More Fun Than Sitting at Home! Our Dec 2009 TR-UPDATE: 6/11 Final Thoughts & Big News

[khertz]

Here are a few more pictures we took around the Imagination Pavilion:


IMGP0116 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


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And one of my mom reading her HUMONGOUS custom map! She can't read the text on the small park maps, so she took them all to Kinko's and had them blown up so that she can see them without her glasses.


IMGP0123 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

At this point it was around 1:15, and we needed to be in Germany for 2:10 for our Biergarten ADR. So we started to make our way towards World Showcase so that we wouldn't have to rush to make it to our reservation on time. As we crossed the bridge from Future World into World Showcase, we caught our first glimpse of the Epcot Christmas tree!


IMG_0252 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0254 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


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[/url[url=https://flic.kr/p/WvBaTh]IMGP0128 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


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IMG_0259 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

After seeing the HGTV Holiday decorations special, it was really amazing to see one of those trees in person and appreciate how huge and impressive they really are!

We started out on the Mexico side because we figured that was our shortest route to Germany.


IMG_0263 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

As we were walking through, my mom spotted Donald off to the side down a little walkway with hardly anyone in line. Of course, we had to stop for pictures, being that my DH is such a huge Donald fan! This was our second Donald meeting, and it was only our first day. Pretty good, if you ask me!


IMG_0265 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0266 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

I was hoping to have time to catch a Holiday Storyteller or two along the way, but most hadn't started their shows yet, or were on the other side of WS. So we settled for walking at a pretty determined pace towards Germany, but stopping to glance at things every now and then still. We made it to the Germany pavilion with lots of time to spare, and spotted Snow White doing greetings, so my mom, DH, and I jumped in line while my in-laws wandered around the shop, and my dad went for a beer.

There were two little girls in front of us that were too cute! They found some huge dry leaves and started using them to sweep up the other leaves on the ground. They were so excited to show Snow White how they were cleaning with the leaves! Snow White bent right down and started "sweeping" with them when the girls got up there for their turn. It was too adorable.

Finally, it was our turn, and my mom went up first. This Snow White was VERY into her character! She had the voice, the giggle, the wide eyes and everything. I'm sure to a kid that's great, but for us adults, we found it pretty amusing.


IMGP0134 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0267 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

She started asking if Dustin was my prince, and then she said in her best Snow White, "Did you meet him at the wishing well?" with a huge giggle at the end! We were quoting that pretty much all trip. It was a little creepy, but very funny! DH and I had no clue how to respond to her, so I was very ready to take our picture and be gone. I'm not all that crazy about face characters. I prefer when they can't actually talk and ask questions I guess. lol


IMG_0268 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

We were still a little early to check in for our reservation, but we decided to go over to the restaurant and see if we could check in a little early. Good thing we did...the line to check in was HUGE! We ended up waiting almost 20 minutes in line just to get up to the counter to check-in. Here's a few pics DH took while we were waiting.


IMG_0270 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0271 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0275 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


IMG_0269 by disneymom1024, on Flickr

There was a very loud gut a couple of groups ahead of us talking to the couple right in front of us, and we couldn't help overhearing a lot of what he was telling them. Most of it was ridiculous, that the turkey legs they sell around Disney World are really emu legs. But then he asked the couple what time their reservation was for, and the couple said they didn't have one. The loud guy said they probably wouldn't get in without one. So then the couple in front of us and another couple without reservations who overheard decided to partner up and LIE to the girl at the counter to say they had a reservation for 4 people! They argued with the poor girl and everything for a good 5 minutes while we stood there waiting to check in for our REAL reservation. Oooh, that burned me up!

So after waiting 20 minutes and the group of 4 finally giving up, we were able to actually check in at 2:10, which was our reservation time. There were a TON of people waiting outside who had already checked in waiting to be seated, so we knew it would be awhile. We joined the mass of other people waiting and held on to our pager.

While we're standing there, DH realizes that all the CMs coming out to announce (very loudly) who they were seating were actually from Germany. It became his goal to hear how our last name, which is German, is actually said by a German. After waiting 30 minutes, DH is holding our pager and it starts going off, but he hides it so that the CM will have to yell out our name! At this point, we were all hungry and crabby, so I told him if he really wants to know, my aunt is from Germany and he can just ask her, so he wisely handed over the pager. lol Turns out the CM said it anyway, so he still got to hear it, it just wasn't announced at the top of his lungs.

We got seated at a table with 2 other women, who my mom made instant friends with. She tends to do that wherever she goes. lol We had to wait a few minutes for our server, and by then, the line for the buffet was HUGE! When we finally all got a plate of food, I'm pretty sure everyone inhaled their meal.

DH and I are not adventurous eaters, but we managed to find plenty on the buffet to eat. My favorites were the pretzel bread, the meatballs, rosemary chicken, and some kind of schnitzel. But I tried to sample a little of everything, even if it didn't look that great. The cheesecake on the dessert bar was delicious too!


IMG_0284 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
The inside of the restaurant. Very dark, but pretty. It makes you feel like you're eating outside at night in a German village!


IMG_0282 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
The band


IMG_0286 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
I took a picture of this with no clue what it meant. But appliedlanguage.com says it means "Rejoicing, Excitement, Amusement"

The meal was great, and I think we all really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. The problem came when we were ready to leave! Our server kept coming to ask if we needed anything but we were all saying no and just sitting there with empty plates and glasses. It was pretty obvious we were done. Finally we had to flag him down to ask for our check. It was so strange. But we finally got the bill paid and got our stickers for our Candlelight Processional package. It was already 4:05 by the time we left the restaurant, and our CP showing was at 5 pm.

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[khertz]

We left the restaurant and stopped to get a few pictures of the train set.

We realized we didn't really have time to do anything before the CP show, so we decided to head over to the America pavilion and get in line. As we were walking towards it, we see a HUGE line of people that seems to go on forever and ever leading up to the America Gardens Theater. The line stretched all the way from America, through Italy, and into Germany! Luckily, it turned out to be the stand-by line, but I felt bad because it was pretty obvious that most of those people would be standing in line up until the last show if they really wanted to see it.

Our line for the package guests was actually on the other side of the theater entrance, and our spot in line was in front of the Japan pavilion. By the time we started moving in, even that line had grown tremendously! It definitely stretched all the way into Morocco.

DH took some cool pictures of the Japan pavilion while we were in line waiting to be let in.

While we were waiting, we caught a performance of the drummers also, which was cool. A great way to pass the time.

Finally the line started moving around 4:40 to let us into the theater. By the time we got in, all of the seating in the covered portion was full, so we ended up a few rows back in the uncovered portion. But we were right in the center, so we had a great view of everything. The only negative was that at this point, it had gotten VERY cold, and VERY windy. I never actually wear the hood on my sweatshirt, but I had to all during the show or my neck and face were freezing!

A couple of the theater before the show started.

First out on stage was the band, who played some instrumental Christmas music, which was just beautiful. I love big orchestras with violins and cellos and trumpets anyway, so the fact that they were playing Christmas music was just like a big bonus!

Then the orchestra was joined by the Voices of Liberty.

And then the choirs began processing in.

Finally, they were joined by our narrator, Steven Curtis Chapman.

I had some idea of what the show was about in reading here on the Dis, but I was not prepared for how beautiful it was actually going to be. Steven Curtis Chapman read the Nativity story from the bible, and he was really a great narrator. This part I knew. But I didn't realize that between lines of the story, there would be beautiful performances of Christmas hymns. I'm not sure how I expected it to all fall together, but it very much exceeded my expectations.

They sang some of my absolute favorite Christmas songs, like Do You Hear What I Hear?, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and Silent Night. DH and I were a little apprehensive about seeing Steven Curtis Chapman because we had no idea who he was, but we were slightly reassured by popular reviews of him as a narrator on the boards. We were really blown away by how great he actually was! After telling the story, he left us with some very inspiring words about the power of Christ's birth and the impact Jesus has on us every day of our lives. Of course we have never seen another narrator perform the show, so I have no idea if any of them do little speeches like that or not, but we were very happy that we had chosen to attend on a night that Steven Curtis Chapman was performing.

After the show, it was starting to get dark, and DH got this pretty picture of the lights twinkling in the trees.

A little Christmas tree in the America pavilion.

After mom, MIL, and I waited in a FOREVER long line for the bathroom in the America pavilion, we decided since we were there, we'd catch a show of the American Adventure. We had just missed the previous show, but I was more than happy to wait inside out of the cold! DH and I looked around the rotunda at the different paintings and had time to explore the little museum until the next show started.

I loved this quote.

Decorations inside the American Adventure.

I don't remember ever seeing this show before, or if I did it was too long ago for me to remember a lot of it. But it was a really great little show! I love history, so this is just my style, even though DH could do without it.

Our special viewing area for IlliumiNations from our CP package was at the Showcase Plaza, so we headed in that direction rather than checking out the rest of World Showcase. Our first stop was everyone's favorite WS attraction, Maelstrom in Norway!

We got on with about a 5 minute wait, so not bad at all. Of course, we all walked right through the movie theater at the end. I felt kind of bad, but not bad enough to sit through the movie. lol

After that, we took a ride on the Gran Fiesta Tour, which we got on with no wait at all.

After riding, we walked down to the Showcase Plaza to scope it out. There wasn't really anyone inside the roped off area yet, so DH and I went to look around in the gift shop right there to waste some time. My mom really wanted to do Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and no one else was ready to go wait for IllumiNations that early, so the four parents left us to go back to Future World to try and catch the show. DH and I eventually made our way down into the viewing area and got a spot right behind the rope that was perfect. We grabbed a cup of hot cocoa to share while we waited because it was VERY cold at that point, and we were shivering.

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[khertz]

Some pictures of the Christmas tree all lit up...

I love this one, of the tree and Spaceship Earth all lit up.

My parents finally came back to join us a few minutes before IllumiNations was about to start. Turns out they walked all the way to FW only to find out HISTA was no longer showing for the day. DH's parents decided to skip IllumiNations because they were worn out, and the cold was making James' knee where he has a metal plate start to hurt. So they waited for us inside the Fountain View Ice Cream shop near the front of the park.

Finally, the fireworks started! Mom and I invited a couple of little kids standing behind us to come stand up against the rope so they could see.

At the beginning of the show, DH was having some problems getting good shots on the camera because he hadn't had much chance to work with the new lens we had gotten to let him take better pictures in the dark. But about midway through, he figured it out and got some really great shots. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

The Let There Be Peace On Earth Holiday ending was absolutely beautiful. It definitely brought tears to my eyes! Overall, I would definitely recommend booking the package to see the Candlelight Processional and get a great spot for IllumiNations. It made for a fantastic end for our first day in Disney World!

We caught up with Kathy and James at the front of the park and made our way out to the car, which we got to by 10:15, and we had no trouble getting out of the parking lot and back to Bonnet Creek. None of us had difficulty getting to sleep that night, that's for sure! Our first day had been very eventful, but very exhausting.

UP NEXT: Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure

 

[NMW]

subscribing

 

[praisehisname]

We decided to skip the Candlelight Processional this past trip, but after reading your review I'm wishing we had done it! Definitely next trip!

 

[skier_pete]

Nice reviews - I agree, our first CP was much better than I expected, very moving.

Though, I have to say I PREFER the face characters. It took a while to get used to it, but holding conversations with them is so much easier. (Though I always have fun talking to Donald and telling him how HE should be running things - he loves that!) We had a nice conversation with Cinderella telling her about how we saw her step-mother and step-sisters walking around outside the castle...we were wondering whether she would let them in or not!
(Only if they behaved themselves, she said, so it seemed unlikely.)

That Snow White in Germany asked my DD if she made me Gooseberry pies for my birthday. I should've come back and said "I prefer Apple." I wonder what she would have said to that.

SkierPete

 

[khertz]

subscribing

Thanks for commenting!

We decided to skip the Candlelight Processional this past trip, but after reading your review I'm wishing we had done it! Definitely next trip!

It was SUCH a pretty show! I considered skipping when I found out how much more the package cost this year vs. last year, but everyone in the group agreed they were willing to pay. I'm so glad we still went! If you go at the holidays again, make sure you see this show!!

Nice reviews - I agree, our first CP was much better than I expected, very moving.

Though, I have to say I PREFER the face characters. It took a while to get used to it, but holding conversations with them is so much easier. (Though I always have fun talking to Donald and telling him how HE should be running things - he loves that!) We had a nice conversation with Cinderella telling her about how we saw her step-mother and step-sisters walking around outside the castle...we were wondering whether she would let them in or not!
(Only if they behaved themselves, she said, so it seemed unlikely.)

That Snow White in Germany asked my DD if she made me Gooseberry pies for my birthday. I should've come back and said "I prefer Apple." I wonder what she would have said to that.

SkierPete

We had a couple of really great moments with Donald this trip!

I'm sure once we have kids, it'll be easier to interact with the face characters. Kids seem to not have any problems with that, so they may take the pressure off us! Lol

Like I said, that Snow White was definitely very much in character, but it made it a little more awkward for us being just adults.

 

[AlohaPolynesian]

Sorry I missed so many updates! I love Stitch, too!! During our CP our narrator was supposed to be Vanessa Williams who I love from Ugly Betty, but last minute was changed to Chita Rivera. I didn't know who she was but I guess she was/is a huge Broadway star. She was actually really good and her little speech at the end made me cry Can't wait for more!!

 

[tink's girls]

Sounds like you had a great trip and your pictures are beautiful! We saw Gary Sinese (not sure if I spelled that right) two years ago at the CP but would LOVE to see Steven Curtis Chapman. Can't wait to read more.

 

[stacikristine]

Hey Kristy! I'm here--sorry it took me so long to sub and get caught up! It's been crazy...


WOW!!! What incredible updates! I absolutely love the pictures of all of the different Christmas decorations! I'm sorry it was so rainy on your first day, but the WL pictures were amazing! They totally made up for it. That, and your view of Illuminations and Wishes from your room!

Congrats on your first Rope Drop! Sorry you couldn't see the little show. You didn't really miss anything at Epcot--the characters just come out and wave. We were the same way about Soarin'--we loved it, but we didn't have to do it again during the trip. And the decorations at Epcot just look GORGEOUS!

That's too funny about Snow White. I feel the same way. I just feel silly to be so old and taking a picture with a Face Character. I think we only took 3 characters total during our whole trip.

I would have LOVED to have been at the CP with Steven Curtis Chapman!!!! Michael and I were both HUGE fans when we were little, and his Christmas album is still one of my favorites. I bet he did such a great job. All of the show just sounds fantastic! I can't wait to see it someday... The picture of the tree with SE is amazing. Tell your DH good job! It's just beautiful. And he did a great job on the Illum pictures!

What a wonderful start to your trip--and a great start to your TR!!

 

[khertz]

Sorry I missed so many updates! I love Stitch, too!! During our CP our narrator was supposed to be Vanessa Williams who I love from Ugly Betty, but last minute was changed to Chita Rivera. I didn't know who she was but I guess she was/is a huge Broadway star. She was actually really good and her little speech at the end made me cry Can't wait for more!!

I'm glad that even though y'all wound up with a replacement narrator, that it was still a good one! It's such a beautiful story though, I bet it would be hard to not still be moved by it and all of the music even if the narrator isn't the greatest.

Sounds like you had a great trip and your pictures are beautiful! We saw Gary Sinese (not sure if I spelled that right) two years ago at the CP but would LOVE to see Steven Curtis Chapman. Can't wait to read more.

Thank you! DH has to take the credit for almost all of the pictures. He was quite the amateur photographer this trip, and I couldn't be more thankful for that! He is more than happy to see the shows & fireworks from behind the camera lens so that I can enjoy them in the moment and have the pictures for reminders later on.

I would have loved to see Gary Sinise! I was hoping either he or Neil Patrick Harris (or Marlee Matlin, I'd LOVE to see her!) would be narrating during our week so we could see one of them, but no luck. I guess it's better they didn't do it at all this year, because I'd be more disappointed if they were on the list but for dates I couldn't see them!

Thanks for commenting.

Hey Kristy! I'm here--sorry it took me so long to sub and get caught up! It's been crazy...


WOW!!! What incredible updates! I absolutely love the pictures of all of the different Christmas decorations! I'm sorry it was so rainy on your first day, but the WL pictures were amazing! They totally made up for it. That, and your view of Illuminations and Wishes from your room!

Congrats on your first Rope Drop! Sorry you couldn't see the little show. You didn't really miss anything at Epcot--the characters just come out and wave. We were the same way about Soarin'--we loved it, but we didn't have to do it again during the trip. And the decorations at Epcot just look GORGEOUS!

That's too funny about Snow White. I feel the same way. I just feel silly to be so old and taking a picture with a Face Character. I think we only took 3 characters total during our whole trip.

I would have LOVED to have been at the CP with Steven Curtis Chapman!!!! Michael and I were both HUGE fans when we were little, and his Christmas album is still one of my favorites. I bet he did such a great job. All of the show just sounds fantastic! I can't wait to see it someday... The picture of the tree with SE is amazing. Tell your DH good job! It's just beautiful. And he did a great job on the Illum pictures!

What a wonderful start to your trip--and a great start to your TR!!

Yay, Staci! I understand, every once in awhile life has to take priority over the Dis, as sucky as that can be.

Seeing the WL definitely made up for the rain, and even for the fact that I missed seeing the GF that day. But I'm glad if there was a day it was going to rain ALL day that it was our arrival day and not a park day!

Rope drop was fun! We saw DHS rope drop twice, but didn't make it in time for MK or AK, so I'd like to see those on our future trips. I've read they are both really great shows!

DH will be happy to read that you enjoyed his pictures. I think he had a lot of fun playing around with lenses and settings on the camera, so he didn't mind being our designated photographer. We took over 3,000 pictures in 10 days!! Crazy!!

Anyway, thanks for stopping in!

 

[ladybugmom]

Hi!! I just came across your TR and I'm sooo excited to read it! We are planning to go next year before Christmas and I'm researching as much as I can--can't wait to read more tips/experiences from you! Did you like the week that you went? How were the crowds? The weather? I have loved all of your pics--I love taking pics and took around 3,000 on our trip last May--what type of a lens were you talking about that your dh used for the night pics? (I have a Canon Rebel) I was so excited to see that Steven Curtis Chapman was your narrator at the CP! I have been a fan of his for years and have been to several of his concerts. Do you know if he narrates every year and if it's around the same time each year? Oh and BTW--my in-laws have a timeshare through Wyndham and stay at Bonnet Creek when they go to WDW. We prefer staying at the Poly b/c we have 2 young girls and being on the monorail is so convenient. But your resort looks beautiful!! Anywho, sorry for all of the questions--can't wait to read more!!

 

[khertz]

Hi!! I just came across your TR and I'm sooo excited to read it! We are planning to go next year before Christmas and I'm researching as much as I can--can't wait to read more tips/experiences from you! Did you like the week that you went? How were the crowds? The weather? I have loved all of your pics--I love taking pics and took around 3,000 on our trip last May--what type of a lens were you talking about that your dh used for the night pics? (I have a Canon Rebel) I was so excited to see that Steven Curtis Chapman was your narrator at the CP! I have been a fan of his for years and have been to several of his concerts. Do you know if he narrates every year and if it's around the same time each year? Oh and BTW--my in-laws have a timeshare through Wyndham and stay at Bonnet Creek when they go to WDW. We prefer staying at the Poly b/c we have 2 young girls and being on the monorail is so convenient. But your resort looks beautiful!! Anywho, sorry for all of the questions--can't wait to read more!!

Thanks for commenting! You sound just like me last year, I was eating up every December TR I could find for information!

We absolutely loved the week we chose to visit. There were lots of people in the parks, but the wait times for rides weren't bad and fastpasses were easy to come by (except TSM, and occasionally Space Mtn). The weather, as you'll see as the TR progresses, was very up and down. We had rain a couple days, very cold weather about three days, some really beautiful days in the mid-70s that were the best, and some downright HOT days in the mid 80's! It can really go from one extreme to the other in no time at all.

I asked DH about the lens. We have a Canon Rebel XSi, and he said the lens is called the Nifty 50. He got it on amazon. I hope that helps, if I find out more info from him about it I'll let you know.

I think the list of celebrity narrators changes every year, but SCC is one of their more regular participants, so there's probably a good chance he'll be there next year. The list came out I want to say during the summer this year, so it gives you plenty of time to consider your options before you are tied down to a date. At least it did this year because the booking window was only 90 days. If it goes back to 180 days for CP package also, I don't know how that would work or how early the narrators would be determined.

We enjoyed staying offsite. It was not a hassle at all getting to and from the parking lots like I expected, and it was so close to everything! Although with young ones, I can see where staying close, especially at a monorail resort, would be more convenient.

I am more than willing to answer questions, so if you think of any more, fire away!

 

[ladybugmom]

Thanks for commenting! You sound just like me last year, I was eating up every December TR I could find for information!

We absolutely loved the week we chose to visit. There were lots of people in the parks, but the wait times for rides weren't bad and fastpasses were easy to come by (except TSM, and occasionally Space Mtn). The weather, as you'll see as the TR progresses, was very up and down. We had rain a couple days, very cold weather about three days, some really beautiful days in the mid-70s that were the best, and some downright HOT days in the mid 80's! It can really go from one extreme to the other in no time at all.

I asked DH about the lens. We have a Canon Rebel XSi, and he said the lens is called the Nifty 50. He got it on amazon. I hope that helps, if I find out more info from him about it I'll let you know.

I think the list of celebrity narrators changes every year, but SCC is one of their more regular participants, so there's probably a good chance he'll be there next year. The list came out I want to say during the summer this year, so it gives you plenty of time to consider your options before you are tied down to a date. At least it did this year because the booking window was only 90 days. If it goes back to 180 days for CP package also, I don't know how that would work or how early the narrators would be determined.

We enjoyed staying offsite. It was not a hassle at all getting to and from the parking lots like I expected, and it was so close to everything! Although with young ones, I can see where staying close, especially at a monorail resort, would be more convenient.

I am more than willing to answer questions, so if you think of any more, fire away!

Exactly!! I'm hunting down every December TR that I can and subscribing!! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions!! It is sooo helpful in planning for next year--I really appreciate it!! I will definitely let you know if I think of anymore questions! And thanks for letting me know about the lens!!

 

[khertz]

Exactly!! I'm hunting down every December TR that I can and subscribing!! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions!! It is sooo helpful in planning for next year--I really appreciate it!! I will definitely let you know if I think of anymore questions! And thanks for letting me know about the lens!!

No problem!!

 

[khertz]

DAY 3: Sunday December 6th

DH and I got up very early on Sunday morning for the dreaded Owner's Update that is one of the downfalls of staying at our timeshare. In Las Vegas, they pressured us into spending another huge amount of money, in Hawaii we avoided it completely, but this time we decided to do it because they would give us $100 in Disney Dollars as compensation. We had to make a pact before heading in that we were going to stay strong and not let them bully us into paying any more money for upgrades. It turned out to be easier than we thought because what they were offering us wasn't something we needed or could ever possibly use. We sat and talked with someone for awhile, then he took us to view their new suites to get some feedback. After that, we got the high pressure stuff from someone called an "exit manager," then we got our Disney Dollars and went back to our room to collect the parents. Not bad!

When we got back up to the room, we ate some breakfast while the parents finished getting ready, then we jumped in the car and headed to our first morning at Universal Studios! We didn't have a set plan for this day, except that we wanted to go to the Studios in the morning to ride the new roller coaster, the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. After parking in the garage and taking the long walk to the entrance of City Walk, it came time to decide which direction to take: the one leading to Universal Studios or the one to Islands of Adventure. And that's when we ran into it...our very first BRAZILIAN TOUR GROUP!

They were taking up a huge part of the walkway and starting to chant, so we slowed our pace to see which way they were going. 75% of the group turned towards Universal Studios, so we hurried away in the opposite direction. Islands of Adventure for us today!

Our first ride of the morning was our favorite (well, DH's & my favorite at least) ride, The Incredible Hulk Coaster!

DH and I got ourselves sufficiently rattled by sitting in the very last seat, which is definitely the way to experience it most intensely! The takeoff is amazing, even more so than Rock'n'Roller Coaster (ahh forgive me for saying that!) because not only does it take your breath away, it sends you right into a crazy drop before you can even catch your breath!

After collecting our belongings from the locker (and taking an Excedrin...when I said it rattled me around, I was being literal!), we took off to enjoy the rest of Marvel Super Hero Island.

Up next, we got our assignment from Jonah Jameson from the Daily Bugle, but ended up having to be rescued from deranged villains by Spider-Man!

As much as I love the coasters, I think The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man is one of, if not THE, best attraction at Universal Orlando. The 3-D effects and movement of the car is astonishing in how real it all feels! You literally feel like you're falling from the top of a 30 story building and about to hit the ground! Definitely the best and most real feeling motion simulator ride ever.

After our exciting adventure with Spider-Man, we made our way to Toon Lagoon.

It wasn't nearly as cold as it had been the day before at Epcot, but it was still pretty chilly, and we knew some warmer days were coming later in the week. So since all the rides in Toon Lagoon are water rides, we skipped them today, but did get some pictures as we walked through.

This one we took for my sister Katie who was really bummed she couldn't come on the trip with us. We definitely did miss having her around on the trip!

After Toon Lagoon, our next stop was Jurassic Park, my favorite Island at IoA! Even though there's really only 1 ride in this area, the theming is incredible! I love the Jurassic Park theme music and aside from there not being any dinosaurs roaming around, you feel like you are really IN Jurassic Park. Walking through here, I almost forget that I'm in a theme park with other very different themed areas surrounding me.

See?! Great theming!!

Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

While walking through Jurassic Park, we came across some construction for...

I'm SO EXCITED about this addition to the park!! DH and I are big Harry Potter fans, so we're both ready to come back in a few years when this is all done and check it out. Unfortunately it'll be awhile before we get to experience it, but at least by that time, the popularity will hopefully have died down.

HOGWARTS! I think this is all going to be so amazing when it's finally completed!

Our next ride was another good one, the Dueling Dragons! Unfortunately, we have no pictures of this because there was nothing to take pictures of! They have removed the two giant dragons, presumably to work into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The entrance was a little roped area that led us through the construction walls around Hogwarts.

We stopped to put all of our stuff in lockers, and for some reason, this one time DH decided we needed two lockers because his hat and sunglasses wouldn't fit in with our bags. Mistake #1. The 6 of us made our way up to the ride and got on the Ice coaster first! We only had to wait a few minutes before we were on our dragon and flying through the air!

When our first ride was finished, me, DH, my mom, and my MIL decided we wanted to ride again on the Fire coaster, but the dads wanted to sit out. We got back in line expecting not to have to wait too long because we walked up just as a coaster was leaving and we were next in line. Mistake #2. After standing there a few minutes, they decided to add another coaster, which add an extraordinary amount of time to our wait, as we then had to wait while they sent an empty coaster around to test it. Not getting out of line? Mistake #3! Why? Because we were out of time on our lockers by this time, and all the women had been the fingerprint providers, so my dad and FIL couldn't even go get the stuff out of the lockers!

We took our ride on Fire, which was thrilling, but we were all grousing about the locker situation as we left the ride to find my dad and FIL. Of course, there were NO locker attendants in sight, so DH and I had to pay $6 for our TWO lockers, and everyone else had to pay $3 for theirs. At this point, I'll admit, I went off on DH. Not only because we had gotten 2 lockers, but also because the touch screens take forever to navigate through because you have to hit the buttons multiple times. DH finally got into our locker, cursed about paying the money, then exited to let his parents retrieve their stuff instead of just getting our stuff out! I was pretty annoyed at that point, and really let it get to me.

We decided we were hungry, so we grabbed some burgers and fries at a little counter service place, Fire Eaters Cafe. By the end of lunch, DH & I weren't at each others throats anymore. Lack of food in my stomach and riding so many coasters in a row probably didn't help in such an annoying situation! So filling it up definitely helped.

Next, we made our way to the Lost Continent.

Our first stop was to the Mystic Fountain, where my mom tried to engage it in banter, but the voice person wasn't very into his job today. It mostly made comments about the Drew Brees jersey she was wearing, and kept calling her "Number 9."

We decided to try and catch the next show of Poseidon's Fury.

My dad was still drinking his beer from lunch, so he decided to wait outside while we headed in.

I made DH take a picture of the big foot because I'm a HUGE fan of the show LOST and it reminded me of the 4-toed foot statue.

We made it all the way to the front of the line, and were told we had just missed the show, and the next one would be in 20 minutes! Definitely didn't feel like waiting that long for an attraction that isn't all that great. So we headed back out to collect my dad and move on to Seuss Landing.

The line for the High In the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride was too long, so we skipped it. My mom wanted to ride the Carou-Seuss-el, so her and my MIL got on while we wandered around to take some pictures.

After two cycles on the carousel, the ride stopped! It was pretty weird, and it didn't seem like they were going to start up again soon. So they got off, and we all went to get in line for The Cat In the Hat.

While in line, my mom made friends with the guy behind us in line, who commented on all of our Saints gear. Turns out he was a Redskins fan, and that's who the Saints were playing that day! We all talked sports, Disney planning, and found out that his family was going to be at the MVMCP the same night we were! It helped pass the time in line, and we were soon spinning through The Cat in the Hat.

Continued in next post...

 

[khertz]

The rest of our Seuss Landing pictures...

And to think that I saw it on Mulberry St!

The people from Green Eggs & Ham

After finishing up in Seuss Landing, we decided we were done at Islands of Adventure for the day, and headed across City Walk for an afternoon at Universal Studios!

UP NEXT: Universal Studios

 

[exwdwcm]

I am a little late to the party, but found you now! reading through everything now and can't wait to hear how your adventure went!!

 

[exwdwcm]

wow, your timeshare is pretty amazing- nice rooms and facility and the view on the balcony- wowza!!! did you guys request a certain room or do many of them have that view? DH is seriously considering DVC now, but not sure any DVC has views that good.

looks like a good time was had by all so far. Love the Seuss landing pics. Can't wait to see how the HP stuff is when it opens- should be cool!