle, like a little girl because I think I'm hilarious as everyone around me just shakes their head:lmao:

Ooo I would have slightly stalked the wedding, from inside, peeping through the curtain. :goodvibes
 
You are not alone in your love for the Muppetvision preshow. I, too, laugh outloud.

It really must have been cold if some of the attractions were closed. I bet the Indiana Jones Stunt Show was a bit odd when all they could show was the first set.

Very cool that you got to see a wedding being set up. I'd have been a stalker!
 
Wow - A wedding right outside your window. How could you NOT stalk?


Ooo I would have slightly stalked the wedding, from inside, peeping through the curtain. :goodvibes

Very cool that you got to see a wedding being set up. I'd have been a stalker!

:laughing: Okay, I peeked a little during the set-up...but I am honestly one of the least subtle people ever. I'd interrupt the proceedings somehow, I just know it. And I had seen the bride in the lobby, so that was a fun preview!

There doesn't seem to be many people in the Muppets theater with you. Did you encounter that a lot on this trip?

I would do the same thing! and then giggle, like a little girl because I think I'm hilarious as everyone around me just shakes their head:lmao:

We had been to Disney the previous December, and while we did notice that it was a teensy bit more crowded than the year before, it was definitely very pleasant. Muppets was pretty uncrowded, but that was also first thing in the morning. I'd say Soarin' had about a 40 minute wait on average, same with Peter Pan's Flight.

:laughing: I'm glad to hear someone else would be on the same P&F plan!!! It's funny, Wingnut saw me watching it a few times and was like "boy, they like to sing a lot, huh?" and I INSTANTLY became defensive ("it's entertaining!!!")

You are not alone in your love for the Muppetvision preshow. I, too, laugh outloud.

It really must have been cold if some of the attractions were closed. I bet the Indiana Jones Stunt Show was a bit odd when all they could show was the first set.

:laughing: Yay someone else like me!!! I know it's bad, especially when I get the little kids around me staring. But oh well, my joy and amusement just cannot be contained!

The day the attractions were closed the high temperatures were in the mid-30's. The hydraulics had frozen overnight, so they had to wait for them to thaw. The stunt show was pretty brief, they did try to do as much as possible, but the sets just wouldn't cooperate!
 


:laughing: I'm glad to hear someone else would be on the same P&F plan!!! It's funny, Wingnut saw me watching it a few times and was like "boy, they like to sing a lot, huh?" and I INSTANTLY became defensive ("it's entertaining!!!")
Hopefully if you watch it enough with Wingnut in the room, he'll come around. DH did! :rotfl:
 
I'm loving your trip report!!!! The view from your room made me smile because DH and I got married right in that spot in 2007 :goodvibes I showed him the picture and he said "hey! that's where we got married!" :laughing:

Can't wait to read more and see more pictures!!!
 
Hopefully if you watch it enough with Wingnut in the room, he'll come around. DH did! :rotfl:

:laughing: Out of curiosity:

Me: What are the chances you'd start watching Phineas and Ferb?
Wingnut: Pretty slim, I'd say.

I can work with that! :thumbsup2

I'm loving your trip report!!!! The view from your room made me smile because DH and I got married right in that spot in 2007 :goodvibes I showed him the picture and he said "hey! that's where we got married!" :laughing:

Can't wait to read more and see more pictures!!!

Hi, thank you!! :goodvibes How cool about your wedding spot! What a gorgeous place to get married! I love the Boardwalk area, you must have had some fantastic places for photos!
 
Great update Sara (I finally read all of your dining reviews and now I don't have to call you Stringbean since I learned your name!:goodvibes)

The Muppest are always fun, aren't they? I don't ever tire of seeing the show! Oh, I'm glad to hear too that you and Wingnut didn't walk while wearing your snazzy 3D glasses too!:laughing:

OMG, my girls are HUGE, HUGE Phineus and Ferb fans. I think I know every episode myself!:laughing: I did hear something about them coming this summer for a meet and greet type of thing. I'll try to find where I read that.

Wow, I had no idea you helped open the park in 1971! Can I please get your autograph?
5451815509_89b94eed6a.jpg


Bummer about your less than stellar lunch though.

Double bummer that it was so freaking cold too! Gloves at Disney seems so out of place.

What a gorgeous wedding site! Wow, I'd SO have gotten married there if I had the opportunity. Look how beautiful that harp looks too! OK, why didn't you just crouch down low and peek through the railing during the wedding. That's not creepy at all!:laughing:

Looking forward to the next installment, I hope the weather perks up for crying out loud!
 
Ugh. Sucks that it was so cold - I agree that DHS is not a good park on a cold day. I never realized how water-dependent everything there is!

Though it is a good way to get people to go into One Man's Dream :rotfl:

Though I'm 1,000% sure you weren't like this... but your story about announcing the Disney Bride made me think of this little girl in the pool area at the Poly on our wedding day. She was so exited and started pointing and yelling "Bide mommy Bide" while doing a potty dance. The mom whisked her away pretty quickly, but it was hilarious! And as I was reading your TR, I was just picturing you (with your pigtales) doing a potty dance saying "Bride, Wingnut, Bride" and Wingnut whisking you away. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Maybe you have to be in my head and see what I'm seeing but it was HILARIOUS!!!

And way to go with the fancy googling! I never ever ever ever would have come up with that movie. I was thinking it was a Gene Kelly movie!
 
First off, I have to say that I am a bad person for not congratulating you on your successful surgery. I can only imagine what you have had to endure, and getting through that makes you eligible for many WDW trips to come (now you just need to convince Wingnut).

I do enjoy One Man's Dream. The memorabilia is really awesome. Could you imagine what he would have accomplished if he'd lived longer?:sad1:

Cold+Florida=:scared1: It is never what you expect. I went once in January and I don't think I will venture there in that month again.

And, I really do like your wheelchair perspective pictures!:thumbsup2
 
Great update Sara (I finally read all of your dining reviews and now I don't have to call you Stringbean since I learned your name!:goodvibes)

The Muppest are always fun, aren't they? I don't ever tire of seeing the show! Oh, I'm glad to hear too that you and Wingnut didn't walk while wearing your snazzy 3D glasses too!:laughing:

OMG, my girls are HUGE, HUGE Phineus and Ferb fans. I think I know every episode myself!:laughing: I did hear something about them coming this summer for a meet and greet type of thing. I'll try to find where I read that.

Wow, I had no idea you helped open the park in 1971! Can I please get your autograph?
5451815509_89b94eed6a.jpg


Bummer about your less than stellar lunch though.

Double bummer that it was so freaking cold too! Gloves at Disney seems so out of place.

What a gorgeous wedding site! Wow, I'd SO have gotten married there if I had the opportunity. Look how beautiful that harp looks too! OK, why didn't you just crouch down low and peek through the railing during the wedding. That's not creepy at all!:laughing:

Looking forward to the next installment, I hope the weather perks up for crying out loud!

Haha yes, Wingnut and I are apparantly strict Muppets rule-followers (even if they aren't exactly a bunch of serious individuals themselves!). I absolutely cannot wait for the new movie to come out - November, I believe. It sounds like it's going to be really good!

:laughing: Isn't P&F such a fun show? I did hear about them doing meet-and-greets, not sure where or when though. I'm not much for the characters, but those two I definitely couldn't pass up!

Lunch at Morocco was pretty disappointing, I have to say. I've read about people having nice meals there though, so maybe ours was just an isolated incident. But beyond the food, the inside of the restaurant was especially unpleasant while we were there (open doors + cold breeze = even less motivation to stay!). But France definitely made up for that experience!

It did get warmer by the end of the week, thank goodness!! We stubbornly started to wear t-shirts the instant we possibly could, believe me! And I think the bright pink coat would have made me an even more conspicuous wedding stalker! Darn that weather for foiling potential plans! :rotfl:

Ugh. Sucks that it was so cold - I agree that DHS is not a good park on a cold day. I never realized how water-dependent everything there is!

Though it is a good way to get people to go into One Man's Dream :rotfl:

Though I'm 1,000% sure you weren't like this... but your story about announcing the Disney Bride made me think of this little girl in the pool area at the Poly on our wedding day. She was so exited and started pointing and yelling "Bide mommy Bide" while doing a potty dance. The mom whisked her away pretty quickly, but it was hilarious! And as I was reading your TR, I was just picturing you (with your pigtales) doing a potty dance saying "Bride, Wingnut, Bride" and Wingnut whisking you away. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: Maybe you have to be in my head and see what I'm seeing but it was HILARIOUS!!!

And way to go with the fancy googling! I never ever ever ever would have come up with that movie. I was thinking it was a Gene Kelly movie!

:lmao::lmao::lmao: That is a pretty fantastic visual - hopefully I didn't live up to it though! Wingnut always says I'm louder than I think I am, so all bets are off on that aspect, but I'm *pretty* sure I wasn't doing a potty dance! :rotfl: That is a hilarious moment on your wedding day though! How fun to be drawing a small crowd!

I had not even realized how water-dependant DHS is until that day either. They kept saying it was because the water was freezing, and I kept commenting to Wingnut "It's almost 40 degrees out, how does water freeze at that temperature in Florida?" until he finally pointed out that they had frozen overnight. When it was colder.

Oh. :rolleyes1

It honestly did take a bit of Google sleuthing to find out that one, but these kind of things bug me to not know or remember. One time when we were out to dinner I couldn't remember the name of the band that was playing on the radio, and it bugged me and bugged me and bugged me until around 2 hours later I shouted "DAVE MATTHEWS BAND!!!" in triumph. Not that anyone else around me was aware of my conundrum for the past 2 hours.

This COULD be why Wingnut usually says I'm a bit loud at inopportune moments...::yes::

First off, I have to say that I am a bad person for not congratulating you on your successful surgery. I can only imagine what you have had to endure, and getting through that makes you eligible for many WDW trips to come (now you just need to convince Wingnut).

I do enjoy One Man's Dream. The memorabilia is really awesome. Could you imagine what he would have accomplished if he'd lived longer?:sad1:

Cold+Florida=:scared1: It is never what you expect. I went once in January and I don't think I will venture there in that month again.

And, I really do like your wheelchair perspective pictures!:thumbsup2

Thank you so much!!! :goodvibes You are SO not a bad person!! It was definitely a bit of a totally unexpected rollercoaster, but we were so thrilled everything went fantastic, and we were able to go on our trip! Happily, Wingnut doesn't need much convincing to want to go to Disney!! :yay:

One Man's Dream is truly facinating. It's so sad that Walt wasn't able to see so much of his work completed. I do sometimes wonder what else he would have done with more time.

Florida winters seem to be really unpredictable. I went one January with my friend, and the weather was great, we were in t-shirts and jeans every day. We then went in one December, and it was a bit cooler, much rainier. This past December was FREEZING, not TOO much rain though. Seems to be a tougher time of year to make a definitive weather call :confused3 (As opposed to summer - it will be hot!).
 
First off, some DHS Photopass pics I forgot earlier...





Well those look pretty identical, huh? :laughing:

So after resting in the room for a bit, Wingnut and I were on our way to Downtown Disney. Remarkably, I'm pretty sure we did not get there via Epcot.

After arriving at Downtown Disney, Wingnut and I got slightly lost trying to find where the wheelchair rental location was (hint for those of you needing it in the future: right by Trend-D, down that little path on the side). After eventually stumbling upon it, we did our usual wheelchair rental.

Well, slightly.

In the parks, if you do the wheelchair, it is $12/day rental or $10/day Length of Stay rental. No deposit required.

In DD, wheelchairs are $12, plus an $100 refundable deposit.

I know it's refundable, but that was enough to make me a teensy bit nervous about having the chair with us, especially since we had gotten into the "wheel around, then park while in a store" trend. But I decided to go with the "faith in humanity, no one's going to steal a wheelchair" mindset, and paid the $112 (the guy said that credit cards are accepted, but cash is quicker for the refundable deposit when returning the chair.)

And while we're on the topic, the only picture of the trip taken of me in the wheelchair.



Are you sick of seeing my bright pink coat yet? I am. Coats cramp my style. :beach:

We're in Downtown Disney, of course our first stop has to be Goofy's Candy Company! (Prepare yourself for a wordy backstory...)

Treat acquired, we continued to make our way around Downtown Disney, stopping in World of Disney, of course!



And visiting this guy



Shockingly, it was a bit chilly out (actually colder there than it was back home in the Northeast), so we decided to go check in for our ADR at one of our favorites on a previous trip, Raglan Road. (Review written by that lovable Wingnut):hug:

Despite my fears, the wheelchair remained precisely where it was left outside of stores and dinner. Hey, $100 is a pricey deposit! :laughing:

After dinner, we returned the wheelchair with no problem, decided to forgo any nighttime fireworks spectaculars due to increasingly frozen ears and noses, and returned to the Yacht Club. Again, NOT via Epcot! :eek:

Don't worry, we return there (I'm sure you weren't worried).
 
That is a very hefty deposit!!! You would think it would be universal across the parks and DTD.

I hope to see some pictures of you and Wingnut sans coats. Meaning, the weather decides to warm up.....here's for wishful thinking.:goodvibes
 

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