"First Of All, How Dare You" A November 2015 TR! **New TR Link!**

[TheMaxRebo]

Too bad the rest of the family still didn't want to give EPCOT a chance, but glad you were able to have a good day there

That is great how it worked out for you all with Test Track

Very sweet move by Amber to that Little girl - I am sure that meant so much to her!

 

[abarriger]

Your magic shot from Epcot is THE GREATEST EVER! Sorry you're awesome. Do you always have to ask for magic shots, or do they just give them sometimes? We have memory maker for the first time this trip.

 

[MarieLightning]

Bonus hidden Mickey.

Gotta love those

I've always wondered why they sell Ramune in parks when you can't get rid of the bottle. I missed Soarin' last time we were there I'm kind of sad that I'll never get to do Soarin' Over California again but I guess it's fitting that my last time seeing it was at DCA. It seems fitting I guess lol.

Maybe they assume people will treat it as any other 'souvenir' and not drink it until after they've left? But yeah, it was a bit of a conundrum

I knooow. Soarin' has been my happy place ever since we first rode it. I get such a rush of bliss and happiness the moment we lift off and the music starts. Even just listening to the soundtrack is soothing. I'm really worried the new movie won't give me the same experience, but I won't knock it down til I try it. And that does seem fitting to have experienced Soarin' Over California at DCA for the last time

Just finished bingeing on all of your TRs and I've loved them all! I'm not much of a commenter normally, but I feel as if we have a connection now, haha . So interesting to see the different sort of trips you guys have taken, and how your "traditional" approach to the parks is! My typical park partner is my sister, and I feel as if we do things the same way! I've also looked into different places to eat thanks to your reports, and have been subtlety slipping in the ideas to my sister [as she is the main planner but appreciates when other people take a certain interest!] You guys have also inspired me to attempt writing my first TR! I haven't done any in my 4 visits in the past year and a half [shame!] but we'll see! I'll be following along in this report, of course!

Glad to see you're having a magical time! Family drama is never fun, but you're taking the right approach in just letting them go off on their own and enjoying yourselves!

Awesome, that was a lot of reading! Thank you so much for joining in

Well, if you do follow some of our food recommendations, I hope you end up enjoying them And definitely let me know if you go ahead and write a TR! Although, I can definitely understand why you haven't - 4 visits in a year and a half, wow! It's gonna have taken me about 8-9 months to finish up this one, so I don't think I would manage to ever get anything written up if we went that often! Although, it'd be a nice problem to have

We were a bit better prepared for drama happening this time around so I think that was the key. I think it's just hard sometimes when bringing first timers to let go of the responsibility to make sure they have a great time. But ultimately, that depends on them a whole lot more than on us. Hopefully I keep that in mind when I take my family next!

 

[MarieLightning]

Too bad the rest of the family still didn't want to give EPCOT a chance, but glad you were able to have a good day there

That is great how it worked out for you all with Test Track

Very sweet move by Amber to that Little girl - I am sure that meant so much to her!

Amber still feels so badly over it. She took it as a personal offence, with Epcot being her favorite park

It did work out great, I don't think we could recreate that timing even if we tried.

Sometimes we can make our own magic, so that's always great! She is really glad she got to make a little girl really happy.

Your magic shot from Epcot is THE GREATEST EVER! Sorry you're awesome. Do you always have to ask for magic shots, or do they just give them sometimes? We have memory maker for the first time this trip.

Thanks! We love magic shots and we'd seen that one around before, so we were really excited to get it for our own!

I think a lot of the magic shots we've gotten through the years were the Photographer taking the initiative to offer them to us. I mean, in a sense it's a good marketing process - you can get the nice, regular pictures with your own camera, but you can't replicate magic shots.

We have taken to sometimes asking for them though, if nobody's been waiting a while for their own turn. I figure, with paying for the Memory Maker, might as well make the most of it with as many special shots as possible. Most of them have the capacity to give a magic shot.

 

[coloredimage]

Maybe they assume people will treat it as any other 'souvenir' and not drink it until after they've left? But yeah, it was a bit of a conundrum

I knooow. Soarin' has been my happy place ever since we first rode it. I get such a rush of bliss and happiness the moment we lift off and the music starts. Even just listening to the soundtrack is soothing. I'm really worried the new movie won't give me the same experience, but I won't knock it down til I try it. And that does seem fitting to have experienced Soarin' Over California at DCA for the last time

Oooooh probably lol. I never actually thought about the fact that they would assume people would keep it as a souvenir! That does make sense, but still weird!

I'm trying so hard not to spoil myself with the new Soarin'. I feel like, if I see it online before I experience it in person, I'll spoil it for myself somehow. I guess I just feel like if I watch it without the rush and the lift and the big screen it just won't be as enjoyable? I don't know - I guess I'll have to see how you guys like it if you get to do it next month!

 

[MarieLightning]

Oooooh probably lol. I never actually thought about the fact that they would assume people would keep it as a souvenir! That does make sense, but still weird!

I'm trying so hard not to spoil myself with the new Soarin'. I feel like, if I see it online before I experience it in person, I'll spoil it for myself somehow. I guess I just feel like if I watch it without the rush and the lift and the big screen it just won't be as enjoyable? I don't know - I guess I'll have to see how you guys like it if you get to do it next month!

It would be weird. If I'm buying soda, it's cause I'm thirsty But the bottle is pretty neat so you know. I could see people wanting to bring it home and show it off.

I know what you mean! Soarin' is too meaningful to me to just spoil it by watching a YouTube video on a computer screen. We actually had a Disney Rep come into work a couple of weeks ago for training, and she showed a few videos. One of them were the making of the new Soarin', so I actually squealed "Ahh spoilers!" and looked away. We were also listening to the DisUnplugged at some point, and they started mentioning some of the places you soar over, and I was like 'Aaaahhhh nooooo!' and covering my ears until Amber turned it off.

 

[MarieLightning]

Day 8, Part 3 - "Do You Want Me To Re-Pack These In For You?"

Once we were finished with exploring Japan, we split up with the boys until dinner time. We had plans of our own that we needed to get going for!

We passed by France as the server was doing his thing.

Someday we should probably stop and watch this show. We've really not done that enough throughout any of the World Showcase.

We made our way back toward Future World, as we had someone to meet up with!

And that someone was currently getting a drink at Starbucks (this could really be a hint in itself...).

We were meeting up with Courtney! @courtneybelle here on the Dis!

(Btw @pkondz, I can attest that the Starbucks mystery does not go on here, because she did have a drink in hand when we met her.)

She's been pretty crazy busy since she started up her Disney College Program, and then moved on to a regular position within the company (on top of Universal...) so she hasn't been around a whole lot. We're planning on meeting up with her again in August, though!

We spent a bit of time chatting outside of Starbucks, and we mentioned that we'd been wanting to check out the Festival Center so we started heading in that direction.

We figured we'd want pictures of our meet though, and since we had the Memory Maker, why not make use of a Photopass Photographer?

He then suggested a certain Magic Shot...

The funny part is this Photographer actually instructed us to do this pose. Unlike the other one who was totally confused by our initiative.

We had a couple of goals upon visiting the Festival Center on that day.

The first was to see if Amber could re-create her luck from the Flower and Garden Festival, back in May 2014. Our trip had fallen toward the end the festival then as well, and our last Epcot day had coincided with the Friday starting up the last weekend. Upon browsing the Festival Center, Amber came across a really nice t-shirt in the merchandise area... that was 50% off! As was a lot of merchandise, actually, because of it being the last weekend.

Unfortunately, she had no such luck with the Food and Wine festival. The one cute shirt we'd seen around during the week appeared to actually be sold out, and the other one they had didn't appeal to her. Actually, none of the merchandise there really did, so we passed it up.

My goal was a bit different, and definitely successful.

Yep. I was back for the chocolate.

As usual, the Cast Members were gold. Guys, if you ever want to buy Ghiradelli's and you're at the Food and Wine festival, head to the Festival Center.

This is twice now I've bought some - I got a tin in September 2014, and this time around I got this container instead.

Both times, I tried to pack it to what I felt was the right amount (wouldn't want to be told off for trying to cheat the system by overpacking it, right?)

The first time, I did pretty well, but as I came to the register, the girl told me I could fit three more in the top probably. I'd already tried that but wasn't able to close the lid. She remedied to that problem by taping it closed.

This time, I did a pretty poor job, but still not too bad. When I walked up to the register, the Cast Members asked me if I wanted them to try and repack it. So I let them, and I probably managed to fit an entire additional row of chocolates in there.

Point is, they definitely don't try to jip you out of chocolate goodies.

We then spend a pretty good amount of time just chilling and sitting inside the Festival Center, chatting with Courtney. It was really a great time, just enjoying her company, until she had to head out because she was off to the Halloween Party.

So we eventually had to say our goodbyes, and Amber and I headed back toward the World Showcase to try and do some more exploring.

We decided to stop in Canada, as the next performance was about to start.

That's right, we were catching the lumberjack show.

Listen. Is it stereotyping? Kinda - the plaid in itself is something we can't seem to shake off our Canadian image. Although Amber has said she's never seen as much plaid as in our thrift stores.

But you know what? I really didn't have any kind of problem with this.

And I especially didn't get the hate. I figure most of it is probably still driven by bitterness of Off Kilter going away, but they're not coming back, so might as well enjoy what else we get.

Not to mention - folkore band and comedic lumberjack show? Who are you trying to kid by holding each of those to one another's standards? They are completely different acts. Might as well try to compare the Country Bear Jamboree with Soarin'.

Point is, we stood in the splash zone and enjoyed ourselves. It's no less entertaining than the Italian act.

And I mean...

I'll leave this right here for y'all.

Once we were done appreciating the scenery (ahem) of Canada, we moved on to the neighbouring nation.

We decided to take advantage of the best hidden meet (RIP) of Epcot, and made our way toward the back area of the pavillion. There were maybe a couple of groups standing in front of us, and before too long, we were standing in Christopher Robin's bedroom.

Amber is still very upset about Pooh leaving the UK. She's distraught that you can now only meet him at the Magic Kingdom (not counting character meals). It came as a rough blow after Duffy's departure.

#ThanksShanghai

We kept going on our way, heading toward the bridge crossing into France, and decided to stop for a couple more pictures.

Clearly, not everybody receives the same training...

I don't know if I'd really qualify it of blurry per se? But there's obviously something off with the picture. Which is sad, because had they been regular quality, those would probably be some of my favorite shots of the trip.

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[MarieLightning]

Day 8, Part 4 - Better Than You'd Imagine

We did manage to find another spot for pictures which redeemed our last set before too long, so we stopped for a couple more.

At that point, it was getting close to the time we were supposed to meet back up with the boys for dinner. They had done some exploring of their own, and headed back to the resort for a break, but now they were on their way back in.

We met up in America, and headed into Liberty Inn to get our meals.

Amber had raved quite a bit about this Quick Service location which serves steak, but now that we were here, she just wasn't feeling it. She wasn't that hungry, so she decided to go for a kids' meal instead.

She got the mac and cheese with grapes and a cookie, and I got the grilled chicken BLT.

The meal was a bit lackluster, definitely not as great as we'd remembered it. But then, maybe we were both just not actually that hungry for the options they had on that particular night. We probably could have tried something new instead. Next time!

After eating, we decided to head back toward Future World, and I made a stop in France because I did have to get me some dessert (Liberty Inn having made away with their individual apple pies which is SACRILEGIOUS)

It's okay, because this macaron ice cream sandwich was delicious.

Next time I need to try that brioche thing though.

We kept moving on, having decided we had a bit of time to kill before our evening plans, so we figured we might be able to fit in a ride on Test Track, using the single riders line.

Amber decided to take a selfie while waiting in line, which Curtis expertly photobombed.

She took another one though, because she needed to show off this great honor..

We didn't wait for too long, and whilst Curtis and I rode with strangers (as one would expect), Amber and Kameron got put in the same car, and ended up actually being able to ride side by side.

We got off the ride, and wished the boys a good rest of their night, because at that point we had somewhere else to be, for very important and exciting plans.

We walked all the way back to the World Showcase, over to the International Gateway and out of the park. We then made our way toward the Yacht Club, and entered the lobby.

Now, remember Margaret and Chase? Those two awesome people who treated us to an amazing dinner just a few nights before?

Yeah, they weren't done being awesome.

By then, Margaret's parents and sister had joined them on the trip. So on this night, she had made plans with them for an IllumiNations cruise.

And she invited us to join them.

If you know Amber, you'll probably know what kind of reaction she had at such an invitation.

Goes a little like this.

We obviously accepted the invitation.

We met up in the lobby and spent a bit of time chatting (and meeting her family) before it was time to head to the docks and check in.

Just the cruise itself was a really great experience. The captain drove us all the way toward Hollywood Studios, and then turned back around to park underneath the bridge between the UK and France.

We don't really have many pictures of the cruise itself, or the fireworks. For one thing, it was dark.

For another, I think we were just too busy soaking it all up.

And it really was one of the best experiences we've had at Disney. Definitely for me, but especially for Amber.

I mean, just imagine. Imagine that IllumiNations is your favorite fireworks show. That the message it carries touches you deeply, to the point where even sitting at home and listening to the soundtrack brings your to tears.

And now, imagine that being made a hundred times better by being in the perfect possible location you could be to watch that show.

Needless to say, she cried. So did I.

Once it was over, we were brought back to the docks.

This time, we also made sure to remember to get a picture taken with Margaret and Chase.

Thanks again guys, for a fantastic night.


We headed toward the Beach & Yacht Club's bus stop together, as Epcot was now closed and we all had to make our way back to our respective resorts.

They waited for the Magic Kingdom bus, as they were headed to the Grand Floridian, so that was obviously the simplest course of action.

Amber and I debated what to do. At that point, it was either head to the Magic Kingdom as well, and then switch buses, or head to Disney Springs and switch buses.

We decided to go to Disney Springs, since we didn't want to get mixed up with crowds exiting MK. Also, that bus came around first, so you know. Might as well.

We said our goodbyes to the rest of the group, and wished them a great end of their trip since we would not be seeing them again.

Upon arriving in Disney Springs, we came across a line that was just about as bad as what we'd experienced a couple of nights before, and wished we'd stuck around for the MK bus. We had to wait through three buses load before we managed to get on, and then we were finally on our way back to the resort for the night.


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[pkondz]

Umm..... wandered over here to see why I was tagged.

I had no idea this TR was even happening!
And wow. I'm late to the party.

And I came.... just as you met up with Courtney!
She's great, isn't she!

I'm going to go back and catch up.
May just lurk, though... I'm swamped!

 

[MarieLightning]

Umm..... wandered over here to see why I was tagged.

I had no idea this TR was even happening!
And wow. I'm late to the party.

And I came.... just as you met up with Courtney!
She's great, isn't she!

I'm going to go back and catch up.
May just lurk, though... I'm swamped!

It's all good, lurk away

I just recalled your meet with Courtney and how she'd said she was in Starbucks but met you with nothing in hand Then again, we caught her right at the exit, so it would have been really suspicious if she'd stepped out with nothing XD

 

[coloredimage]

omg, I hate the Disney Spring buses so much! The Illuminations cruise looks awesome - definitely something I'll have to do at some point!

 

[felynn]

Loving your magic shots and I'm so glad you got to take that cruise. Amber must have been over the moon!

 

[MarieLightning]

omg, I hate the Disney Spring buses so much! The Illuminations cruise looks awesome - definitely something I'll have to do at some point!

I know, it was pretty bad trying to get back to the resort both times we did it from Disney Springs.

It is for sure an awesome experience! I would definitely look into doing an IllumiNations cruise share if I could in the future.

Loving your magic shots and I'm so glad you got to take that cruise. Amber must have been over the moon!

Thanks!

And she definitely was! Even I was, and although I love IllumiNations, it's not quite to her level

 

[MarieLightning]

Day 9, Part 1 - "How About We Go To Epcot?"

Our last family day started out as our Disney days usually do - early

We got ready to head out and left our MouseKeeping envelope of the day.

We met up with the rest of the family in the lobby, and made our way to the buses. That's when we came across crazy town in the bus line to our planned park of the day.

Remember that school group, on their way to Disney Springs? Amber asked what their plans for the weekend were, to try and see if they matched ours in any way.

The first couple of days were safe.

This day, was not. They were also headed to the Magic Kingdom. And the line was packed.

We debated what to do. We let Grandma and Mom get in the accessible line up, with Grandma's walker, and thought about maybe walking to the All-Star Music and catch their bus.

Then, I made a suggestion that wasn't technically all that great, but still ended up being the winner. I suggested we get in the Epcot line, and take the monorail over.

That line was clearly much shorter.

So we got on a bus before too long, and off we were!

Only just briefly basking in the gorgeousness of Spaceship Earth.

The boys were pretty excited about riding the monorail, so you know, at least there was that!

It wasn't too much hassle to get to the TTC, and we headed down to switch lines. A monorail was just leaving as we walked up, so we did have to wait a bit longer for the next one.

We obviously didn't beat Grandma and Mom to the park, but ultimately, I really don't think we would have fit on that bus, and the walk to the Music with the kids would have been a bit slower paced than when we did it ourselves, so any course of action would have delayed us anyway.

We soon arrived to this lovely sight.

Did I say lovely? I meant terrible.

(Well, okay. Nobody was expecting low crowds at the Magic Kingdom on a Saturday).

We headed in and split up pretty much right away. Grandma and Mom took their leisurely time making their way in. Amber, Kameron, Curtis, Uncle Butch, Boston, Ramsey and I hightailed it to Frontierland.

In the meantime, Aunt Sarah stayed back with Elsye. We pointed out a meet suggestion to her before heading off.

Of course, Elsye was all for it.

Showing her Simba to TinkerBell is probably like, the best thing ever.

Once they got out of the meet, apparently the wait for Mickey was next to nothing, so Aunt Sarah made the elective decision to jump in that line too.

Always happy to meet the big cheese himself!

He got her hopping with him a little.

They also took the opportunity to get a few shots on Main Street USA.

Castle pictures are always the best.

Meanwhile, our group of explorers had a pretty wild ride to catch...

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[MarieLightning]

Day 9, Part 2 - "You Were Gone Half An Hour"

Ahh, Big Thunder Mountain.

How I love thee.

Definitely my favorite coaster in the Magic Kingdom. I'm so sad it's gonna be in refurb in August.

Amber had a very excited riding partner.

I was sitting with this too cool for school kid.

And Curtis went by his loneself, while Uncle Butch rode with Ramsey.

Once we got off Big Thunder, we said goodbye to Uncle Butch and the little boys for the time being. They were meeting back up with Aunt Sarah and Elsye in Tomorrowland, and we'd made them a FastPass for Space Mountain, just in case the kids wanted to try it. As it turned out, once they got there, they decided they did not want to.

I'm not sure what they did instead.

Amber escorted them along the way, til she got close enough to Tomorrowland to split, so she got these couple of shots while at it.

When she came back, she noted Curtis has a pressed penny, and asked him when he'd had time to get one of those.

To which I responded, "Well, you've been gone half an hour".

So, I may be a little prone to exaggeration.

At that point, we were all gathered in Liberty Square, ready to keep going with the day's activities.

And what's one to do in Liberty Square?

Duh.

Okay, it's not the *only* thing in Liberty Square. But I mean, still. Come on.

After visiting the 999 Happy Haunts (and not joining them as the 1000th), we decided to swing by Heritage House to see what Tiana's line looked like.

It was, again, pretty much empty. Seriously, best hidden spot ever. About as good as Winnie and Tigger's used to be in the UK.

The boys went up first.

Then Grandma and Mom.

And of course Amber and I had to get another picture with her!

We didn't really have any other urgent plans for that morning (well, I'd made some initially, but I think by that point in the trip we were like, whatever) and lines were pretty decent, so we decided to go into the Christmas store and look around some.

This is the cutest photo op, seriously.

We browsed, we perused, we checked it out...

I did not buy anything. I know, shocker. I love Christmas stuff. No clue what happened there. I came to the end of this trip with no Christmas merchandise, and no Animator's Doll.

I don't know either. I will most likely remedy one or the other in August (the Alice Animator's Doll is adoooorable. Although I might wait until they release one of Moana before I get another one).

After we finished looking around, we headed toward New Fantasyland, as we were supposed to meet up there with the rest of the family.

They were waiting along the wall by Seven Dwarves Mine Train, so we joined them. There seemed to be a bit of a sour mood going on, but we didn't bother investigating.

We had a lunch reservation coming up, but it still wasn't quite time yet, so we went a little further in to Belle's Village to check things out.

Oh what a guy.

We went into the little store to look around, but didn't see anything really eye catching (that would be in our spending budget anyway).

Finally, it was time to get our food on!

So, where to?

Do I need to say it again?

Duh.

We had wondered briefly the best course of action with this lunch. Since Curtis joined in late in the game, I wasn't able to add him to our ADR for Be Our Guest. Then, after a bit of time went by, I happened to check, and was able to grab one just for him, just fifteen minutes before our own.

However, we didn't want him to just head him alone and chill by himself for fifteen minutes, but we also didn't want him to 'lose' his reservation by checking in late for the rest of us, and we thought we'd probably be turned away if we tried to check in early with him.

I mean, they really don't care that much, so we headed around the time his ADR was set, and we all went in. I don't know why I worry so much about these things. (Of course, this is Quick Service, so that's clearly got something to do with it).

We sat in the Rose room, because of course there was no seating in the West Wing, and Amber is over the ballroom (she cray).

And now, let's wait for food!

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[coloredimage]

Over the ballrooom!!!!! D: D: D:

(though I do love the Rose Room for lunch)

 

[pkondz]

That's when we came across crazy town in the bus line to our planned park of the day.

Oh boy! Crazy town bus! Fun!


No?

This day, was not. They were also headed to the Magic Kingdom. And the line was packed.

Ugh. "Hey kids! Look! If you run over there, there's a ... (insert really valuable Pokémon Go character) over there!

Then, I made a suggestion that wasn't technically all that great, but still ended up being the winner. I suggested we get in the Epcot line, and take the monorail over.

Interesting tactic. Would've been informative to split the group and see who gets there first.

The boys were pretty excited about riding the monorail, so you know, at least there was that!

The day the monorail isn't exciting is a day I never wanna see.

We soon arrived to this lovely sight.

Umm....

Did I say lovely? I meant terrible.

Ah. That's better.

Showing her Simba to TinkerBell is probably like, the best thing ever.

Ahh, Big Thunder Mountain.

How I love thee.

Definitely my favorite coaster in the Magic Kingdom. I'm so sad it's gonna be in refurb in August.

Yeah... And it'll still be down when I'm there in September.
Don't think I didn't think about not going, just because of that.

And what's one to do in Liberty Square?

Okay, it's not the *only* thing in Liberty Square. But I mean, still. Come on.

It's the only thing that one absolutely must do.

This is the cutest photo op, seriously.

Very cute!

We sat in the Rose room, because of course there was no seating in the West Wing,

What? I thought the Rose room was hard to get in. Why "of course" was there no seating in the West Wing?

and Amber is over the ballroom (she cray).

Well... me too. I prefer the smaller rooms.

 

[iheartbelle87]

I'm loving your TR! Great way to spend 6 ish hours at work today!

I always think a big family trip would be so much fun- then DH and I snap back into reality

Heading over to your PTR for August now!

 

[MarieLightning]

Over the ballrooom!!!!! D: D: D:

(though I do love the Rose Room for lunch)

I know, right?!

But I'll admit the Rose Room (is that actually even the name for it? Library? Portrait Room? Oh well) is more quiet, so there's that.

Oh boy! Crazy town bus! Fun!


No?

Ugh. "Hey kids! Look! If you run over there, there's a ... (insert really valuable Pokémon Go character) over there!

Well, this was waaaay before Pokémon Go, but maybe that will be a handy tactic this coming August Although I'll admit with no shame that the only reason I'm not playing is because I have an iPhone 4 and it doesn't support the system required for the game to run. However, I wouldn't be wadding in strange bodies of water to catch a water Pokémon, or going down a sketch alley by myself at night cause there's a rare catch at the end of it XD I have a better awareness of my mortality

Yeah... And it'll still be down when I'm there in September.
Don't think I didn't think about not going, just because of that.

We're having tough luck, really. My favorite coaster in MK, down. One of Amber's favorite rides (Dinosaur), down.

CELEBRATE THE MAGIC, DOWN.

WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FRICKIN FRACK DISNEY.

(Sorry, that was a cold blow and it came just days before our departure )

It's the only thing that one absolutely must do.

That's true. With five trips in 4 years, we have yet to do the Hall of Presidents.

What? I thought the Rose room was hard to get in. Why "of course" was there no seating in the West Wing?

I may not be using the proper name for it XD Then again, I'm not sure what the proper name for it would be? What I refer to as the Rose Room is the room with all the portraits, the giant Dancing Belle and Beast in the middle, and the giant Rose mosaic on the ceiling. Maybe it's the Library? Gallery Room? Who knows. I guess because it doesn't replicate an actual room from the movie, people bypass it a bit more.

The West Wing has never had seating in it whenever we've gone. It's always jam packed.

Well... me too. I prefer the smaller rooms.

It is a lot more quiet to have lunch in. But you know, the Ballroom is so amazing looking. It's literally the movie.

I'm loving your TR! Great way to spend 6 ish hours at work today!

I always think a big family trip would be so much fun- then DH and I snap back into reality

Heading over to your PTR for August now!

Hey, thanks for joining in! And TRs are always a great time to pass time at work

I mean, for the most part is was nice to have everybody there. But yeah, we wouldn't do it again with this whole crew. Live and learn XD We will be going with my family in a few years, but I'm thinking that'll be a lot more similar to when we went with my Aunt and Uncle. They'll do their thing, we'll do our thing, if something matches up we can do it together, otherwise we'll meet up for dinner.

 

[MarieLightning]

Day 9, Part 3 - Try The Grey Stuff, It's, You Know, Pretty Good

Amber and I each got our usual for the Be Our Guest lunch.

Carved turkey sandwich for me - I mean, I'll eat practically anything that's served on a baguette.

(I did say 'practically anything', so no wisecracks here).

Amber got the braised pork. Which has since added mushrooms? I sure hope it's a separate add on because that addition may cost me further visits to Be Our Guest in the future, since that's the only thing Amber will eat on the menu and she hates mushrooms (I mean, can't blame her on that one - so do I).

I also go the Master's Cupcake, though Amber passed up on dessert.

Now, this meal was kind of a repeat of May 2014, when we ate at Restaurantosaurus with our friends.

Aka, our food all got brought out at different times, with ridiculously large amounts of time in between (although we all ordered at the same time), and not based on who had ordered what when, since we did go to the ordering stations in three groups.

It took forever for Uncle Butch to get his food, though Aunt Sarah and the kids got theirs without too much delay. Some of us were pretty much done eating ours by the time he received his plate.

Now, I know. It's a busy restaurant. This was lunch time.

Still, there's five orders on one slip of paper - maybe bring out all five at once? That's how they serve it at other Quick Service restaurants.

I think Curtis' food also had some pretty long delays.

Thankfully, everyone still enjoyed their food and had a relatively great time, so you know, there's that.

Of course we had to take a picture of the ballroom on our way out.

And this as well.

Plus, sometimes I have to tell Amber to go stand in front of stuff so she'll be in a decent amount of pictures - she does keep a hold of the camera a lot more than I do.

We decided to head over to Storybook Circus, because we hadn't been in that area and we had to ride a classic.

No pictures, but we rode Dumbo, I swear. The wait wasn't bad, definitely less than ten minutes. We just bypassed the play area.

Now, we had changed around some of our FastPasses that day, because initially we'd gotten FastPasses for Wishes, but with Aunt Sarah holding on tight to the idea that nobody in her family cares about fireworks, we figured that would go as a waste.

We did, however, keep our Festival of Fantasy FastPasses, because we figured that was a nice midday thing to do, and then people could head out if they wanted.

Well, they apparently don't care about parades either, so they decided to head out before it started.

Meanwhile, the rest of us approached the FastPass area (so much better at the entrance of Main Street than in the hub) and got ourselves a curb spot.

Amber pretty much spent the next half hour or so running errands. Also, I need to correct myself here - I did get an Animator's Doll in November. I got the Elsa one. It's not my favorite, but you know, if I'm gonna collect them all, I would have gotten her at some point. I had been debating getting her or not during the trip, and Amber asked me then if I wanted to buy her then since we'd be headed back to the resort for a break after the parade, and I decided to go ahead with it.

So she went off and got me my doll. She also got me one of those frozen minute maid cups. I'm pretty sure it was orange flavored. Or maybe I wanted to try the orange flavor but they didn't have any so I got the regular lemonade. Anyway. I love those things, although they're by no means special Disney treats. They're a nice, cold, tasty treat that doesn't melt all over you and doesn't lose its flavor halfway through, so it's a win in my opinion.

Before too long, the parade started, and we took our due amount of pictures.

We actually took a bit less than usual, because Amber filmed a bit more than usual.

I think it was another case of being determined to show Aunt Sarah what she made herself (and her kids) miss.

What can I say. She's not quite as passive-aggressive as I am (she's a bit more aggressive than passive) but she has her tendencies.

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