I'M JUST SHOWBOATIN' AROUND THE WORLD! & getting pooped on. Jan 13 TR! NEW TR POSTED!

[danimaroo]

Chapter Thirty-Five: HOLY CRAP THE LIGHTS ARE ON!
Day 6: January 22nd, 2013

So as we left off, we were in search for some lunch! I think we both REALLY wanted chicken nuggets, so we figured we'd head over to Cosmic Ray's!

We left Frontierland and on our way out, we caught these guys playing!

I wanted to stop for a moment to listen to them because the guy on the banjo was pretty darn good!

Fun fact: Matt plays the banjo, so we stop whenever we see/hear someone playing. He's just a beginner, but whenever he plays it makes me happy.

Anyway, we moved along and made our way into Tomorrowland. The crowds were really starting to pick up at this point, which was kind of a bummer... but we were thankful for having a nice quiet morning in the parks!

We got to Cosmic Ray's and it was a nuthouse. Evidently every single tour group decided to go eat at Cosmic Ray's at that hour or something, it was crazy. I had Matt go stake out a table for us while I ordered our food.

After roaming the area for a while, I spotted Matt and sat down next to him. Unfortunately, our tolerance for the crowds was really starting to fade away. We'd obviously been spoiled by that morning's lower crowds!

BUT HEY, chicken nuggets always make things a bit better!

I love me some Disney chicky chicky nug nugs (big ups to Tom Haverford) with some honey mustard sauce.

We ate pretty quickly as we just really wanted to get out of there because of how loud it was.

It's funny, I've never really seen Cosmic Ray's not busy, and it's not even my favorite place to go, so why we keep going back every trip, who knows? Perhaps it's the lovely tunes from Sonny Eclipse... I don't know, but I'm not sure we'll go there again in September since there's plenty of other places to go and eat at.

Anyway, after we finished up, we obviously went on... the PeopleMover! DUH, it is the best thing to go on when the crowds are getting thick and you need a little peace and quiet.

So Matt and I get on, and we're zooming along, just enjoying the ride. As we're going inside of Space Mountain, I notice that it seems a bit lighter than normal. Kind of weird.

Then it dawns on me... YUP, ALL LIGHTS ARE ON INSIDE OF SPACE MOUNTAIN.

I'm one of those people (I'm guessing I'm not in the minority) who finds this fascinating. I mean, it's so rare that you get to see this, and this was the first time I've ever seen it in person. I find it to be really cool, but also a bit creepy and just... weird.

I think it's because everything is in the dark, so when it's exposed, and you can see things you're not supposed to see... I dunno, I just get oddly creeped out about it, hahaha.

Anyway, when we saw this, we knew we were in for a treat.

The both of us were just sitting there with our mouths open, saying COOOOOOL like 10 year old kids, haha. It was SO weird and neat to see everything lit up!

The ride was not going at all, and I think they'd evacuated by that point. I have to say, seeing Space Mountain all lit up kind of scares me just because it's obviously pretty bare bones when seen in the light...

All I know is that I'm going to continue to keep my hands inside of the spaceship at all times...

Not that you would really ever see me with my hands up because I'm too busy holding on for my dear life while screaming.

After enjoying an eventful ride on the PeopleMover, we decided to head out of the park.

BUT on our way out we had to stop for some PhotoPass photos!

Oh hey Mickey, how you doin'?

We left Magic Kingdom and it was time to ride the MONORAIIIIL!

Which color would show up for us?

BLUUUUE. Yay!

We had a quick ride on the monorail because we were heading on over to the Contemporary for a little exploring!

I have been pretty harsh on the Contemporary in the past. During our honeymoon I thought it smelled weird. I don't know why I thought this because it, in fact, does not smell weird and smells delightful.

But I'm also not the hugest fan of the design of the resort. It obviously makes sense for what they wanted, but it doesn't really appeal to me personally.

That being said, I needed to give the Contemporary a little love this trip. We'd never taken the time out to REALLY walk around it, plus Marissa had talked so much about this amazing Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcake, I was determined to try one myself!

We walked around a bit, made a quick restroom pitstop, then headed over to the Contempo Cafe!

I excitedly walked up to the counter... only to see this:

No Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcakes! WOMPWOMP. Apparently they change our their cupcakes pretty frequently or something.

They had Birthday ones, and Red Velvet, but I REALLY wanted that Chocolate Peanut Butter. So I skipped out on them, as did Matt, and we decided to go look at the wonderful mural instead.

Matt and I had a competition to see who could spot the five-legged goat first, since neither of us knew where it was/had never been able to find it before.

I WON as I spotted that little guy just chillin' on the mountain.

Silly five-legged goat.

I have to say, the Contemporary is a pretty neat resort. It will never be my first choice to stay at for a monorail resort; I prefer the Grand Floridian and wouldn't mind the Poly at some point... but the Contemporary is still a lovely place to visit!

The one thing I'm bummed out that we didn't do on this day was go look at Bay Lake Tower. Just means we'll have to try to make it over there in September!

Anyway, time was ticking, so we got in line for the monorail, and we got... BLACK!

AND AWAY WE WENT!

Next we play for a bit in Epcot, and I unexpectedly run into my first Disney princess!

Continued in next post​

 

[flyergrad09]

I loooove chicky chicky nug nugs, but chicky chicky parm parm is better.

Space Mountain with the lights on is so cool! That happened to me a couple of years ago when I was on the PeopleMover. I agree... it definitely makes me want to keep my arms down though!

I need to explore the Contemporary more. I've explored at GF plenty of times, but somehow the other monorail resorts never seem to hold my attention when I'm faced with the choice of GF or other resorts. I like the others, but did the cast of Full House visit them? Nooooope!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[Miss Potts]

We like to call them... Chicky nuggies! Not sure where the nickname came from but we say it religiously.

My DH loves... I mean LOVES... The smell of the Contemporary!! Too bad about the cupcake, maybe on your next trip!

 

[Fantasyland Mom]

I've never seen Cosmic Ray's without a huge crowd, yet we continue to go there. I'm not even sure why. We used to love it for the cheese sauce (fine tastes, I tell ya!), but then discovered other cheese sauce restaurants. I don't like the layout and inevitably having to go through at least two lines to satisfy our tastes, so it must be Sonny Eclipse that draws us there. He loves those crazy planets.

Soooo...uhm...yeah. I'm creeped out. I never want to see the inside of Space again. I'm not the hugest fan anyway, but that just didn't help.

Congrats on finding the five-legged goat first! Quite an accomplishment!

"Marissa's cupcake," as I like to call it, is the huge draw of the Contemporary, besides being walking distance from MK. So sorry they didn't have it for you!

 

[Jennifer48]

I love me some Disney chicken nuggets. No idea why. Maybe its because everything in Disney tastes better.

Wait, did I miss the "weird" MK experience or was that just the lights on in Space Mountain?

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

First... Arrested Development Season 4!! YAY!! Plus loaded with Office alums.

It's probably the big selecton that keeps Ray's so busy. You're right, it's almost always busy. Like CRAZY busy.

AHHH I love "Lights On" Space Mountain!!! It's so cool yet so weird to see. It's pretty unattractive really, just a mesh of steel and yet I still squealed when I saw it. It does make it a little scarier though...

I love the Contemporary even though I've never stayed there. When I was a kid, this is where we always went and (gasp) parked before it was a big deal. I'd never do that now certainly. So I've always had a fondness for the place. Plus it used to have a MASSIVE arcade.

 

[stacy~**]

Yay for lots of updates!!

OK...I have to say I just think Amy and Bruce are the best travel partners ever! They are so fun but also very chill and not at all needy. I would worry about traveling (especially to Disney) with people outside our little family circle because for ME I would worry about having more people to please or look out after but A&B were just so incredibly cool about it all!!

Nutella Sandwich...really? My oldest can eat the Costco sized HUGE jar of Nutella in record time. She must have this on our next trip. I had never heard of this little treat!!

We are HUGE people mover fans, too!! Actually in our trip in 2010 at the beginning of the trip it was still the TTA and by the end they had changed it back to the Peoplemover. I was lucky enough to have taken pictures of it as the TTA not even knowing it was changing!!

 

[onelilspark]

I seem to remember that Space Mountain used to break down a lot. I know when I was younger, we used to ride the Peoplemover to see if it was up and running and what the line looked like.

 

[rachel09985]

Oh my gosh about the lights on in Space Mountain.

I can't ride that ride anymore because I am so scared of getting decapitated. I hate dark roller coasters because I am scared of something coming loose and then knocking my head off!!

Like the signs in rock n roller coaster?? what if a screw came undone! How do they know if something is wrong?? Scares me!!!

 

[roxy72]

Wow oh wow, I LOVE that Nutella waffle! What a yummy treat. I'm surprised you were kind enough to share it with your husband-- I would never share that with someone! *My preciousssss*

 

[WendyLovesPixieDust]

OK, just getting onboard with this TR but just wanted to let you know I LOVE when you say Whompwhomp! It always makes me laugh. OK, back to reading!

 

[jane2073]

I think it is so cool that Matt is learning to play the banjo! I ally like banjo music! It is a lot of fun!!

I get my peanut butter cupcake at Starring Rolls. They always have them.

We go to Columbia Harbor House for nuggets- much more relaxing.

 

[aidansmommy]

Sad face on the peanut butter cupcake They sound delish! Yay for seeing space in the light-I also hold on tight in fear...no arms up for me!!!!!

 

[katt789]

I have to agree, Cosmic Rays is always busy!! I think it’s just because there’s so many options of food, and it’s the only thing really on that side of the park, Casey’s is pretty limited, the noodle station is never open…who knows?! I do really like the sandwiches they have there, yum!

Oh my gosh I WOULD DIE to see Space with the lights on!!!! I definitely don’t put my hands up on that ride, and defeinitely wouldn’t after seeing it with the lights on haha.

I don’t give the contemporary much love, I’ve always thought it was kind of boring looking. I do like the idea of an MK view room in BLT though!

 

[MotoWifey185]

Finally all caught up! I love both Matt's watch and your D&B bag! It is funny because when you mentioned you got the one with HM on it, I was looking forever for it only to remember how different WDW and DLR's HM is. I am definitely getting a lot of info for my DH and my first trip in January and this TR is making me so excited! Have you ever been to WDW in September? My DH (also named Matt ) and my anniversary is in September, but we decided since January is our favorite time to be at DLR that we'd probably have the best trip to WDW during that time. So in September we are going to be taking a quick trip to Disneyland! Looks like we both have September to look forward to! Looking forward to more updates.

 

[mouseketeer70]

Finally all caught up after being MIA for awhile. Too much to comment on since I was so far behind but I will say that seeing rides lit up is creepy to me too. Especially seeing Space! Just doesn't seem as "sturdy" but it's cool too because it's like you are seeing something top secret!

 

[stimmons]

Yayyyy for lighted SM pictures!!! So awesome! And creepy at the same time. Lol.

I loooove the smell of the Contemporary but we stayed at BLT the last time we went to WDW and they smell the same. You definitely have to explore BLT. It is so awesome and I would defnitely recommend staying there. We had a castle view room and it was amazing watching Wishes every night from our balcony.

 

[RDawn]

Hi Dani, I just subscribed to your TR & also began reading your 1st PTR. I am going thru Disney withdrawal & began reading TRs to help cheer me up! Thanks so much.

 

[RachelNinja]

Catching up from the middle of April! Though I'm so far behind, I love that I have a bunch of updates to read all in a row!

Ooo, I gotta go back and watch your video again especially now that you explained the "Don't. Talk. To. Me." thing and the dancing! I really love Disney videos of people I "know." They're so much more fun than the others!

I love how you guys got the Buzz and Woody hats because "Matt's honestly [your] best friend." My husband and I are best friends too, and I know a lot of couples say that, but there aren't many where I actually BELIEVE it. It is totally believable with you and Matt. You guys are so perfect for each other based on what I've read on your TRs and what you've posted on IG and Twitter. I love seeing just how much fun you guys have together and how you can enjoy life in every moment and not just the Disney ones. Plus, you guys are also nerdy and geeky as are we (I'm the nerd, and he's the geek cuz apparently there's a difference that I didn't know until my hubs explained it to me!), so I love it even more! Haha, and I mean nerdy and geeky in the most endearing way possible because I tell my students to embrace their nerdy and geeky side too!

WHOA, your picture of the Hitchhiking Ghosts is awesome!!! I just recently posted a picture of the stairs like Escher's Keep that we were able to get because we stopped on that portion of the ride, but your ghosts are way more impressive! (And now I just saw your photos when you went on it again and stopped many times!!! I had to show my husband too because we would love to be able to get more pics there!)

I too love MSEP! It's the music that gets me. I have a strange fascination with baroque music and anything with the harpsichord. I think if I had the chance to learn the harpisichord as a child instead of the 6 years of piano lessons I took, I would've stuck with it! When I had to take a core class in college that was on music and the arts, we had to memorize paintings and classical music. Being able to pick out Bach's stuff with the harpsichord was always the easiest because I loved it!

So glad you were able to ride Dinosaur! It's one of my FAVORITE rides! Haha, it's just the right amount of thrill for me. When I hadn't ridden it in a while, I screamed my head off each time that darn dino raced towards us or roared. My husband was laughing SO HARD at my reactions because they were like, extended screams because I was so surprised! And NO ONE ELSE in our vehicle was screaming!!! Your ride photo is definitely one to be remembered!!! Haha, I can't believe Matt was looking RIGHT at the camera!!! And you are absolutely adorable with your expression despite being super scared. I find it very difficult to sit on the outside of these rides, haha.

Reading your dining review when Remy pops in for a visit, and I thought, "Oh, I think I'll watch Ratatouille while I clean today" as I've been watching Disney movies on Saturdays as I tidy and organize. I looked up at the shelf and DO NO SEE RATATOUILLE. I want to wake my husband up (it's 6:30am right now) and ask him why it is not one of the many Disney DVDs he (or should I say we~) own!!!

The bird crapping on your arm experience would have been even better if the CM gave the American Dream to you for free!!! Ugh, what a horrible thing to have to deal with! So gross.

Ugh, what difference does it make whether you decide to spend your hard earned money on some nice gifts for yourselves? I would think that the CM should be like, excited that you guys were getting it! It's not some random souvenir that you just pick up and obviously thought had to be put into deciding to buy it. That's irritating. I know people who work at Disney also have bad days, so I know they're not always going to be chipper. But even if ya can't be extra pleasant, you can still be polite! Haha, but Snow White is right and all.

I took a nap in the middle of reading your trip report because I fell asleep at 9pm last night and woke up at 4am, haha. So for the remaining updates, I didn't really comment because I came back still half asleep. I did love them all though!