I can't believe he said yes! We conquered June! the end...9.10.10

I am so glad you are joining in!! Welcome!! :welcome:

I figure if I am not honest...then it isn't a true TR...right??? :) He is my very best friend even if he does give me headaches about Disney!! Day 2 at DHS is full of "honesty"! :lmao:

Hahaha!!! Your TR sounds alot like mine!
 
I love that you went down the pool slide "like the little kids"! After all, isn't that what Disney is all about - forgetting all the troubles of adult life and getting to act like little kids for a few days?

:woohoo: for getting seated right away at Rainforest cafe. I wouldn't mind eating there, but the noise drives me crazy. Maybe we will just have to ask for a patio table....

I love the nighttime pictures of DTD!
 
I love that you went down the pool slide "like the little kids"! After all, isn't that what Disney is all about - forgetting all the troubles of adult life and getting to act like little kids for a few days?

:woohoo: for getting seated right away at Rainforest cafe. I wouldn't mind eating there, but the noise drives me crazy. Maybe we will just have to ask for a patio table....

I love the nighttime pictures of DTD!

I am glad there is a place like Disne where I can be "less responsible"!! :rotfl2:

The patio area was great! It was very quiet. We went inside and realized just how quiet!!
 
Wow, you got some great shots of everything! I, too, was able to see DiVine for the first time -- why is it we get so excited? :lmao:

And I love the picture of you and your daughter at the table...makes me think of my own DD. :hug: What a gift our children are!

This was a great way to relax and enjoy your first day -- I bet your DH was happy with it, too. :)

Thanks for the picture compliments! :blush: I am so proud of my children! They are such a blessing!!

DH made most of the choices in the evening and I think he did enjoy the night. Especially the boat ride!! He loves water so I knew this could be a huge plus when booking POR...I was happy I was right!!
 


I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!! We have been so busy...now I am trying to catch up on TRs plus an update on my own!! :) Also...I am going very shortly to see Toy Story 3!!! :woohoo: Probably one of the few who have yet to see it!! So I think this update is very fitting!!

Monday, June 7, was our day for Hollywood Studios!! Main goals today were: 1) Toy Story Mania FPs, 2) stand-by Toy Story Mania, 3) Rock n Roller, 4) Tower of Terror, 5) Indiana Jones and 6) Lights! Motors! Action! Plus we had reservations at Sci-fi for 2:05pm. Sounds simple enough!!

This was my basic Tour Plan:
Hollywood Studios 9am - 7pm reg hrs (til 11pm EMH)
Monday, June 7 8:25am arrive at DHS (bus stop at 7:50am)
9am Rope Drop: Chris and Madison to Toy Story Mania for FPs/stand-by
9:45am Backlot Tour (30 min tour)
10:15am ToT stand-by
10:30am Chris and Madison to RnR for FPs/Toy Story FP return??
12:45;2pm;4:15&5:30 11:10-12 Indiana Jones Extreme Stunt Show (11:30 show)
12pm Animation 30-40 min movie and tour; get 2nd TOT FPs??
12:45pm walk Streets of America on way to LMA
1-1:50pm Light! Motors! Action! 1:20pm show
1:50pm lunch if Sci-Fi 2:05pm 2:05pm rezzies
3:00pm Block Party parade @ 3pm;ck rt for best spot-may be late due to lunch
3:40pm Toy Story Mania using FPs/Muppets?? Stat Tours???
4:15pm RnR FPs (1 1 /2 hrs between here and lunch)
4:50pm Great Movie Ride (19 min ride)
5:00pm other opts if time: Star Tours,Muppets 3D;Walt's Mus, and Stmosphere
5:15pm to hotel-unless we go to 5:30 IJ show
7:30pm return and hit ToT, RnR and TSM??? Also Muppets 3-D,Great Movie
Ride and Star Tours in EMH
evening Possibly walk or boat ride to Boardwalk for evening entertainment
and supper
OR stay at hotel; eat at POR, swim, and RELAX!!!

This was a simply a guideline but I felt confident this could be accomplished!! As you will see I did some in park tweaking!

We got to the bus stop around 8:15am and we had a little wait. I don’t remember it being very bad though. We were talking with other guests so that could have made the time go faster.

Waiting for the bus to arrive...
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My goal was to get to DHS for rope drop, send Madison and Chris ahead for the FPs to TSM and they could then meet us in the stand-by line. Once again I found myself explaining to Keith the importance of rope drop and FPs for TSM. I adore Toy Story and I really wanted to go through the queue this time. I have always used only the FP line.

We get into DHS and Chris and Madison go ahead to make the mad dash for FPs. I took a few crowd pictures while we were waiting for the rope to drop:

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We managed to get a little closer to the front but there were still tons of people!!
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And I got bored and took some pictures around me as we waited:
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Blue Skies...for now at least!

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The rope drops and the masses converge into the park. Now this is Keith’s 1st experience with rope drops and people trying to get to the choice rides for either FPs or stand-by. Remember yesterday we were eating at Tusker House at rope drop. He thinks this is crazy!! And he says this over and over. So we head to TSM at a nice walk but not too terribly fast.

Along with many other people!
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As we enter into the Pixar area:

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We see Madison and Chris at the FP machine and decide to jump in the stand-by line. The green army men are “giving orders” so we follow along.

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Then I decide to have Madison and Chris just get in line where they could and we would wait at the end. As I am calling Madison, one of the green army men sees me and “radios” that I am calling in re-enforcements! It was pretty funny because it caused me to look over at him and he saluted me! For me anyway, that was a highlight!

Here he is!!:
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As we are winding through the rope area, Madison and Chris are walking up and jump in with us. We breeze through the stand-by line and by 9:15 we are heading into the midway!

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We got Wheezy on this trip!
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I was sitting with Madison and beat her although my score isn’t that great.
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Keith did very well (I can’t remember what he scored) and declared a challenge with me on the next trip! Great…because I know he will do better than I will!

We step out and I take a picture of Walt and Mickey. I wish we could have made it to see One Man's Dream but we just didn't make it! I think Keith would have appreciated Disney a lot more if he had seen this!!

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Our return time on the TSM FPs is at 10:50am so we decide to head off to Tower of Terror!! Will we talk Keith into riding???
 
Joining your TR. Your family is so cute, it looks like even though your husband may not have the Disney bug, your kids do. :cool1::cool1:

I also love POR, perfect resort, great price and beautiful grounds. I like to stay in the AB section, but have stayed in the Mansions too. Isn't it relaxing around the resort. I can't figure out why it always seems so quiet in the areas around the rooms.:confused3 For anyone reading this TR the boat is always the way to go to DTD. Just no frustrations with multiple bus stops. I love to see the treehouse villas too.

BTW I loved all your pictures from Rainforest, you sure had a great table right on the water.:wizard: With a fireworks view, how magical.

Hope you love TS3, such a cute movie.
 
I have never made it to HS for rope drop (closest was at AK in Feb 2008). Does the crowd seem larger than at other parks? I remember AK crowd seemed so tight (barely elbow room) but I thought it was because of how the entrance was set up.

Isn't TSM fun?!! I stood in line for 75 mins in 2008 and only got to ride it once.
 


This trip was our first time doing the Toy Story dash at rope drop. I think I may have said "This is crazy" a few times too! Your crowd pictures sum it up pretty well.

You got a pretty good score! BTW, my DH always beats me too.
 
In 2007 I made rope drop for the dash to Rock n Rollercoaster before the TSM dash existed. The crowds always seem to be heavy at rope drop from what I've seen from everybodies pictures.

We were at EPCOT this morning enjoying a light crowd...at least compared to sunday at DHS and Star Wars Weekends. The soldiers keeping the masses under control is a nice touch by Disney. :goodvibes

I guess I'll stay tuned to see if your DHS day went smoother than ours did.
 
Joining your TR. Your family is so cute, it looks like even though your husband may not have the Disney bug, your kids do. :cool1::cool1:

I also love POR, perfect resort, great price and beautiful grounds. I like to stay in the AB section, but have stayed in the Mansions too. Isn't it relaxing around the resort. I can't figure out why it always seems so quiet in the areas around the rooms.:confused3 For anyone reading this TR the boat is always the way to go to DTD. Just no frustrations with multiple bus stops. I love to see the treehouse villas too.

BTW I loved all your pictures from Rainforest, you sure had a great table right on the water.:wizard: With a fireworks view, how magical.

Hope you love TS3, such a cute movie.

Welcome!! :welcome: I love it when people join me!! :cool1: My kids do love Disney so much (I am am so thankful!!). DS is 16 and was all about doing it all...then he had to be "cool" around DH so it took him a few days to losen up. DD told him to "forget dad" :rotfl2: and have fun!

The boat to DTD is THE WAY to go!! We just fell in love with that resort!!

The fireworks made it so magical! Especially since they were so unexpected!


TS3 was sooo good!! Lotso is indeed evil! The end was so bittersweet...it made me a little teary eyed. I have always loved Woody! :)

I have never made it to HS for rope drop (closest was at AK in Feb 2008). Does the crowd seem larger than at other parks? I remember AK crowd seemed so tight (barely elbow room) but I thought it was because of how the entrance was set up.

Isn't TSM fun?!! I stood in line for 75 mins in 2008 and only got to ride it once.

To me, AK is a lot more crowded at RD. DHS seems to losen up at drop time due to people going in 3 directions (TSM, ToT and RnR). Also, it wasn't like at AK when people literally ran to EE. I am sure people run but it seemed a lot more relaxed. We just walked regular and still walked with basically no stopping in the stand-by line. Madison and Chris went ahead of us to get the FPs but they weren't that far ahead and still got good return times. I like RD and straight to TSM so that we don't risk very late FPs return times in case we are tired.

I love :love: TSM...my whole family loves it!!

This trip was our first time doing the Toy Story dash at rope drop. I think I may have said "This is crazy" a few times too! Your crowd pictures sum it up pretty well.

You got a pretty good score! BTW, my DH always beats me too.

I wish just once I could get the upper hand when competing with DH! :mad:

I love taking the crowd pictures...some days are worse than others. I was so happy to get to do it twice this time though!!

In 2007 I made rope drop for the dash to Rock n Rollercoaster before the TSM dash existed. The crowds always seem to be heavy at rope drop from what I've seen from everybodies pictures.

We were at EPCOT this morning enjoying a light crowd...at least compared to sunday at DHS and Star Wars Weekends. The soldiers keeping the masses under control is a nice touch by Disney. :goodvibes

I guess I'll stay tuned to see if your DHS day went smoother than ours did.

I avoided DHS on the weekend since we aren't huge SW fans and I wanted to avoid SWW. The dash is crazy but after the RD part it seemed to even out and crowds did not factor into our plans too bad...you will have to stick around to see!! ;)
 
We get in the stand-by line at ToT by 9:40am and this wait was maybe 10 minutes. This is another queue area I simply love :love:!! I snapped a few pictures along the way.

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Unfortunately as we were waiting to go inside, Keith was pulling out his I-Phone and was bumped from behind (accidentally and innocently) causing him to drop the phone on the ceramic tile ground! :headache: The glass screen shattered….this resulted in a mood shifting morning!

Keith is unsure if he wants to ride ToT but goes through the line. In the end he rode it and seemed to enjoy the ride!! ToT is one of my favorite rides and the new drop sequence and visual effects are so ultra cool! You drop almost immediately when the doors open but prior to that, your group is mirrored in front of you and you “disappear” like the original people do. Creepy cool!
As I pay for the picture,
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(not the best, I thought I had uploaded the one I bought but it seems lost!) Keith and the kids go into the gift store. Keith meets me and says it is raining. It is raining pretty hard so we are “stuck”. I have ponchos but I am not quite ready to pull them out. I don’t want to jinx ourselves with the rain! The rain showers last about 15 minutes and we decide we can make our way to RnR, but 1st we need FPs for ToT for later!! Thanks to the rain it is now very muggy outside….gotta love Florida in the summertime!!
We finish up ToT
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and head over to Rock-n-Roller.
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I know Keith will not like this one because it has inversions and he gets motion sick/vertigo but I tell him to stick with us until the chicken out door. He does this and it works perfectly. The group behind us has someone doing the same thing so he didn’t have to feel like a “real” chicken!! Again….I love this ride!! It is so fast and fun!! Plus Aerosmith rocks!!

Our picture for RnR!!!
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The stand-by wasn’t too bad here. I don’t remember the exact length of time but by the time we got done with this ride it was only 10:30am. Chris gets us FPs for later (I should have made notes because somehow we managed to make decent time plus have open windows for getting FPs…I don’t remember how we managed this!) and then we head off to find something to eat.

We stopped for a Photopass pic on our way out:
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Bad rain clouds in the background!!! :sad2:
Continued in the next post....
 
Keith was hungry since we had only eaten a small amount in the room prior to leaving. Never mind I was hauling around a ton of snacks! The goal for Indiana Jones was the 11:30am show. I figured we needed to get there by 11:10am. We stop by Starring Rolls but he doesn’t see anything he wants. We wander and since this is a variance from my “plan” I unfortunately do not know where to head for a quick snack. :headache:

Various pics I got as we went in search of food!!
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We pass ABC Commissary but all I ever hear is how awful this place is. Besides I am thinking a snack to hold everyone over until lunch at 2pm. Well, we wind up at Indiana Jones and there is a snack cart. This is when Keith informs me he was thinking more along the lines of a sandwich! :headache::headache::headache:

Okay….but lunch is only a few hours away! This left me with a great lesson learned: I will plan for a full breakfast if lunch will be late or else lunch will be early! The kids and I were fine sitting in the stands eating my packed snacks waiting for Indiana Jones to begin but Keith was not happy and I think the combination of hunger, a busted I-Phone and the heat was making him an unhappy camper! :sad2: Plus, Keith still wasn’t sold on Disney so he was still being “tortured” by us!!

Indiana Jones begins at 11:30 and I was so excited. :yay: I loved Indiana Jones growing up and was sad last year because we could not fit the show into our plans. So this was a “must-do” for me!! This show has a lot of laughs and fun moments! A few pictures from the show!!

It's INDY!!!
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Continued...again.... :)
 
I just realized that we were at DHS on 6.6.10 and today marks one month since the passing of this park visit...a moment of silence...:sad1:

Alrighty then...on with the show!!


After the show is over, we make our way through the Streets of America and take a few photos.

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A subway ride anyone??
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And...I just luv this one!!
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We run across this mermaid fountain from the movie Splash….I make Madison take a picture in front of it. I wonder where I got her name…..
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Then we make our way to the Back-Lot Tour.
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This was closed last year so I also really wanted to see this attraction. This was definitely worth the effort. It began by us waiting for about 10 minutes until we could get into “Part 1”. The waiting was fun because one of our favorite movies is Pearl Harbor and they had a video running about how some of the scenes were filmed.
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(from Pirates of the Caribbean)

We get to “Part 1” which is a “filming” of a ship attack. This was pretty fun to watch. A few pictures from this part:
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getting instructions
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and getting soaked!
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ATTACK!!!
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“Part 2” was a walk through a storage area. First we come across this house, which caused Madison to jump up and down! From the Hannah Montana movie
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We saw Thomas from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.
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There were a few other things but my pictures did not turn out well since I was walking and snapping! I call this "drive-by shooting" and drive-by shootings rarely turn out well! :lmao:

And one more continuation....
 
“Part 3” had us on a tram through the back-lot. This was a nice sit down time plus we were covered while the rain decided to fall once again. During this time I was concerned that they would cancel Lights Motors Action! due to the weather. The show was to begin at 1:20pm which would fall right after we finished up the Back-Lot Tour. We rode along on the tram….
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Catastrophe Canyon
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Fake rain and REAL rain!!
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Will Lights Motors Action! be a wash out??? Will we make it to our ADR on time (for a 1st)??? Do we get to use all of our FPs??? Will the heat wipe us out??? And what will we do tonight??? So many IFs!!! :confused3
 
I am LOVING your TR. A big reason why is because we were in your shoes June 21-28 and I am reliving it. We stayed at POR too, in the Mansions section and loved it. Yes, it was super hot when we were there, muggy, humid, etc. We loved it anyway and we can't wait to go back. I love all your pictures! I can't wait to read the rest.
 
I am LOVING your TR. A big reason why is because we were in your shoes June 21-28 and I am reliving it. We stayed at POR too, in the Mansions section and loved it. Yes, it was super hot when we were there, muggy, humid, etc. We loved it anyway and we can't wait to go back. I love all your pictures! I can't wait to read the rest.

Oh, thank you!! I am so glad you are enjoying it!! :woohoo:

POR was the best!! It was so hot! The humidity wasn't so bad after Monday but it was blazing hot still! I am not a hot weather gal!! We live with massive humidity in the summer...but I choose to remain indoors!! :laughing:
But saying that...the heat will not keep me away!! :thumbsup2
 
Wow, great update! I was laughing at one of the pictures you took of the crowd while waiting on rope drop -- those people did not look happy!!

And, I love Madison's shirt!!! :yay: My DD surprised me when she told me about that little colored shed -- I had no idea.

I can feel your stress about your DH being unhappy...you just keep hoping and hoping that the NEXT thing will improve the mood! :lovestruc

Lastly -- why have I never seen that subway entrance!??!:rotfl2:
 
When that rain hit us in EPCOT we were luckily in the process of riding Mission: Space and just saw the aftermath. Even though it was even muggier the sun wasn't out and that was a good tradeoff for us.

So far DHS looks a lot less crowded than the day before and your getting far more done than we did. Rope drop really helps to get those popular rides out of the way.

I'm sorry your DH broke his phone. I hope it didn't ruin his whole day. I know it would have been at the back of my mind knowing Apple's return policy. :headache:
 
Wow, great update! I was laughing at one of the pictures you took of the crowd while waiting on rope drop -- those people did not look happy!!

And, I love Madison's shirt!!! :yay: My DD surprised me when she told me about that little colored shed -- I had no idea.

I can feel your stress about your DH being unhappy...you just keep hoping and hoping that the NEXT thing will improve the mood! :lovestruc

Lastly -- why have I never seen that subway entrance!??!:rotfl2:

The crowd does look like a bit of torture going on!! :laughing:

The whole combo of events were not helping Keith's mood at all!

We got pictures at the subway last year and thins year. It is funny the little things that you may never see! I saw on someone's TR a shop in DHS centered around "It's a Wonderful Life" and I was upset that I missed it....I didn't even know it existed! I will be searching it out next time!!

When that rain hit us in EPCOT we were luckily in the process of riding Mission: Space and just saw the aftermath. Even though it was even muggier the sun wasn't out and that was a good tradeoff for us.

So far DHS looks a lot less crowded than the day before and your getting far more done than we did. Rope drop really helps to get those popular rides out of the way.

I'm sorry your DH broke his phone. I hope it didn't ruin his whole day. I know it would have been at the back of my mind knowing Apple's return policy. :headache:

I was thankfull we were inside or covered everytime it rained! And you are right...the sun would have made things worse. We were able to cope with how the weather worked out!

The crowds weren't bad at all! We really never had a long wait for anything we did! Keith actually spent lunch on the phone with an Apple store tryign to get a location to go to (not the whole lunch) but in the end we got a cover and he waited until we got home....a new phone had to be purchased! :mad: You have to love how phone manufacturers work things!!
 
Subbing! Great TR so far. I really enjoyed hearing about Restaurantosaurus...we're eating there on our trip and I can't wait! Good to know about Tusker House breakfast...we've been debating doing it, but most of us don't like the exotic foods so maybe better pass?

Can't wait for the next update!
 

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