Characters vs. Pin Traders: It's Heated War! A Pixie-Dusted Nerdventure (COMPLETE)

[Newsies]

Okay, first of all I just want to say that your photography makes me miss DHS like insanity. It's not even my favorite park and right now I'm missing it more than Magic Kingdom even. Now I've been inspired to write the DHS day plans for my PTR. Truly, Timmy, you're an inspiration to all of us.

Secondly, amen to the pin trading comments. I understand the "not refusing a trade" policy, but there has to be something they can do about fake pins. They're ugly and easy to spot. #bye.

Thirdly, amen to the #byefelicia comment on the hat. I can't wait to see the park in it's true, former glory this summer.

Fourthly, I'm glad you had such an awesome time on ToT.

Aaaaand fifthly, I hope you get the cowboy scene next update!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Okay, first of all I just want to say that your photography makes me miss DHS like insanity. It's not even my favorite park and right now I'm missing it more than Magic Kingdom even. Now I've been inspired to write the DHS day plans for my PTR. Truly, Timmy, you're an inspiration to all of us.

lol I'm glad you are enjoying it that much especially considering how many photos I do take of the parks.

Secondly, amen to the pin trading comments. I understand the "not refusing a trade" policy, but there has to be something they can do about fake pins. They're ugly and easy to spot. #bye.

Exactly! It's so annoying how the CMs have to just deal with it. Disney should really just start making a pin disposal so the fakes can be reused to make more pins or something. Disney, hire me!

Thirdly, amen to the #byefelicia comment on the hat. I can't wait to see the park in it's true, former glory this summer.

I know! It's one of the main reasons why I'm sad I won't be going back this summer. That new view will be SOOOO perf.

Fourthly, I'm glad you had such an awesome time on ToT.

Aaaaand fifthly, I hope you get the cowboy scene next update!

On ToT? Always. And I have the update ready to go. Hope it lives up to expectations!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

When Along Came Zeus, Hurling His Thunderbolt At The Most Inopportune Time!
June 26th, 2014

The line for the Great Movie Ride wasn't as bad as when I did it a few days before, but they still needed the extended queue to handle the line, which means... MORE GMR PHOTOS!







When we got to the pre-show room, the line started to slow down so I decided to check out the MyDisneyExperience app. I ended up going through the characters in Magic Kingdom and realized Naveen and Tiana were coming out soon. I vowed to myself that I would HAVE to meet those two and got a little anxious. I wasn't sure if we would make it based on the fact we still had to go on the Great Movie Ride, walk out of the park and get on a bus. I asked Nate and he said he didn't care if we did so it was decided. It was pretty hard for us to stay away from the Magic Kingdom as you can tell.

Getting back to the ride awaiting us, we didn't get the Cowboy scene on the Great Movie Ride as I had hoped, but we did get a great Gangster and Host. Our host specifically was very articulate and easy to hear, not to mention, we were basically in the front row if I recall. Definitely a step up in the technicalities from when I got the Cowboy scene.

When we were let off, Nate and I immediately booked it out, coming upon this:



Yeah, it did rain. A lot more than I've seen in the past on my Florida trips. It was still drizzling a bit so this was definitely not a passing storm. We also heard some thunder and caught sight of lightning. We continued our way out to the busses, still I couldn't help but worry about Fantasmic for that night.

Luckily, I was able to see Pluto all lit up and adorable! That made me feel a little bit better about whether or not Fantasmic would work out for that evening.





When we exited DHS and were in viewing distance of the busses, we could almost immediately see a Magic Kingdom bus pull around. We weren't the only ones trying to make it and a group of girls in front of us started sprinting. Nate and I did likewise.

We made the bus and arrived at Magic Kingdom not long after.









I lost Nate after the MB+ kiosks. I told him I was headed to Liberty Square so I wasn't too concerned about losing him. My iPhone also was recharged by then. I moved so quickly he never did catch up. When I got to the Garden Glen, I saw Tiana nor Naveen were out. It was all blocked off although the lights under the gazebo were still on. I didn't see any character attendants or anyone out. I hung around and it started raining a little bit so I hid under an overhang of a nearby building. There a character attendant showed up and a couple asked about Tiana to which she responded that she probably wasn't coming back out.

The rain stopped and my search was over. I called Nate who said he couldn't find where I was. I then told him to meet me outside of Adventureland where I hung out for a bit as the rain started to pick up again.



He eventually found me and we stood around trying to figure out what to do next. Nate wanted to head back to the resort and wasn't in the mood for going back to Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic. I still wanted to see it so my plan was to go back and hopefully not have it get cancelled due to the weather. I wasn't entirely sure how Fantasmic handles weather, but I know they have to abbreviate certain things when it rains and cancel it all together when its thundering and lightning. It looked like it was clearing up right then, even with the little drizzles, so I was going to try to chance it. Nate said he would see about a bus to get us to Universal for tomorrow while I did that. We agreed on the plan and headed out of Magic Kingdom together.







As we got to the busses and where Nate and I had to split off, we started hearing thunder again and I was having second thoughts. I decided that instead of trying to make the first showing and not being able to find a poncho if it did rain, I would opt for the second and be able to grab my raincoat from the room so I went with Nate to get a bus back to AoA.

I was really crossing my fingers now that this would all work out.

Continued Here​

 

[marDgreen88]

Timmy! I'm kinda the worst and I'm pretty sure I haven't commented on this TR in months (and months and months and months) but I'm all caught up now and I'll try to be better! I'm obviously enjoying it though, great job!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Timmy! I'm kinda the worst and I'm pretty sure I haven't commented on this TR in months (and months and months and months) but I'm all caught up now and I'll try to be better! I'm obviously enjoying it though, great job!

MARISSA! OMG, it's been FOREVS. Yay, so glad you're caught up! I've been terrible at keeping up with this TR at certain points so it's no biggie. Glad you're enjoying it! I'm about to post another update in a sec.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

This is a very text heavy update, just so y'all know in advanced. Enjoy!

A Pop Half Century Detour To A Magic-Less Evening
June 26th, 2014

As we went towards the Art of Animation bus stop, we realized that there was a Pop Century bus pulling in. I got really excited and said that we should take it since we can just walk straight through Pop right to Art of Animation. Nate liked this idea so we hopped into the queue and were let right onto the bus.

For a night where we had made some iffy decisions, this was definitely the best one for many reasons.

First was our bus driver, who, hands down was THE. BEST. DISNEY. DRIVER. EVER.

This guy was awesome! I wish I had asked for his name because I missed it in his opening spiel. YES, I SAID OPENING SPIEL. As we were waiting for other busses to pull out of Magic Kingdom, he said he didn't like to just leave us tired and sulking about the rain, which was pretty steady at this point so he wanted to do some Disney Trivia and such with us. It was really fun and the whole bus was killing it at the Trivia. Like I wasn't the only one shouting out answers. There was one question that stumped us about The Rescuers, it was about the names of the two mice. I got Bianca, but I couldn't remember the guy's. Still, apparently we had done better than previous busses.

It was really sad when we had to get off. We thanked the guy and told him how fun it was and that he should definitely continue to do it. The rain was definitely very steady now so we booked it into Pop's main lobby and directly through the resort back to our room.





I love the theming of Pop so much! I'm literally addicted to Pop Culture so I just ate this all up. I also loved all the window decorations people had here. Ahh, this resort would be next on my list for values, definitely.







Those are all Disney princess dolls in that window by the way.



Can we talk about how there is still a string attached to that Yo-Yo? Disney, you think of EVERYTHING.



I couldn't even handle how beautiful Hourglass Lake was in the rain. I just... I can't.







It took us a bit longer than I expected to get back to our room because I thought Hourglass Lake would lead right into The Little Mermaid section. I realized that it actually goes right into the back of the Finding Nemo section, the center of the resort and the second farthest section from us. Eventually, we made it.



This is when probably the low of our trip happened. At this point, I had basically missed the first showing of Fantasmic, or it probably was cancelled since it was raining and thundering throughout our entire walk from Pop to AoA. Fantasmic was the one show I HAD to see this trip since I'd only seen it once previously way back in 2010. It would be unfathomable to miss it. Of course, here I was, in my room, as everyone was let in for the first showing of Fant that night. It was really depressing. Luckily, I had Pluto to comfort me.



I got so depressed and so upset about it, I asked Nate if he would be okay with nixing our Universal day. He said it was up to me since he had already been and seen everything. I wasn't sure and if we did, I didn't want to hold up any reservations we needed to make for tomorrow so Nate headed down to concierge while I sulked and thought about it.

Realistically, I think if Universal wasn't going to happen so late in our trip and I hadn't felt so bone tired as I did right then, I probably would've been okay with missing Fant and would've gotten our transportation to Universal squared away with Nate. By not keeping myself going that evening, I had inadvertently drained myself physically, emotionally and mentally. All came crashing down and drastic decisions were starting to have to be made. I then decided to talk to a reasonable person and called up my mom. Nate had returned to the room in the middle of this conversation. My mom was pretty adamant that I don't cancel our Universal day considering we already bought tickets and that it would be a totally new experience for me. She said there was no logical reason for me to throw that away and that kind of settled it. I still had time to see if I could make Fant that night so it wasn't like that wasn't out of the question.

After I got off the phone, I turned to Nate who said that we might not even be able to go to Universal. A cab cost a ton and based on the fact we had to make a dining reservation that morning, we probably wouldn't be able to make a Mears bus. He said that really the only way we could do it was to cancel the 1900 Park Fare ADR to make the bus, which I had no intention of doing.

Nate coaxed me to head down to talk it over with the concierge CM he talked to. Her name was Erika and she was great at explaining what our options were. I still didn't want to change our ADR since it was our only character meal and I wasn't prepared to give that up. Erika then offered to check if we could switch it to that night, which was the preferable time originally for me since I wanted to meet Cindy and the Tremaines, but if we made it to Universal, I didn't want to worry about leaving at a certain time. So I asked if we could see if there was any openings for our last day. Luckily, there was an opening and after some internal deliberation, I settled for that and we were all set. Nate already had the number to reserve a Mears bus so we were fully prepared to get that going. Universal was set. I then asked about if I could have a print out of our room charge to see where I was with my spending and how much I needed on my card (since DCU stopped me from making any more transfers so my mom had to transfer for me). Luckily, I still had ample money left to do whatever for the rest of the trip. MAJOR sigh of relief.

We thanked Erika profusely, she really was super helpful and I could tell really passionate about Disney, which I love in a CM, especially a CPer (yup, she was there for the DCP). We then left the concierge in much better spirits than when we arrived and with time to try and make Fant. The sky was clearing up so all looked pretty good. We heard thunder once, but it looked like a safe bet going to DHS tonight for Fant. When we got back to the room, Nate called Mears for me and booked us our reservation, which I believe was at 8 in the morning, not a hot hour for either of us. We also realized that we would need cash to pay for our shuttle, which Nate luckily had so that was set. Nate decided he would turn in early to make sure we made the bus while I went to see Fant so that was when Nate's day ended.

I relaxed for a moment then grabbed my jacket and headed for the bus. I got as far as the end of the Lion King section when I heard thunder again. I kept on going and I kept on hearing thunder. It didn't look good and I was really cutting it close with Fant at this point. I decided to turn around and head back. I was ready to turn in early too.

We stayed up for a little bit, lounging in our beds, watching some Stacey when we looked out the window and saw IllumiNations going off. It was REALLY cool. I watched for a second, but I was too down and tired from the end of our day to really watch. I wish I had the soundtrack on my iPhone to sink it, alas that was not to be or I actually would've watched from outside. I got changed and ready for bed. I set the wake-up call and was out like a light.

Although you could say, today was not my favorite of this trip, we still managed to do a lot. Not to mention, Via Napoli became the starlet of our ADRs on this day. We just really needed to wind down, that's all. There are a lot of things I wish I had done differently this day in lieu of how it did get cut short, but I think it was for the best. Everything does happen for reason. I was going to finally see Universal and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter tomorrow and we were leaving pretty early tomorrow so no use reminiscing on this. Time to sleep!

Mischief managed.

Continued Here​

 

[Tink2Day]

Ugh that sky looked so ominous! Boohoo to missing Fantasmic. But in a couple years I'm confident you'll make it frequently as a DCP CM.

We were so fortunate, we were going to go to the late show of Fantasmic after being at IOA WWOHP all day (it was November so they closed early) and low and behold, we decided to walk up and see if we could get in to the first showing, we did (I'm sure the cold weather had something to do with that) and were still able to go offsite and have dinner in a very nice restaurant! Sometimes the Disney gods do smile upon us.

Lots of pin trading by Nate. Glad you're so much more well-rounded, it makes your report very interesting! Can't wait to read about your Universal/IOA trip.
I've been reading current IOA/US trip reports and I MUST get back to see Diagon Alley!!!

Hope school is going well, I imagine you're about to wrap it up soon?(school, that is)

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Ugh that sky looked so ominous! Boohoo to missing Fantasmic. But in a couple years I'm confident you'll make it frequently as a DCP CM.

It did and it really wasn't friendly when it opened up. And I'll definitely be seeing Fantasmic at every opportunity I can get on my to-happen-in-the-near-future DCP.

We were so fortunate, we were going to go to the late show of Fantasmic after being at IOA WWOHP all day (it was November so they closed early) and low and behold, we decided to walk up and see if we could get in to the first showing, we did (I'm sure the cold weather had something to do with that) and were still able to go offsite and have dinner in a very nice restaurant! Sometimes the Disney gods do smile upon us.

That's awesome! I wish something like that had happened to me. One day the Disney Gods will realize how Fant deprived I've been and let me see it without any obstacles.

Lots of pin trading by Nate. Glad you're so much more well-rounded, it makes your report very interesting! Can't wait to read about your Universal/IOA trip.
I've been reading current IOA/US trip reports and I MUST get back to see Diagon Alley!!!

The norm for him. And I'm glad that you enjoy that I'll be updating about some of that day in just a second with little previews of Diagon Alley (because I need to get back for that too).

Hope school is going well, I imagine you're about to wrap it up soon?(school, that is)

Yup, I'm leaving tomorrow and hanging out with all my friends as much as possible before I have to say goodbye for a few months. :/

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Shameless plug here for my latest Disney vlog/vlog series:

Remember No Sleeping in Disney Especially When You're Going To Universal
June 27th, 2014

The wake-up call went off and guess what? I actually woke up!

Crazy, I know? I finally managed to instill the "No Sleeping in Disney" motto into me... on the day we were going to Universal. The irony, it burns.

After I woke up and got myself out of bed, I walked over to get my outfit together for the day and noticed a concierge guy putting people's Magical Express tags on their doors two floors below ours. I opened our door and saw that we had ours already, must've worked his way from top to bottom. I let out a big sigh knowing this was a sign my dream trip was almost over.

After putting that on the table with our other things, I started on my usual morning routine to get ready for the day. Nate didn't wake up right when the wake-up call went off so after I was mostly done with getting ready, I woke him up. He didn't need as much time as me to get ready anyways.

Fully dressed and with my Marauders map in hand...



Nate and I were out the door a little around 7am.











Our bus didn't come until 8:30 so we had time to grab a quick breakfast. I didn't get a photo of what Nate got, but this was my choice meal that morning.



Same old, same old. The waffles still weren't up to par for me and I got the water for later when I really needed it.

I hadn't really gotten any photos of the Landscape of Flavors so I took a moment while Nate was finishing his food to capture all that lovely Disney detailing.





We still had quite a bit of time after breakfast and decided to look around the Animation Hall area.





I just love how Disney this Disney resort it is. It gives me life.

We stopped by the Ink & Paint Shop to browse and exercise self-restraint because... well... you know...



Any guesses for today's Trivia Board?



I also took note of the fact that the refurbishment on the lobby had switched sides.



Then, we started to make our way out to the pick-up area.











We spotted Erika at the concierge desk and waved to her on our way out. Then, it was back to getting pictures of the sketch wall.









The wall in the check-in area literally is the coolest thing. I might've already gone on about it, but it's so incredible that Disney thought of this. It is not just a bunch of random sketches that look pretty, it progresses from your entrance into AoA from early concept sketches to final products. It's absolutely brilliant. And nope, this is not the last time you'll see those sketches.

After chilling for a bit in front of the wall, Nate and I headed out to the bus stop.

Hai Mater!





We found a spot on the curb and waited there.



I took random, unattractive selfies while we waited...





...And pictures of other things, as well.





We originally thought we were going to be on our lonesome on the Mears bus, until the others came in droves. There was quite a bit of people heading to Universal the same day we were.

The bus eventually arrived. Nate paid the $40 for the both of us and we got to go right on the bus. It took awhile for everyone else to get their money situations, well, situated. The driver was very efficient about it and soon we were off.

Of course, we had to pick up some people at Pop and the BoardWalk:





Both of you, I need to stay in you one day. STOP TAUNTING ME!

I believe we also stopped at one or two off-property resorts, but that's unimportant.

The bus ride was fairly long and the driver put on The Lego Movie for us! I kind of missed the boat on this movie when it came out as did Nate and although we didn't get to watch the whole thing, we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was super hysterical. The pop culture references were giving me life. Chris Pratt. Nuff said.

Moving on, we soon came upon this sign...



We have arrived!

Continued Here​

 

[Newsies]

I'm so sorry about the tired and depressing ending of that day

I promise I'll watch your vlog when I get home. I'm at school and lacking earbuds right now, but when I get home I'll watch.

Universal Studios!!!! Alriiiiiiiight!!!!

 

[Tink2Day]

YAY!!!! Finally getting to WWoHP!!! Wonderful photos of AoA

Also Happy Birthday Timmy

 

[marDgreen88]

Aw, sorry you didn't get to see Fantasmic. Oddly enough, last year when I stayed at AoA I was packing to switch resorts and actually heard it going on from my room! And IllumiNations, too. Not sure why I'm telling you this now because it's not like I can go back in time 11 months and let you know but... yeah. Helpful.

These updates made me miss AoA so much I can't even tell you! It's just perfect.

 

[PlutosRHM55]

I'm so sorry about the tired and depressing ending of that day

I promise I'll watch your vlog when I get home. I'm at school and lacking earbuds right now, but when I get home I'll watch.

Universal Studios!!!! Alriiiiiiiight!!!!

It's all good. Everything happens for a reason.

YAY! Hope you enjoy/enjoyed it!

Mhm

YAY!!!! Finally getting to WWoHP!!! Wonderful photos of AoA

Also Happy Birthday Timmy

Thank you Tink (for the birthday wishes and the compliment on the AoA photos)!

Aw, sorry you didn't get to see Fantasmic. Oddly enough, last year when I stayed at AoA I was packing to switch resorts and actually heard it going on from my room! And IllumiNations, too. Not sure why I'm telling you this now because it's not like I can go back in time 11 months and let you know but... yeah. Helpful.

These updates made me miss AoA so much I can't even tell you! It's just perfect.

Lol, that's awesome! If I had gone out I probably could've heard them, but I was just acting like such a Debbie Downer I only wanted to feed into that. I'm a bit dramatic, what can I say? :/

SAME! I have way too many photos of that resort and it's just... I NEED TO GO BACK!!!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Hanging on the Cliff at the Edge of Islands of Adventure
June 27th, 2014

By the time, the bus had parked and let us disembark, we were a little over an hour after park opening. Not bad considering the distance between Disney and Universal, the stops we had to make and how much we got through of the Lego Movie. Also, not to mention the security we had to go through, which was pretty backed up. The crowds were definitely forming, but I was already in Beast Mode.

I even opted out of the moving sidewalk:



This unfortunately meant I had to wait for Nate at the end who opted FOR the moving sidewalk.

We still kept up with the crowd right through CityWalk.





It ain't no Downtown Disney, but it looked like a place I'd enjoy. We had other plans though. Where to?



Islands of Adventure! I mean... it is in the title of this chapter.



I was major eyeballing the Universal Studios Store. Nate got nervous and tried to sway me away, but I know it probably wasn't opened yet since there was so much construction going on. I also didn't want to start spending my money before I even had been in the park. That's insane... even for me.

Onward to Islands of Adventure!





There was quite the line at the entrance to IoA, but many were buying tickets that day. Luckily, Nate and I had bought ours far in advanced. It was strange, they only scanned our tickets and didn't give us new more sustainable ones in exchange. I don't know how I felt about that. Disney has definitely spoiled me, but even this seemed low tech compared to most amusement parks I've been to in my life time. So weird.

Whatever, adventure was out there and I was ready to take full advantage of it!





Port of Entry had some wonderful detailing to it. They even paid attention to what greenery they added to it. I was definitely impressed. Universal started out on a very good note.





Well, here's one ride I probably wouldn't go on.



Heights. A Launch. Loops. Upside Down. A Hulk. Yeah, not my thing.

Oh look, Seuss Landing!



















Seuss Landing was the most adorable thing ever! I loved all the colors, the zaniness, it definitely felt like you were stepping into one of Theodore Geisel's books (for those of you who don't know, that's Dr. Seuss' real name). We would most likely be heading back there later, but there was a certain destination in mind that we HAD to get to.

We still had to discover The Lost Continent before then.















It felt very much like an extension of the Port of Entry, which made the location kind of strange. If this were Disney, the Lost Continent would've most likely come directly after Port of Entry. Still, I'm a huge mythology buff. Yes, most of what I know about mythology I learned from the Percy Jackson books, but even before those, I loved it. It felt very much like what Greece or Rome would look like in a mythological context.

We'd be back later because...



Oh. My.

Continued Here​

 

[cindianne320]

As much as I love Disney, there really is nothing quite like Harry Potter World. I've been to IoA a few times, but would love to see the new addition at US. (Well, I did see it- the week before it opened. )

I can't wait to hear what you thought of it!

 

[Tink2Day]

Actually Lost Continent makes perfect sense. It used to be the lead in to the area that housed Dueling Dragons, Flight of the Unicorn, Enchanted Oaks. Though the name of the area escapes me now, it was based on medieval times and the myths in that time.

Even though I love Disney Parks and have for 60 years, I really don't think too many Main Streets in small town America lead to the castle of a Princess.
Disneyland makes even less sense, I never understood the placement of the Matterhorn.....

I'm like Cindi, WWoHP is just so immersive and so different that I don't think I'd ever tire of it and I just can't wait to see Diagon Alley.
But, we're all attracted to different things in life. Still, I can't wait to hear/see more.

 

[princessraquel]

Hi I'm following along! I love reading your trip report. I can't wait to read more

 

[PlutosRHM55]

As much as I love Disney, there really is nothing quite like Harry Potter World. I've been to IoA a few times, but would love to see the new addition at US. (Well, I did see it- the week before it opened. )

I can't wait to hear what you thought of it!

There really isn't anything like WWoHP and I need to get back too to see Diagon Alley too!

I'll be posting that update in a sec.

Actually Lost Continent makes perfect sense. It used to be the lead in to the area that housed Dueling Dragons, Flight of the Unicorn, Enchanted Oaks. Though the name of the area escapes me now, it was based on medieval times and the myths in that time.

I heard about that. It looked like a really cool area even though I'm glad it's now Harry Potter themed, but it looked interesting. I believe it was called Merlin's Woods or something idk

Even though I love Disney Parks and have for 60 years, I really don't think too many Main Streets in small town America lead to the castle of a Princess.
Disneyland makes even less sense, I never understood the placement of the Matterhorn.....

True that, but I think it's a cool metaphor that you can find magic in the most unexpected of places. I also love how it plays into the "opening credits" storyline Walt had planned for Main Street and Disneyland. I would explain that one, but it really makes it all more linear and easier to understand.

I'm like Cindi, WWoHP is just so immersive and so different that I don't think I'd ever tire of it and I just can't wait to see Diagon Alley.
But, we're all attracted to different things in life. Still, I can't wait to hear/see more.

Neither will I. I cannot wait to go back, especially with my mom since she was just as into Harry Potter as I was and a lot of my fond memories of that book series involve her so I know we'd have a blast and probably cry a lot lol

Hi I'm following along! I love reading your trip report. I can't wait to read more

Hello! Thank you, I'll be posting an update in just a sec! Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Bye Muggles! I'M GOING TO HOGWARTS! Part I
June 27th, 2014

*speechless*



















Someone must've placed some lockjaw hex or tongue-tying hex because I literally could not close my mouth (it seriously just hung there) when I walked into Hogsmeade. WHEN I WALKED INTO HOGSMEADE!! I don't even know. This was truly a religious experience. It was unreal, surreal, fulfilling, amazing, worship-inducing... EVERYTHING! I know I'm one of the last and had seen photos long before, but it's NOTHING compared to when you're actually walking in the footsteps of the many wizards who came before you. It feels as if you stepped right into Harry, Ron and Hermione's adventures, but you're making your own. I could not handle myself. I wanted to just run from building to building doing whatever there was to offer. I didn't care. IT WAS TIME TO BE A WIZARD FOR ONCE! My childhood fantasies had come true. Of course, I still needed that education. That was of the utmost importance. My letter in hand, spell books, wand, robes, broomsticks and the like all piled in my trunk, I was ready to take on Hogwarts!



There was a 90 minute wait to get in, but that wasn't stopping me. Also, I'm sure we wouldn't get any better wait if we decided to go elsewhere so we got right in line. Also, it allowed me time to explore the grounds around Hogwarts Castle.





Huh? I don't remember this being a part of Hogwarts.







I could not wait to have class with Professor Sprout in those greenhouses. They housed the most unusual of plant life.











The usual commemorative photo. Unfortunately, we didn't have the proper camera to allow for movement. Stupid Muggle cameras.



Looks like Buckbeak was allowed to roam freely again!





We had to pack away all our belongings in what is the most chaotic system for storage. I don't know why Dumbledore hadn't tried to make this more simple, especially in letting you know what objects could go in storage and which couldn't. Luckily, my keeping of the Muggle camera was a safe bet and Nate and I were able to escape the throng... for now.



Continued Here​

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Bye Muggles! I'M GOING TO HOGWARTS! Part II
June 27th, 2014

It looked like they were utilizing a different system to grow their mandrakes. Personally, I don't think levitation is very healthy for the mandrakes or for those who have to re-pot them.







Hmm, maybe I miscalculated in what plants were hanging from the ceiling. So many plant species in the wizarding world I still had to learn about!









YES! It was finally time to go inside! Oh I could not wait to be sorted.









I'd be visiting Dumbledore later. Hopefully. (Actually we snuck into his office for a sec...)

The castle was soooo... enchanting! The talking pictures and all the assorted wizard decor. I knew that I could find my place in this school. Forget Skidmore, Hogwarts was where I was destined to be. Unfortunately, my Muggle care was very sensitive to the charms placed around the halls and the resulting photographs aren't great, but I'll post a few so I can tell you about what happened next.





Somehow we were led right into the Defense Against The Dark Arts classroom where Harry, Ron and Hermione were waiting for us. They said to go meet them in the Room of Requirement (after the sorting, of course) and they'd take us down to the Quidditch Pitch to watch a match. I was all for that and continued on my way, trying to figure out where the trio went under that invisibility cloak.



The Fat Lady is always waiting to give us her two cents on the subject. She's quite the hoot!

Look! We finally arrived at the sorting ceremony!



Sorting Hat: Better beeee... RAVENCLAW!

I knew it.

And by some happy chance, the Room of Requirement opened to us right by the sorting hat. Forgot it only opened when truly needed. Hermione had charmed some benches for us. We got to skip most of the line because there was only Nate and I and we were off on the Quidditch pitch...

Except, it became more of an adventure throughout Hogwarts! I won't even begin to tell you how exhilarating this all was and what an incredible flight. Those benches really knew where to go and how to get there. In muggle terms, this is truly one of the best, if not the best, attractions out there. The technology is incredible and makes it for such a real experience.

Oh those muggles with their technology! Such a silly word for magic.

After we said goodbye to Dumbledore, Harry and the rest of the amazing wizards inside Hogwarts currently, we were let off back into the storage area. Nate went into Filch's Office to snoop around while I got what we needed. The lady in front of me was having issues finding her locker. I went up to the unusable locker in the middle to perform the steps needed to open mine and the lady got really upset. She said she wasn't done. I assumed she probably was a squib trying to get into Hogwarts, and a grumpy one at that, and got my stuff and went on my way. I had no time to deal with those people who didn't take the time to make note of how to unlock things without a key or alohomora (and thus continue to hold people up).

We got everything sorted away and left Hogwarts Castle. Nate and I were both in need of a refreshment and Nate knew the exact place where to get one.

Continued Here​