Oh It's A Jolly Holiday With Katie! - Beach Club / Grand Floridian

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 10
(September 11th 2014)
Yum and wow!
Part 1 – Goodbye Backlot Tour!


Good morning!

After our long day yesterday, we decided to have a nice relaxing morning.
We slept in until around 9 or 10am, watched some TV, and got ready at a leisurely pace.

And of course, not taking pictures from this balcony would go against my religious beliefs, so I did some of that too.

We left the room at 11:10am and headed to Hollywood Studios!

Here’s a picture of me on the way to the bus stop, looking slightly gormless.
(As can be expected of a Hufflepuff.)

We actually didn’t know where the bus stop was, so we wandered out to the front of the resort.

We couldn’t find the bus stop, but we found this sweet carriage and Cadillac

Unfortunately no one was prepared to take us to Hollywood Studios in them (step it up, Disney magic! ), so we continued on our quest to find the bus stop.

...Found it!

The bus stop at the Grand Floridian has a screen with a real-time bus schedule on it, which is really handy.

Our bus came really fast, and we were arriving at Hollywood Studios at 11:30am.

YAY.

First on our agenda was our fastpass for Toy Story Mania (11:05 – 12:05pm).

So that’s where we went!

This is my number one argument FOR fastpass+.
I love the fact that we slept in, rolled into Hollywood Studios at almost midday, and we can just waltz straight onto Toy Story Mania.

Could you do that with fastpass-?

No sir!

(I know and understand all the reasons people dislike it. But personally I’m a big fan, and this is my main reason )

We hopped onto Toy Story Mania and played a super close, albeit slightly pathetic round!!

Technically Jamie won, but I deemed it too close to crown him an OFFICIAL champion, and we vowed to return later in the day for a rematch.

We disembarked at midday, and I had to take a couple of pictures of the cuteness of Pixar Place.

Our next fastpass was for 12:10pm at Tower of Terror, but there was something I LOVE (/LOVED ) that I wanted to do first…

THE STUDIO BACKLOT TOUR.

RIP

The Backlot Tour has always been one of my favourite things to do since I was a kid
(maybe I was a weird kid.)

Today was September 11th, and by September 27th it had closed down forever.
I’m really sad that it’s gone, but at least I got to ride it one last time!

Plus, the one at Disneyland Paris is still alive and well.
It’s very similar to the WDW tour, so at least I’ll get to see that one soon!

Anyway, in the Pearl Harbour-type water tank scene, the ‘actors’ are actually park guests who volunteer!
I BEGGED Jamie to volunteer, but of course, I didn’t tell him what it was for..
He flat out refused, saying he knew it would be something bad.

We then watched the guy get (literally) 1,000 GALLONS of water thrown over him, and Jamie looked at me in horror!

And he said,

“You were going to let ME do THAT? YOU’RE A MONSTER.”



Perhaps I am, Jamie.
Or perhaps, I just want you to have the...... full Disney experience....

Yes that sounds better

Wouldn’t this costuming building be the coolest place to work?!

This is my favourite scene on the Backlot Tour.
And of course, I’d made Jamie sit on the left hand side.
(You know, like I said... so he could have the full experience. )

We said goodbye to the Backlot Tour (for the last time!) and headed off to use our second fastpass of the day.

However, this fastpass was completely pointless.
There was no line at all!

We had a hilarious group of people on the back row, they were really enthusiastic and everyone was laughing along with them.

Well, everyone except the kid on the right hand side, middle row.

It was so quiet that we decided to ride again!

This time around, while there were still many screams, most of them came from the little girl on the back row…

She was crying, “I WANT TO GET OFF” for the whole ride!!

Poor thing!!!

We were both feeling pretty adrenaline-fuelled at this point, so we headed next door!


Click for Day 10, Part 2!

​

 

[pkondz]

Haven't even glanced at the update yet.

When you get up in the morning:

Don't be silly.
I don't wear my shoes to bed.

When you get past the tapstiles and take your first steps into the park:

Close.
More sashaying, less microphone, more camerabag, less... uh... upper chestal area.

When you hear the It's a Small World track playing:

No.
100% no.
More like....

(imagine IASW behind him)

When you take your seat in a restaurant:

Only if the chair has arm rests.

When you are extremely satisfied with your meal:

Oh, come on!
I did that once! Once!!






(okay, twice.)






(twice-ish.)

When you're in line and people cut in front of you, and you have to elbow them out of the way:

Actually, I can't say. I've never had to do that yet.

When you go down to the pool with bare feet, and the ground is 100 degrees:

Haven't done that either.
I'm not saying it couldn't happen.
Just that it hasn't.

And when you go back to bed:

At least the shoes are gone.

Maybe you'll have to practice the above moves in secret

Yeah. That's probably not a bad idea.

Haha, what's funny is that when you exit the ice cream parlour, you're right in the firing line! It's built for a comedy sketch.

Oh jee, thanks friend..

No problemo.

Haha, thats funny! I could understand him alright, I actually like that accent, it's fun!

Oh, good! I was wondering if you be sitting there going "What'd he say? What'd he say?"

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Day 10
(September 11th 2014)
Yum and wow!
Part 2 – THE RED VELVET CUPCAKE

It was 12:30pm, and we were both getting a little peckish, but we figured it was smart to ride Rock n Roller Coaster before lunch rather than after.

I recently remembered a funny story from when we were at WDW in 2012 that I forgot to share before.

We were at the RnRC preshow, listening to the usual spiel.

When the manager said down the phone,

“Make it a stretch…”

The Cast Member at the back of the room yelled out,

“BUT MY MOTHER IN LAW IS COMING TOO!”

- cueing the manager’s line,

“… In fact, make it a SUPER-stretch!”



It was SO perfect!
I applaud you, Mr. Rock n Roller Coaster Pre-Show Cast Member!

Anyways, we had a great time, as always!
That 0-60mph in under 3 seconds always makes for a fun photo.

After Rock n Roller Coaster we were real hungry.

We chose Starring Rolls Café, for one reason, and one reason only!

Can you guess which one?!
(If you were paying attention to the chapter title, then you’ll know!)

But first, I fancied something savoury.

OMG you guys, I cannot believe I’ve wasted so much time at ABC Commissary, when THIS was available just around the corner…

I got this awesome turkey sandwich, and Jamie had ham.

We made fools of ourselves attempting to eat them..they were so huge!

(Side note: This isn’t actually an action shot… For some strange unknown reason, Jamie insisted I take a picture of him like this, then he just lowered the sandwich without even eating any, and asked to see the photo…
I have no idea what goes on in that guy’s head sometimes. )

These sandwiches were really good. I feel like Disney could easily put half the amount of turkey/ham in them and totally get away with it.

We were very pleased!

But now, the STAR of Starring Rolls Café.

In fact, THE STAR OF HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS.

THE RED VELVET CUPCAKE.

WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.

This is just the most magical cupcake EVER.
It literally tastes like magic.

It had me saying YUM AND WOW every 5 seconds.

(Stacey reference, anyone? No? Ok then...)

I was pretty full after my sandwich, so I could only eat half of my cupcake.
I went to ask for a take-out box at the counter, but they had closed?!

It was only 2pm.. But ok.

I couldn’t bear the thought of throwing the rest away, so I just kinda… walked around the park carrying half a cupcake on a plate..

Obviously I just kept picking at it as we walked, and I looked really weird carrying a plate around, so I eventually just sat on a bench and FORCED the rest of it down.

It’s a hard life.

We soon decided to head back to the Animation building to do the drawing class again!

(As I write this on July 7th, it’s recently been announced that they’re closing the Animation building! I think the drawing class is quite popular, so maybe they’ll be moving it to another building? I hope so anyway, I love the drawing class!)

This time we drew Tigger.
And in my opinion, we both nailed it!!

They came out looking pretty different, but I think we both did a really good job!

Next, we did as we promised, and headed back to Toy Story Mania!

But this time, we decided to make it EXTRA interesting.

The wait time was posted at 45 minutes, but throughout the whole trip, the wait times for all the rides were always overestimated.

So we decided to bet on it.

It was 3:03pm when we joined the line; I bet that we’d be loading by 3:33pm.
Jamie thought the line would be even quicker, so he took anything under 3:33, and I took anything over.

Winner gets a souvenir, courtesy of the other!

Now, considering how many people there were, we were FLYING through the queue.
I was a little nervous.
I’m trying to stall us a bit..

“Oh wowwww, look at this detail!”

But Jamie was having none of it, and was dragging me along with the crowd.

WELL.

We get to THE LOADING GATE at 3:29pm, with 4 whole minutes to spare, and Jamie is tormenting me by deciding out loud which souvenir he’s going to have.

But wait, why aren’t the ride vehicles going anywhere?

Has it broken down?

OF COURSE IT’S BROKEN DOWN



3:33pm came and went as we stood at the gate waiting to load!!

VICTORY!



I found this so funny.

I gave Jamie a taste of his own medicine by pondering which souvenir I was going to claim

He was NOT happy!!! So he said:

“Double or nothing!” – referring to the game of TSMM.

I was hesitant.. but I guess I could get TWO souvenirs out of it..

SO BRING IT ON.

Jamie was Player 1, and I was Player 2…

YAAAAY!

DOUBLE VICTORY

(Applause applause)

Thank you, thank you.

We exited the ride and I dragged a very disgruntled Jamie back to Tower of Terror.

Jamie was in a grumpy mood now (yet still his playful self).
On the way down Sunset Boulevard I wanted to get a photo of the Beauty and the Beast poster, but he kept trying to tick me off by walking into my shot and staring blankly at the camera..

Like this:

Yes, this was him trying to sabotage my photos, purely due to being a sore loser..!



Thankfully I managed to fight him off and get my shot

We rode Tower of Terror, but apparently the ride photo didn’t make it into my Memory Maker, and I don’t have any other notes on the experience.
So I can assume that it was your average, enjoyable journey to the Twilight Zone!

Next up, we had our final fastpass at Rock n Roller Coaster for 4:20-5:20pm. So we used them!

(ETA: After re-reading this, I cannot figure out how we got these FPs, because TSMM, TOT, R&RC is not feasible with the tiering system...! Looking back on my plans, we actually had Star Tours FPs for while we were eating at Starring Rolls earlier. So I must've picked these R&RC FPs up somewhere along the way after the Star Tours ones expired!)

Of course, we had to do a sleeping-with-your-tongue-out photo.

But Jamie said I ruined it by holding onto my harness.

Apparently that wasn’t realistic enough, and no one would actually BELIEVE that we were asleep on Rock n Roller Coaster.

(Because he looks realistically asleep in that shot..? Errm NO!)

​

We exited the ride and the line was really short, so we decided to try to get a more realistic sleeping picture..

But we both ruined it this time.

It definitely didn’t work out, you can tell that we were trying so hard not to laugh!

(Look how empty!)

We left the Rock n Roller Coaster area at around 4:35pm and noticed some fastpass kiosks right outside / in front of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

We decided to see what was available, and we managed to grab two Star Tours fastpasses for 4:50pm – just 15 minutes from now!!

Honestly I really liked these kiosks, but I had no idea where to find them in any of the parks.
I must’ve walked past these ones a bunch of times and we only just noticed them.
I’m definitely going to try to figure out where a few of them are for our trip this September, so we can find them more easily.

Anyway, we headed towards Star Tours!

As we walked past the stage, the band were playing Best Day Of My Life – American Authors, so now whenever I hear this song, it takes me straight back to Disney.

It’s officially a Disney song now!

We continued on, and I got one of my favourite pictures from the trip:

I love this photo!

I love Walt!

Seriously, just think...
If this guy had been a lazy teenager, with no dreams or motivation, we would not have Walt Disney World..

Or ANYTHING Disney!

It baffles me to think about that.
I cannot imagine a World where Disney never existed.

THANK YOU for everything you did, Walt!!

Anyway, we continued on and used our Star Tours fastpass!
We enjoyed it of course; it’s one of Jamie’s favourites.
Still no Rebel Spy for him though!

After Star Tours it was around 5:10pm, and we had an ADR at 6:40pm, so we made our way towards the exit and hopped on a bus.

It’s strange to me that we often shared a bus with other resorts… This time we stopped at the Contemporary, then the Polynesian, then the Grand Floridian.

It took us quite a while to get back to the Grand, we pulled in at 5:45pm.

By the time we got back, there was only 55 minutes until dinner!!

Luckily, our reservation was very close by…
And we actually got ready in plenty of time.

We arrived at our room to find the cute turn-down service!

I decided to wear this dress again because I thought it kind of fit with the theming of where we were going.
I'd only worn it to the Yachtsman Steakhouse, and changed out of it straight after.
So I felt it had another wear in it.
University life lessons.

Once we were ready we strolled over to the main building and hopped on the monorail to our destination!

Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas!!

Click for Day 10, Part 3!​

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Did Jamie also get a cupcake? On previous trips, have you had other cupcake flavors at Starring Rolls besides red velvet? I'm thinking of trying one on my trip (next week!) but I don't know which flavor to get.

 

[Fastpassminus]

I started low carb this week... Those cupcake pictures NOT HELPFUL ,but totally inspiring for my September and January trips!!! Disney doesn't have CARBS, or CALORIES. DISNEY MAGIC.

I love that you won the bet because the ride shut down. Poor Jamie. LOL!

You got a whole lot accomplished in less than 6 hours at HS. September is the best.

 

[blklotus]

Beyonce aka Sasha Fierce is the Queen of SASHAying.. It's even in the name. If you actually are more fierce than her, I have some amazing mental images of you being at Disney..

When you get up in the morning:

When you get past the tapstiles and take your first steps into the park:

When you hear the It's a Small World track playing:

When you take your seat in a restaurant:

When you are extremely satisfied with your meal:

When you're in line and people cut in front of you, and you have to elbow them out of the way:

When you go down to the pool with bare feet, and the ground is 100 degrees:

And when you go back to bed:

Oh wow, it's so much fun to imagine

This comment reply is possibly the greatest thing I've ever read.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

That is so kind of you to want jamie to have the whole, full, complete Disney experience! How could he not appreciate that?

Oh, the costume building.....dream job!

Those poor kids on ToT! That's how I feel in the creepy line waiting!

Jamie standing in your picture--totally something my DH would do. Boys!

Can't believe how empty RnRC was! So lucky!!

 

[Leshaface]

Wow, such a beautiful day!

Watching the monorail go by was just amazing. I loved seeing the headlights flashing in while I was sleeping, knowing that it was the monorail!

Here’s a picture of me on the way to the bus stop, looking slightly gormless.
(As can be expected of a Hufflepuff.)

The bus stop at the Grand Floridian has a screen with a real-time bus schedule on it, which is really handy.

They need this at every bus station, especially DTD!

I love the fact that we slept in, rolled into Hollywood Studios at almost midday, and we can just waltz straight onto Toy Story Mania.

I agree with you 100%!

Technically Jamie won, but I deemed it too close to crown him an OFFICIAL champion, and we vowed to return later in the day for a rematch.

Yeah that is way too close.

Our next fastpass was for 12:10pm at Tower of Terror, but there was something I LOVE (/LOVED )

I HATE seeing the past tense word

Today was September 11th, and by September 27th it had closed down forever.
I’m really sad that it’s gone, but at least I got to ride it one last time!

Wow you just barely made the cut off!

“You were going to let ME do THAT? YOU’RE A MONSTER.”

Wouldn’t this costuming building be the coolest place to work?!

Uh, totally!

(You know, like I said... so he could have the full experience. )

We are twins.

You and me are different, in that in the video when he started scooting towards you, I would have pushed him back

However, this fastpass was completely pointless.
There was no line at all!

Whaaa?! So jealous.

I love looking at the older brother behind you, securing his little sister. So sweet!

The Cast Member at the back of the room yelled out,

“BUT MY MOTHER IN LAW IS COMING TOO!”

- cueing the manager’s line,

“… In fact, make it a SUPER-stretch!”

AWESOME CM!!!!

(If you were paying attention to the chapter title, then you’ll know!)

Oooh I know, I know! *raises hand frantically!*

I've heard the sandwiches are totally delicious!

(Side note: This isn’t actually an action shot… For some strange unknown reason, Jamie insisted I take a picture of him like this, then he just lowered the sandwich without even eating any, and asked to see the photo…
I have no idea what goes on in that guy’s head sometimes. )

I must try and replicate this. Lately I've been making Disney desserts (Grapefruit Cake from HBD and two nights ago made Brownies from the Boardwalk Bakery) I've gotta find this recipe

It had me saying YUM AND WOW every 5 seconds.

(Stacey reference, anyone? No? Ok then...)

I went to ask for a take-out box at the counter, but they had closed?!

It was only 2pm.. But ok.

I know! What the heck is up with this place?! This is literally the only place at Disney that closes this early inside a park! I don't get it. Do they sell out by 2?

I couldn’t bear the thought of throwing the rest away, so I just kinda… walked around the park carrying half a cupcake on a plate..

I'm sure if people only knew the precious object you were carrying, they would totally understand.

(As I write this on July 7th, it’s recently been announced that they’re closing the Animation building!

What's going on DHS?!

You guys did a great job! If you can't make it as a Disney Princess, know that you also have a future in being an Artist

3:33pm came and went as we stood at the gate waiting to load!!

VICTORY!

YAAAAY!

DOUBLE VICTORY

(Applause applause)

You killed him in every game he thought he would win! Love it!

It would be so hard for me to not smile or laugh at this part in the ride!

Empty cars?! I'm choosing all the wrong dates for our trips

As we walked past the stage, the band were playing Best Day Of My Life – American Authors, so now whenever I hear this song, it takes me straight back to Disney.

Don't you love that songs can do that?! For me whenever I hear, "Good Life" by One Republic, I always remember packing for our first Disney Cruise

Seriously, just think...
If this guy had been a lazy teenager, with no dreams or motivation, we would not have Walt Disney World..

For reals though!

I decided to wear this dress again because I thought it kind of fit with the theming of where we were going.
I'd only worn it to the Yachtsman Steakhouse, and changed out of it straight after.
So I felt it had another wear in it.
University life lessons.

 

[disneyguy4life]

Another great update Katie. My Disney addiction has been fed for another day. To bad for Jamie, losing twice. I'm glad he took it reasonably well. I love the ride pics. They are the best! I love looking like a goofball in the pics. My wife on the other hand is just embarrassed. LOL!! You know I have only been on the backstage tour once, it was years ago. Still knowing that a long time attraction has shut done is a little heartbreaking. Just like the animation building. I never got to attend one of the drawing classes. Still, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THEY PUT IN ITS PLACE!!

 

[Mysteria]

Once we were ready we strolled over to the main building and hopped on the monorail to our destination!

Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas!!



​

You just transported me right onto the monorail! Still reading along and loving your trip report!

 

[saintstickets]

Coming out of lurkdom to say what a fantastic post! I am really enjoying your TR, especially everything about the GF. DW and I are staying there in December and your TR just gets us more excited if that is possible! I'm looking forward to more. Okay, I'm heading back to lurkdom.

 

[pkondz]

Looks like I replied earlier right in the middle of your updates.
Sorry about that.

And of course, not taking pictures from this balcony would go against my religious beliefs, so I did some of that too.

Are you an orthodox or liberal balcony viewer?

We slept in until around 9 or 10am, watched some TV, and got ready at a leisurely pace.

Nice. I didn't do that once... and was burnt out by the end of the trip.
'Course it was a short trip so... ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Here’s a picture of me on the way to the bus stop, looking slightly gormless.

Nahhhh. Ya look cute as a button.

(As can be expected of a Hufflepuff.)

Unfortunately no one was prepared to take us to Hollywood Studios in them (step it up, Disney magic! ), so we continued on our quest to find the bus stop.

Really. Shouldn't there be a rule that you are allowed to take the first mode of transportation you find?

The bus stop at the Grand Floridian has a screen with a real-time bus schedule on it, which is really handy.

Very handy. I hate standing there not knowing if I just missed one or it's just around the corner.

Our bus came really fast, and we were arriving at Hollywood Studios at 11:30am.

20 minutes door to door.
Impressive.

This is my number one argument FOR fastpass+.
I love the fact that we slept in, rolled into Hollywood Studios at almost midday, and we can just waltz straight onto Toy Story Mania.

Had a similar experience at MK with 7DMT.

We hopped onto Toy Story Mania and played a super close, albeit slightly pathetic round!!

Whoa. That's a tie.

Believe it or not, I saw that movie.
When you have (at the time) young DDs who are crazy about Hanna Montana, well....

The Backlot Tour has always been one of my favourite things to do since I was a kid
(maybe I was a weird kid.)

I remember seeing it for the first time years ago. It was much better then, believe it or not.
I remember there was a popular TV show on back then called The Golden Girls. We saw their house.
There were others too, but I don't remember them now.

I BEGGED Jamie to volunteer, but of course, I didn’t tell him what it was for..
He flat out refused, saying he knew it would be something bad.

Aw, too bad. Would've been fun.


Well, fun for you.

“You were going to let ME do THAT? YOU’RE A MONSTER.”

Or perhaps, I just want you to have the...... full Disney experience....

Yes that sounds better

Sure.

Yeah, that's it.


Uh, huh.

Wouldn’t this costuming building be the coolest place to work?!

Remember how I said I was on it years ago?
When we went, you couldn't see inside the building because they had original, as seen in the movies, costumes in the windows.
I only remember one.
I hope you've seen Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts?
They had the red dress that she wore in that movie.

We said goodbye to the Backlot Tour (for the last time!)

Boo!!!

However, this fastpass was completely pointless.
There was no line at all!

No line? For TOT??

Were you actually in the Twilight Zone?

We had a hilarious group of people on the back row, they were really enthusiastic and everyone was laughing along with them.

Well, everyone except the kid on the right hand side, middle row.

Hands down. My favourite is the young lady with the pink top.

Really like this shot with Jamie.

And just what the heck was he doing here????

This time around, while there were still many screams, most of them came from the little girl on the back row…

She was crying, “I WANT TO GET OFF” for the whole ride!!

Poor thing!!!

Awww.....
(chuckle)

Terrific shot!

We were at the RnRC preshow, listening to the usual spiel.

When the manager said down the phone,

“Make it a stretch…”

The Cast Member at the back of the room yelled out,

“BUT MY MOTHER IN LAW IS COMING TOO!”

- cueing the manager’s line,

“… In fact, make it a SUPER-stretch!”

That 0-60mph in under 3 seconds always makes for a fun photo.

Can you guess which one?!
(If you were paying attention to the chapter title, then you’ll know!)

The Anna cupcake!
No?

The Elsa cupcake!!
Still no?

The Olaf cupcake!!!!!!
Sheesh. I give up.

OMG you guys, I cannot believe I’ve wasted so much time at ABC Commissary, when THIS was available just around the corner…

That looks good! I didn't even know they served sandwiches there.

(Side note: This isn’t actually an action shot… For some strange unknown reason, Jamie insisted I take a picture of him like this, then he just lowered the sandwich without even eating any, and asked to see the photo…
I have no idea what goes on in that guy’s head sometimes. )

It's a guy thing.
You wouldn't understand.


Technically, neither do we... we just do stuff like that.

In fact, THE STAR OF HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS.

So.... you maybe liked it a bit?

This is just the most magical cupcake EVER.
It literally tastes like magic.

I don't know what magic tastes like!
Guess I'll just have to try one of those cupcakes and find out.

(Stacey reference, anyone? No? Ok then...)

I must admit...
There's a strong possibility that I've never seen her (in the hotel... wasn't she on the DME before?)

I went to ask for a take-out box at the counter, but they had closed?!

Sure, of course. It's a theme park. Who'd be around?

I couldn’t bear the thought of throwing the rest away, so I just kinda… walked around the park carrying half a cupcake on a plate..

Katie! You were a Streetmosphere character!

"Good day. Just nibbling on a cupcake. Don't mind me. Wandering the park... Nibbling on a cupcake. Nothing weird happening here."

I eventually just sat on a bench and FORCED the rest of it down.

It’s a hard life.

You poor, poor thing.
Do you need a moment?
I understand.

(As I write this on July 7th, it’s recently been announced that they’re closing the Animation building! I think the drawing class is quite popular, so maybe they’ll be moving it to another building? I hope so anyway, I love the drawing class!)

I'd heard that too.
It's so popular. I sure hope it's either a temporary closure or they'll relocate it.

This time we drew Tigger.
And in my opinion, we both nailed it!!

We get to THE LOADING GATE at 3:29pm, with 4 whole minutes to spare, and Jamie is tormenting me by deciding out loud which souvenir he’s going to have.

Seen those videos of athletes who celebrate too early?

Or...

3:33pm came and went as we stood at the gate waiting to load!!

VICTORY!

Good for you!

I gave Jamie a taste of his own medicine by pondering which souvenir I was going to claim

He was NOT happy!!! So he said:

“Double or nothing!” – referring to the game of TSMM.

Oh, it's on!

Jamie was Player 1, and I was Player 2…

No!

Just too funny.

On the way down Sunset Boulevard I wanted to get a photo of the Beauty and the Beast poster, but he kept trying to tick me off by walking into my shot and staring blankly at the camera..

Like this:

This kills me.
I think I really like Jamie.

Of course, we had to do a sleeping-with-your-tongue-out photo.

But Jamie said I ruined it by holding onto my harness.

Apparently that wasn’t realistic enough, and no one would actually BELIEVE that we were asleep on Rock n Roller Coaster.

(Because he looks realistically asleep in that shot..? Errm NO!)

I would just like to point out that if he sleeps with his tongue out like that, it's time for a man upgrade.

It definitely didn’t work out, you can tell that we were trying so hard not to laugh!

Well, maybe.
But that is such an adorable picture of you.

(Look how empty!)

I didn't know that was even possible!

Honestly I really liked these kiosks, but I had no idea where to find them in any of the parks.
I must’ve walked past these ones a bunch of times and we only just noticed them.

I hear you.
I didn't know what they looked like, so I walked up to a CM and asked where they were.... while I was standing right beside them.

I’m definitely going to try to figure out where a few of them are for our trip this September, so we can find them more easily.

They are on the maps, I believe.

We continued on, and I got one of my favourite pictures from the trip:

That picture looks a little familiar.
(And you're right. It's a wonderful picture.)

Seriously, just think...
If this guy had been a lazy teenager, with no dreams or motivation, we would not have Walt Disney World..

Or ANYTHING Disney!

Mind boggling. It really is.

Thanks for the updates!

 

[ParadiseFoundVaca]

Loving your trip report so far! My wife and I will be visiting Disney from the 10th-15th this year, and I'm hoping the crowds will be as light as they were for you last year.

 

[BibbitybobityLu]

HAHA I love the dance battle Both of them definitely should've been cast in the new Magic Mike

Yes they really miscast that movie!

Hahaha imagine @pkondz and Leverenzel the bus driver, sashaying and shimmying through the parks together

(yes I picture pkondz walking like Beyonce every time he says he "sashayed")

I always picture RuPaul's Drag Race "Sashay Away" But this works too!

I soooo want my wedding at Disney's wedding pavilion too, but I'd have a hard time convincing all of my family to come out to Florida! They'd just tell me to stop being ridiculous. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND ME. Maybe you and I should just marry each other at the wedding pavilion?

...And then our honeymoon can be riding the monorail round and round (I LOVE IT TOO)

Works for me!

I love that you know all of my shows!!! Michael's face during the mayonegg scene is one of my favourite parts of the show
And trust you to use that quote

I love that show! It shares my humour!

What do you mean "couple of people"???

I'd be like: "Hands off my frog!"



Oh, go ahead @BibbitybobityLu. You know you'll explode if you don't.

Wow I'm very surprised she hasn't... @BibbitybobityLu are you alive..?!?!

Sorry...my head exploded back there...

THE STUDIO BACKLOT TOUR.

RIP

NOOOOOOOOOOO!

The Backlot Tour has always been one of my favourite things to do since I was a kid
(maybe I was a weird kid.)

I must have been a weird kid too! I loved BLT.

And he said,

“You were going to let ME do THAT? YOU’RE A MONSTER.”

But I like it!

Perhaps I am, Jamie.
Or perhaps, I just want you to have the...... full Disney experience....

Yes that sounds better

Evil genius

When the manager said down the phone,

“Make it a stretch…”

The Cast Member at the back of the room yelled out,

“BUT MY MOTHER IN LAW IS COMING TOO!”

- cueing the manager’s line,

“… In fact, make it a SUPER-stretch!”

It had me saying YUM AND WOW every 5 seconds.

(Stacey reference, anyone? No? Ok then...)

All hail Queen Stacey

(As I write this on July 7th, it’s recently been announced that they’re closing the Animation building! I think the drawing class is quite popular, so maybe they’ll be moving it to another building? I hope so anyway, I love the drawing class!)

Why are they doing this to me!?!??!?! I never got to do a drawing class it was one of the things I was super excited to try!

This time we drew Tigger.
And in my opinion, we both nailed it!!

YAAAAY!

DOUBLE VICTORY

(Applause applause)

Thank you, thank you.

I love this photo!

Such a cute picture!

decided to wear this dress again because I thought it kind of fit with the theming of where we were going.
I'd only worn it to the Yachtsman Steakhouse, and changed out of it straight after.
So I felt it had another wear in it.
University life lessons.

One wear is just the same as not wearing it at all! Ah Uni life...

 

[CRSNDSNY]

It took me several days to read your report and catch up and I'm so totally loving it! You two are so cute together...love your sense of humor and how you two play off of one another.

Your trip reminds me so much of me and my husband's trips before we had kids. So much fun!

Can't wait for more!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Did Jamie also get a cupcake? On previous trips, have you had other cupcake flavors at Starring Rolls besides red velvet? I'm thinking of trying one on my trip (next week!) but I don't know which flavor to get.

Jamie didn't get a cupcake actually (I know, WHAT THE HECK?!) and I've actually only ever had the red velvet. I'm sometimes tempted to try the Butterfinger cupcake - that one looks really good! I do highly recommend the red velvet though are you going soon? Let me know if you try something different/how it is!

I started low carb this week... Those cupcake pictures NOT HELPFUL ,but totally inspiring for my September and January trips!!! Disney doesn't have CARBS, or CALORIES. DISNEY MAGIC.

I love that you won the bet because the ride shut down. Poor Jamie. LOL!

You got a whole lot accomplished in less than 6 hours at HS. September is the best.

Hahah, I'm sorry!!! It's good that you're staying low carb though, then you can go to Disney and eat A LOT without feeling guilty I'm going for that method too.... Starting tomorrow....

"Disney doesn't have CARBS, or CALORIES. DISNEY MAGIC." - this made me laugh!! Disney teaches that any dream is possible, right?!

September IS the best! I don't know how I'd ever go back during peak times now.. it would be a shock!

That is so kind of you to want jamie to have the whole, full, complete Disney experience! How could he not appreciate that?

Oh, the costume building.....dream job!

Those poor kids on ToT! That's how I feel in the creepy line waiting!

Jamie standing in your picture--totally something my DH would do. Boys!

Can't believe how empty RnRC was! So lucky!!

Haha, I know right?! I guess dragging him out of bed at the crack of dawn was his limit on the "full Disney experience"

I love looking in that costuming building! Making princess gowns for a living?! YES PLEASE. I love the all the posters on the wall in there too

Haha I know, typical! He walked in my shot a bunch more times too, this was the only one where I actually snapped him. He's a sore loser!

Wow, such a beautiful day!

GIRL it was so nice for the whole trip, but it was miserable on the morning we were coming home! Made me feel a tiny bit better about leaving

Watching the monorail go by was just amazing. I loved seeing the headlights flashing in while I was sleeping, knowing that it was the monorail!

That's so cool! I think the monorail is the only thing that could wake me up and make me smile, otherwise I'm just grumpy!

I agree with you 100%!

I'm glad you agree, I've seen so much negativity about fastpass+ on the boards.. I like it! I bet it can be a bit of a hassle during the very busy seasons, but I like to remember that Universal charges a lot of money for that express pass!! Fastpass is a free perk! However Disney wants to implement it is fine by me, as long as I don't have to pay for it

Wow you just barely made the cut off!

At this point, we didn't even know the Backlot Tour was closing down! Like I said, this was September 11th, they announced the closure on September 20th, and closed it on the 27th!! I was so happy we got to do it one last time

You and me are different, in that in the video when he started scooting towards you, I would have pushed him back

Hahah you're mean!!!! But of course I would do this too, if Jamie wasn't so much stronger than me

I love looking at the older brother behind you, securing his little sister. So sweet!

I didn't even notice! That's so cute

I've heard the sandwiches are totally delicious!

They really are! I don't know about you, but eating burgers and other theme-park food for lunch is just too much for me. I'd rather have that stuff for dinner, and I sandwich for lunch, so I'm really glad I discovered these!

I must try and replicate this. Lately I've been making Disney desserts (Grapefruit Cake from HBD and two nights ago made Brownies from the Boardwalk Bakery) I've gotta find this recipe

Omg, if you do you must send me some in the mail ... Or just pass me the recipe

I hope this means you got the Stacey reference And in my mind it's not "yum" and "wow".. it's "yum and wow".. Like, "Yum and wow, this cake is delicious!" .. that way it fully incorporates the Stacey reference what am I talking about? I don't know. Moving on...

I know! What the heck is up with this place?! This is literally the only place at Disney that closes this early inside a park! I don't get it. Do they sell out by 2?

They weren't even close to selling out?! From what I've heard, it closes at 4pm usually, which is early enough. But 2?! I was glad we got there! Imagine if you worked there.. You probably get to eat all the cakes when they're about to go out of date... #DreamBig

You guys did a great job! If you can't make it as a Disney Princess, know that you also have a future in being an Artist

Thank you!!! I'm a pretty average in general, I'm always amazed at how well they manage to teach in this short 15-20 minute class! I'm praying they move the class somewhere else when the Animation building closes!

You killed him in every game he thought he would win! Love it!

Hahaha he's always embarrassingly confident about winning too! It's nice to put him back in his place

Empty cars?! I'm choosing all the wrong dates for our trips

I know! We've been spoilt now though, I don't think we'll ever see crowds that low again! It was insane. You should try September sometime!

Another great update Katie. My Disney addiction has been fed for another day. To bad for Jamie, losing twice. I'm glad he took it reasonably well. I love the ride pics. They are the best! I love looking like a goofball in the pics. My wife on the other hand is just embarrassed. LOL!! You know I have only been on the backstage tour once, it was years ago. Still knowing that a long time attraction has shut done is a little heartbreaking. Just like the animation building. I never got to attend one of the drawing classes. Still, I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THEY PUT IN ITS PLACE!!

Hey, thank you! I'm glad I was able to feed your addiction Haha yeah, he took it reasonably well... He is a sore loser though! We always like to do something goofy in the ride pictures too, but sometimes we don't realise that the photos go to multiple people's Memory Maker accounts..!! I feel exactly the same as you do, some of the things they're removing are making me pretty sad, but I'm really excited to see what they're going to do, particularly at Hollywood Studios! It seems like they're doing a complete overhaul and I think it's going to be great!

You just transported me right onto the monorail! Still reading along and loving your trip report!

Haha I know right! Whenever I think about that phrase, I have to say it in the same voice, and with the same intonations as the monorail guy Thank you for reading along!! I'm really glad you're enjoying it

Coming out of lurkdom to say what a fantastic post! I am really enjoying your TR, especially everything about the GF. DW and I are staying there in December and your TR just gets us more excited if that is possible! I'm looking forward to more. Okay, I'm heading back to lurkdom.

Hey, thanks so much! That's so cool that you're staying there in December, when all of the Christmas decorations will be out! That will be amazing Haha don't stay in lurkdom too long!!! I love reading everyones comments Thanks for reading!

 

[TheLittleKatie]

Are you an orthodox or liberal balcony viewer?

I think it's an addiction. Here's one I took at the crack of dawn the other morning..!!

Imagine what I'm going to be like in my theme park view room at the Poly in September..!!!

Nice. I didn't do that once... and was burnt out by the end of the trip.
'Course it was a short trip so... ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Disney does burn you out! We didn't have many rests on our trip in 2012 and a few days before we left I was completely exhausted. I don't think I'd been drinking enough water either, which is a problem! I bet the ideal trip is WDW, then a relaxing Disney cruise straight after

Nahhhh. Ya look cute as a button.

Thank you!

Really. Shouldn't there be a rule that you are allowed to take the first mode of transportation you find?

Yes, yes there should..

(me on Seven Seas Lagoon)

Believe it or not, I saw that movie.
When you have (at the time) young DDs who are crazy about Hanna Montana, well....

This makes me happy! I knew this dance! I bet you did too.

I remember seeing it for the first time years ago. It was much better then, believe it or not.
I remember there was a popular TV show on back then called The Golden Girls. We saw their house.
There were others too, but I don't remember them now.

That's so cool!

I hope you've seen Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts?
They had the red dress that she wore in that movie.

And that's even cooler!

Really like this shot with Jamie.

Haha, casually strolling through the empty line. It does look like we were actually in "Hollywood, 1939"

And just what the heck was he doing here????

Stretching, I think.... But you never really know with this guy.

The Anna cupcake!
No?

The Elsa cupcake!!
Still no?

The Olaf cupcake!!!!!!
Sheesh. I give up.

It's a guy thing.
You wouldn't understand.


Technically, neither do we... we just do stuff like that.

... You're all weird.

I must admit...
There's a strong possibility that I've never seen her (in the hotel... wasn't she on the DME before?)

WHAT.

Watch this immediately

Isn't she the best? Stacey actually follows me on Twitter. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

Katie! You were a Streetmosphere character!

"Good day. Just nibbling on a cupcake. Don't mind me. Wandering the park... Nibbling on a cupcake. Nothing weird happening here."

You poor, poor thing.
Do you need a moment?
I understand.

I know, eating cake at WDW, it was a struggle.

Seen those videos of athletes who celebrate too early?

Or...

These are so funny!! I love stuff like that

This kills me.
I think I really like Jamie.

Don't encourage him!!

I would just like to point out that if he sleeps with his tongue out like that, it's time for a man upgrade.

Haha thankfully he doesn't. He does talk in his sleep though. And one time, he actually sat bolt upright and SCREAMED. Oh God. It terrified me.

Well, maybe.
But that is such an adorable picture of you.

Haha, thanks!

Loving your trip report so far! My wife and I will be visiting Disney from the 10th-15th this year, and I'm hoping the crowds will be as light as they were for you last year.

Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it Yay, I hope it's quiet for you! Have an amazing time

I must have been a weird kid too! I loved BLT.

Backlot Tour... Bay Lake Tower... Bacon Lettuce Tomato.. Every variation of BLT

I LOVE THE GINGERBREAD MAN.

Evil genius

Why are they doing this to me!?!??!?! I never got to do a drawing class it was one of the things I was super excited to try!

I know! Hopefully they'll have it set up somewhere else

Such a cute picture!

Thank you!!

One wear is just the same as not wearing it at all! Ah Uni life...

Haha, EXACTLY. Especially on holiday, where it's an effort to wash and dry totally acceptable!

It took me several days to read your report and catch up and I'm so totally loving it! You two are so cute together...love your sense of humor and how you two play off of one another.

Your trip reminds me so much of me and my husband's trips before we had kids. So much fun!

Can't wait for more!

Hey, thanks so much!! I'm so glad you've been enjoying it

 

[softball chick]

I'm so excited to have found your TR. I spent the last two days at work catching up and I've loved every minute of it!
You guys are adorable and I can only hope that someday I find a guy who will have as much fun with me down there as you two have together!
Can't wait for the rest of the report!

 

[pkondz]

I think it's an addiction. Here's one I took at the crack of dawn the other morning..!!

OMG!!!! Katie's addicted to crack!!!!!!!

Imagine what I'm going to be like in my theme park view room at the Poly in September..!!!

I can't even.

(me on Seven Seas Lagoon)

I was thinking the carriage... but sure, that'll do.

(But don't you wonder what happened to that raccoon? Did he make it? Did the gator make him into lunch?)

This makes me happy! I knew this dance! I bet you did too.

Unfortunately.... Yes.
Fortunately.... I had forgotten it.
Unfortunately... You made me remember it.

... You're all weird.

Yes.... Yes we are.
It's a rule.

WHAT.

Watch this immediately

I can't!!
I watched the first five minutes but then got too busy and now I'm at work and it's blocked.
Gonna have to watch the rest later.

Isn't she the best? Stacey actually follows me on Twitter. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

Ok, you're now the coolest person ever.

Don't encourage him!!

Well... if he reads this....

TOO LATE!!!!

Haha thankfully he doesn't. He does talk in his sleep though. And one time, he actually sat bolt upright and SCREAMED. Oh God. It terrified me.

 

[MrsHull]

Gah! This is the cutest TR ever! Finally following along after binge reading the entire thing.