"One Step Ahead of the Slowpokes!"- A Dec '10/Jan '11 Trip Report! FINISHED 3/9 pg 38

[Parla]

Ugh, I'm trying to catch up with your TR, PTR and one other thread. Then I have to catch up with my email. You see where my priorities are?

I'm going to need to respond to a few at a time since just these have more than 80 pictures and you're only allowed 25. I'll have to delete a lot before I can even preview and see what I wrote!

After I took the picture we waited…and waited…and waited. I looked at my watch after a bit and it was 1:25! We had checked in at least five minutes early, so we had been waiting for half an hour! I was sick of standing and I was getting really cold, so I was really relieved when they finally called our name.

The wait is bad enough but to be told just a few minutes is an insult. My favorite line from Ratatouille, "We hate to be rude but we're French!"

Remy! This was one of the main reasons I wanted to try Chefs for lunch. I was really hoping we would get to see Remy. He visited with the children at the table next to ours for a few minutes, so I was able to get a good look at him!

I think that is the only reason I would want to eat there. Love Remy!

John was not impressed at all with his appetizer. He put a little bit of the stuff that looks like potted meat on his bread but he didn’t like it. I don’t blame him. It looked a little too adventurous for me too.

My entrée choice was pretty tame and I really liked it. The sandwich was delicious but very heavy so I only ate about half of it. The bread had some kind of cheese on the outside of it as well, so it was like a double cheese sandwich!

Yep, would just eat there for Remy. j/k I actually would love the cheese plate and your sandwich but only part of John's appetizer (eaten with the cheese plate of course).

After we finished our French cuisine we continued our journey through the World Showcase! Our next stop was a country that I feel is often overlooked: Morocco!

The one time I got to stop there was just a quick trip to find Aladdin for a picture before running DD back to the hotel because she was sick. Can't wait to go slow and admire things.

Here I am looking absolutely horrible with my pearl:

Now, let me explain the picture. Right before I did PAP I started feeling really really sick. My medicine must have worn off and I felt worse than I had felt the entire trip. My head was hurting, my throat was sore, and my entire body was aching. I still enjoyed the PAP experience, but as you can see by the picture I wasn’t feeling well at all.

You do not look absolutely horrible.

We noticed that there was a huge stage set up in the middle of the Italy pavilion. I took a picture of it and I wrote in my TR notebook that I had no idea why it was there. I find that funny now, because it says right in the picture that it was for New Years Eve!

However, I couldn’t admire this stuff for long because I had something very important on my mind: going to Karamell-Kuche!

I first read about this place on Jen’s (Nermel9) TR and I had been dying to try it ever since. I absolutely love caramel! I dragged John inside and we got in the back of a very very long line. It took quite awhile to get through, but I didn’t mind because it smelled SO good in there!

We left Karamel-Kuche and went to find a sunny bench to sit and enjoy our treats.

Oh my goodness, they were both SOO delicious! I could’ve eaten five or six of those strawberries, and I ended up finishing off John’s caramel corn. I definitely recommend trying Karamel-Kuche out if you like caramel!

Just added them to the list of snack places on my phone.

We stopped to drink our sodas and I took a moment to really think about how bad I felt. Let me tell you, it was really bad. I was so tired I could barely hold my head up, and my entire body was aching. Plus I was coughing, my throat hurt, and my head was pounding. I told John all of this and he was very sympathetic. He suggested we go back to the hotel and call it a day. What?! We had Le Cellier reservations at 9:00! I couldn’t even fathom cancelling that ADR! That was until I looked at John’s watch and realized it was barely 5:00. We still had FOUR more hours until we could even eat dinner! Honestly, just thinking about four more hours on my feet was exhausting.

Well, it looks like I had a decision to make.

I think you made the right decision.

We stopped at a little cart that was selling merchandise to browse for a minute. John could tell I was bummed about leaving early so he started being silly to make me smile.

It worked! I mean come on, how couldn't it? He's adorable!

There's your Christmas card!

He absolutely loves the Vikings. We went to see about riding Maelstrom really quickly but the wait was really long. I told John I didn't mind waiting but he said it was okay. I managed to get my customary Christmas pictures:

We've never ridden Maelstrom. I'm really looking forward to it.

We went to the register to check out, but there was this lady in front of us who looked like she was literally buying the entire store. We stood watching as the cashier rang up her items, and her total was like $400! Then she started smelling all of these expensive perfumes and picking them out! It was taking forever and her total was over $600, so John said to forget it. He had been flipping through the book while the lady was checking out and I think he decided it wasn't as cool as he thought it was. Plus, he didn't want to wait for that lady to finish buying the entire store!

Did you tell her there was a nice Cinderella Castle she could buy a few shops over?

On our way out of the WS we caught a glimpse of Duffy signing autographs. I feel like such a bad DISer, because I didn't even know who he was!

I had never even heard of him until I started reading up for our next trip. I'm still not sure about him.

It was good, but sooo not Le Cellier! That's okay though, because I only ate about three bites of my sandwich. It was a pretty glum evening, but one thing made it much better: I was finally able to try tie dye cheesecake! I picked that as my dessert and John had a turnover.

I want to go to POP just to try that cake!

 

[Parla]

I woke up the next morning at 6 o’clock feeling rested, refreshed, and SO much better! I was still a little sick, but it was nothing like the day before. What a relief! I had gone to bed really worried that I was going to be too sick to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Plus, we had other big things planned for today! This was our special romantic evening when we would be eating at Artist Point and going on a private sleigh ride!

So glad you canceled dinner and went to bed early.

I was so excited I almost forgot we had to pay for parking at Universal! Yikes! It was $15! That seems so expensive, but I’m not even sure how it compares to Disney’s parking prices. We never pay to park at Disney because we always stay at a Disney resort. Universal also offered preferred parking for $20. We decided to spring for the extra $5 so we would be able to park closer. It ended up being a great idea! Even though we were there before park opening there was still a ton of people arriving, and we got to park really close!

Yay for parking close!

We raced into the WWoHP and I resisted the urge to stop and look at everything. It was insanely crowded, and it took us about five minutes to find the end of the line for our first goal: The Forbidden Journey. I had heard this was the most amazing ride ever so we wanted to ride this first. When we finally managed to find the line we realized it was already wrapping completely out of the Harry Potter area and back into Jurassic Park. Oh well, we didn’t care! We hopped in line and started our journey.

We are planning on stopping here Christmas 2013. I'm still thinking about whether we should stay at Universal for a couple of days and get that front of the line thing or just make a day of it simply for WWOHP. The kids would probably like to ride the other rides though.

I loved this sign they had posted!

Prosthetic limbs have to be removed? That is hard core!

After about a 50 minute total wait it was our turn to ride the Forbidden Journey. All I can say is OH. MY. GOSH. This ride was AWESOME! It was like nothing we had every experienced before. Trust me, if you like thrill rides with a little bit of a twist to them I highly recommend this one!

Can't wait to ride this some day.

Pumpkin Juice! I made a mental note to get some of this for my sister later (and myself)!

That sounds really good.

While I waited in line John went to buy us Butterbeers from a cart nearby!

I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan. I've seen most the movies with my family but never read a book. However the first time I heard the word butterbeer I thought it sounded so good.

After we finished forcing our way through the crowd we went back to Filch’s Emporium to look at our ride photo. Okay, here is a piece of advice to anyone going to the WWoHP: don’t waste your time in Dervish & Banges trying to buy merchandise. There was no wait at all for Filch’s Emporium and they sold the same merchandise and even a little bit extra. I guess no one thinks to go there because it is at the exit of the Forbidden Journey, but it is a great shop! We decided to buy our ride photo to remember our awesome “forbidden” journey!

That's crazy that they have the same stuff but nobody is in there.

On our way out of IOA John decided he wanted to stop and ride the Jurassic Park water ride before we left. I had forgotten exactly what this ride was like, so I agreed. BIG mistake. I got completely soaked and so did my brand new Dooney & Bourke purse! It was still really cold out, so I was not a happy camper!

That really sucks! I wish you had known you were going to get wet. Not only for your purse but you were so sick!

 

[Parla]

John and I had a great time exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but we were more than ready to get back to Disney World! I don't know what it is, but anytime I visit WDW I always feel really weird when we leave the actual World. Am I the only one who does that? I honestly get a little bit of separation anxiety anytime we drive off property.

I totally understand that feeling. I didn't have it on our Honeymoon when we went to Universal and took a drive to the ocean but that ended in very bad sunburns with blisters the size of half dollars. It's like I feel if we leave the magic of Disney there is only evil that waits.

We used two meal credits from the DxDP and we each got a sandwich with chips and a drink. John went with the Cannonball (a meatball sub) and I got my favorite, the All American (turkey, ranch, cranberries, cheese, lettuce, and tomato).

I want your sandwich!

We probably spent about twenty minutes just looking around. We were in there so long we felt like we really should buy something, so we picked out a present for our babies!

My dogs are absolutely obsessed with tennis balls, and I loved these because they had Disney characters on them! I thought they would be perfect, but I turned out to be dead wrong. When we got home and gave them to the dogs we realized they had squeakers in them. The only thing my dogs love more than tennis balls is tearing the squeakers out of toys, so now every tennis ball they get is instantly torn to shreds because they are looking for squeakers! Oh well.

I'm sorry, it's probably not funny but it made me laugh. Silly dogs! It reminds me of our vet when we first got our dog. The first thing DH did was tie an old sock in a knot to use to play tug of war with her. The vet said the only reason to use an old sock as a toy for your dog is if you want your dog chewing up all of your new socks. Needless to say, I didn't let him use any of our clothes as dog toys after that.

Going to a movie in DTD is also a tradition for us so don't feel weird! We love that theater too. And it's just a nice break. We go to the movies at home at least every other weekend so we enjoy it there too. I've been dying to see all of the new snack options they have. I've read something about a drink station where they have all sorts of flavor add-ins. And how you can get popcorn or ice cream with mix-ins. (link here: disneyfoodblog) It looks so cool!

Thanks for the link. That was a nice description. I like what she said about having it available for non movie-goers. That would be a cool snack shop next to the theater.

We went to the podium to check in and were taken to our table immediately. I was instantly impressed with the atmosphere. It was dark, subdued, quiet, and comfortable. I felt uncomfortable because we were so under-dressed, but no one said anything. Once we were at our table I looked around and noticed everyone was dressed like we were so I didn’t feel bad. I guess it’s okay at Disney!

So glad you felt comfortable after looking at other people's clothing. I was thinking when we eat at Jiko we would dress in khaki's and polos or something. It's a pool afternoon before dinner anyway. However I just looked back over our DxDP papers and the only stipulation on Signature dining is, "Dress Code for Signature Restaurants is Resort Casual. Not permitted in dining room: Tank tops, swimsuits or swimsuit cover-ups, hats for gentlemen, cut-offs, or torn clothing of any kind." I guess as long as we don't come straight from the pool.

When he came back with our drinks our waiter brought us some bread and butter with black sea salt.

How was the black sea salt?

We both ordered our appetizers and enjoyed some quiet conversation while we waited for it to arrive. John went with the kettle-steamed Penn Cove mussels and I got the selection of artisanal cheeses. Before we know it our waiter came back with our appetizers!

I always love your appetizer choices. I love cheese!

We finished our amazing meal and sat for a little while enjoying our drinks and talking. We could have sat there in that cozy restaurant all night, but we had other places to be so we left a big tip for our awesome waiter and said goodbye to Artist Point!

Yet another wonderful restaurant review. Can't wait to eat there someday. Maybe when the kids are old enough to wonder around Disney without us. Victoria and Albert's is at the top of that list though.

 

[Parla]

I feel really weird reliving your last trip while you're on your current trip.

 

[Parla]

I can't wait to go on our Haunted Carriage Ride in October!

You must have been very sick when you bought this. I would have eaten it much sooner.

Up next we have, "Oh you changed to the Sepia setting. How nice."

I never even thought of trying this until I posted on my PTR asking what people's favorite WDW foods were. The description was just too much for my taste buds to handle. I had to work a trip to Kona into our itinerary.

After we left there we headed to one of my favorite stops: the pin store! It looks like Donald and Daisy were ready to trade!

I thought they looked ready to fight!

Now, I'm not sure if you guys remember me mentioning that I am an avid pin collector, but let me just say I could honestly spend $1,000 in this place with no problems. I love all of the pins so much, and it's always so hard for me to pick a few! John is really patient with my pin trading addiction and he loves helping me pick some out, so we spent about half an hour going through and finding the goodies that I wanted.

Alright Ms. Pin Trader. Here's a question for you. I don't know the etiquette. I bought the kids a lanyard and a few pins on our first trip. They really only traded the doubles that they got with the lanyard. Then I thought about buying pins on ebay because I heard you could get them cheap and then trade them. I ended up buying some Disneyland Halloween pins. Three of them. One was broken when I got it. Basically though we have two good Disneyland Halloween pins from 2005. Would I be able to trade those with a CM at WDW?

I also got this limited edition Then and Now pin. It is a rotating pin that has a former WDW ride on one side and the ride that took its place on the other. This one has Extraterrorestrial Alien Encounter on one side and Stitch's Great Escape on the other.

I like that one best. Although I can't stand the Stitch attraction and never did the Alien thing.

 

[Parla]

This was one of my favorite moments of the entire trip, because John was so completely in awe of this resort. He spent at least twenty minutes wandering around with his mouth hanging open. He loved it! It was so nice seeing him so happy!

Just finished catching up. Would make more comments but I need to leave for work. So glad you got to go to AKL and that you plan on staying there (now!). If we could afford DVC it would definitely be our home resort. We'll just settle for staying there a couple more times before the kids grow up.

 

[RachelNinja]

Wow, I fell really far behind! I've just gotten so into crafting things that I've been reading those blogs and message boards instead of DIS! Catching up!

Haha, I'm very into the "walking with purpose" thing. When we had to make it to Canada for our Le Cellier ADR, I felt like I was walking with purpose (as was Howard) but the other 3 weren't! I guess they didn't realize it! The funny thing is, we weren't late at all. I just freak out about these things!

Yum, the Sci-Fi Dine-In food sounds so good! I've been really craving onion rings lately, probably because there really isn't a good place to get them here that I know of. And I <3 blue cheese so your salad just sounds delicious too! It goes so well with steak.

GROSS to the kid who sneezed in your face!!! I can't even imagine how upsetting that was because I had a kindergarten talking to me who sprayed spit on my arm near my elbow as I was helping him with his computer. I was so grossed out that I just wanted to Purell right away (I can't leave the room because they're little kiddies), and I wanted to shower the second I got home. And that wasn't even as bad because (1) I've known the kid for the past 2 years, (2) he was a little kid who didn't do it on purpose and probably didn't even know it had happened, and (3) it was on my arm. UGH, I feel your pain, Joni. I know that must've been so horrific for you!

Ooo, how fun to get the special from Prime Time! I think that'd be a good choice to have a bit of everything! I always get afraid I'll become bored eating the same thing (hence the need for sides!).

Love the interaction with Woody! He looks like he's completely in love with you, and you look like you're completely in love with him too!

Awww, the SD card is probably one of the more romantic gifts you could possibly get! I think those gifts are so sweet! I wonder why you ran out of room though. Did you take video? When I do that, it eats up my memory.

I don't think you're weird at all for thinking Spaceship Earth is a little creepy! Once you're at that top room and you turn around and see the shape of the ball, it makes me wonder, "Uhh, how thick are those panels? Is it going to break under this pressure?!?" Haha, I know it's well-planned and all that, but I do get a little worried when I see it!

As wonderful as Disney is with crowd control, I agree withyou that the area where Living with the Land and Soarin' are is just a madhouse! There's no way to get from one to the other without encountering crowds! And those escalators are just smack dab in the middle of it all with more people entering the scene!

I love that you got a huge French baguette from Les Chefs de France! To me, those two things are synonymous because of Beauty and the Beast ... "Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!" I don't know that I'd be that adventurous for the food there either. I'm very satisifed with CS stuff, so Les Chefs de France will probably be at the end of my list of restaurants to try. Thanks for your honest review!

It's pretty cool that Jon was able to have had the experience of actually seeing the rugs in Iraq although, like you said, there's no need to go back! I like knowing that all the things in World Showcase are authentic.

Ahhhhhhhhh, I love that John got the Pick a Pearl experience on video!!! (Wow, the Japanese way of saying 3, 2, 1 is very similar to Chinese!) I had difficulty understanding everything the girl was saying, but I liked hearing YOUR voice! It's very different seeing pics of someone and seeing video. Haha, I hope I don't sound stalker-y.

I do think you get to pick another if it doesn't have a pearl. I told my cousins to pick the hairiest ones, but I wasn't there when they actually did it. That's when we split up on our Epcot day because Howard and I wanted to do more rides, and they wanted to explore World Showcase and buy stuff! Haha, they bought a lot. Anyway, that reminds me that I should get back to my TR ...

I like your reponse to the nasty PP lady when you said that you wanted John to do whatever he wanted to do!

Boo to your feeling sick! I'm afraid for that to happen on my Disneymoon because I'm so used to having a car and just hopping it and leaving. That comforts me. Although I guess we can just take a cab. I hope you feel better quickly so you can enjoy the rest of your trip!!! I do think it was a smart decision to head back though. You needed your rest!

I enjoyed reading about your Harry Potter stuff! One day I'll go there to check it out, but it might be YEARS down the road. I'm not into thrill rides, so it really wouldn't be worth it to go, but I am curious to see it! I still haven't made it through all the movies, and I haven't read any of the books yet even though I really want to!

The All American is my favorite too! However, we went to Earl the day before we took our Amtrak ride back home so that we could have sandwiches to eat on the train instead of having to buy food (it's expensive!). The All American didn't last very well as a leftover sandwich. I was disappointed in that. It can ONLY be eaten fresh, in my opinion. It ruined it a little for me! The Italian one REALLY did well though! It tasted so yummy as a leftover sandwich! (We asked for all the sauces on the side.)

Ooo, that blue cheese on your plate from Artist Point looks absolutely delish! The moldier the better, in my opinion! Haha, Howard can't stand moldy cheese, and I have to make sure I eat something else after blue cheese so that it's not on my breath! I'm so glad you had a great meal there to hopefully make up for not having Le Cellier!

WOW, I can't imagine staying at WDW for that long! That must be pretty awesome just being able to enjoy being on Disney property and not feeling rushed to see everything! Talk about getting use out of annual passes!

My cousin got a caramel apple from Goofy's Candy Co that we all got to taste. It was so so so good! I can't imagine how much better the one you had was! Especially because it was from the store specializing in caramel!

I love how it's possible to spend an entire day at DTD! And whoa, I didn't think it was possible to see such a fight at Disney either! That's why kids are the way they are! No role models in their parents sometimes. Sad state of affairs.

Ahhhhhh, FINALLY caught up! Can't believe I fell that far behind! (This was in 2 days too ... I commented on the first part and saved it and just finished right now!)

 

[DisneyFanDC]

I hope you two are thoroughly enjoying your trip right now! I will look forward to reading all about it when you get home. We are going for the first time in June next year (we have visited ever other season BUT summer before), and I will be anxious to hear about your experience.

 

[heathsf]

Hi, I've been on your June TR thread but decided to read about your December trip as well! I'm all caught up now and I hope you're still planning to finish this one! I want to know what WDW is like on NYE!

 

[JessicaFaye508]

Hello I had a question....
I want to book a Wishes Dessert party for the same day this year that you went last year... do you remember what day you were able to make the reservation?

 

[therussells08]

Wow, I fell really far behind! I've just gotten so into crafting things that I've been reading those blogs and message boards instead of DIS! Catching up!

Haha, I'm very into the "walking with purpose" thing. When we had to make it to Canada for our Le Cellier ADR, I felt like I was walking with purpose (as was Howard) but the other 3 weren't! I guess they didn't realize it! The funny thing is, we weren't late at all. I just freak out about these things!

Yum, the Sci-Fi Dine-In food sounds so good! I've been really craving onion rings lately, probably because there really isn't a good place to get them here that I know of. And I <3 blue cheese so your salad just sounds delicious too! It goes so well with steak.

GROSS to the kid who sneezed in your face!!! I can't even imagine how upsetting that was because I had a kindergarten talking to me who sprayed spit on my arm near my elbow as I was helping him with his computer. I was so grossed out that I just wanted to Purell right away (I can't leave the room because they're little kiddies), and I wanted to shower the second I got home. And that wasn't even as bad because (1) I've known the kid for the past 2 years, (2) he was a little kid who didn't do it on purpose and probably didn't even know it had happened, and (3) it was on my arm. UGH, I feel your pain, Joni. I know that must've been so horrific for you!

Ooo, how fun to get the special from Prime Time! I think that'd be a good choice to have a bit of everything! I always get afraid I'll become bored eating the same thing (hence the need for sides!).

Love the interaction with Woody! He looks like he's completely in love with you, and you look like you're completely in love with him too!

Awww, the SD card is probably one of the more romantic gifts you could possibly get! I think those gifts are so sweet! I wonder why you ran out of room though. Did you take video? When I do that, it eats up my memory.

I don't think you're weird at all for thinking Spaceship Earth is a little creepy! Once you're at that top room and you turn around and see the shape of the ball, it makes me wonder, "Uhh, how thick are those panels? Is it going to break under this pressure?!?" Haha, I know it's well-planned and all that, but I do get a little worried when I see it!

As wonderful as Disney is with crowd control, I agree withyou that the area where Living with the Land and Soarin' are is just a madhouse! There's no way to get from one to the other without encountering crowds! And those escalators are just smack dab in the middle of it all with more people entering the scene!

I love that you got a huge French baguette from Les Chefs de France! To me, those two things are synonymous because of Beauty and the Beast ... "Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!" I don't know that I'd be that adventurous for the food there either. I'm very satisifed with CS stuff, so Les Chefs de France will probably be at the end of my list of restaurants to try. Thanks for your honest review!

It's pretty cool that Jon was able to have had the experience of actually seeing the rugs in Iraq although, like you said, there's no need to go back! I like knowing that all the things in World Showcase are authentic.

Ahhhhhhhhh, I love that John got the Pick a Pearl experience on video!!! (Wow, the Japanese way of saying 3, 2, 1 is very similar to Chinese!) I had difficulty understanding everything the girl was saying, but I liked hearing YOUR voice! It's very different seeing pics of someone and seeing video. Haha, I hope I don't sound stalker-y.

I do think you get to pick another if it doesn't have a pearl. I told my cousins to pick the hairiest ones, but I wasn't there when they actually did it. That's when we split up on our Epcot day because Howard and I wanted to do more rides, and they wanted to explore World Showcase and buy stuff! Haha, they bought a lot. Anyway, that reminds me that I should get back to my TR ...

I like your reponse to the nasty PP lady when you said that you wanted John to do whatever he wanted to do!

Boo to your feeling sick! I'm afraid for that to happen on my Disneymoon because I'm so used to having a car and just hopping it and leaving. That comforts me. Although I guess we can just take a cab. I hope you feel better quickly so you can enjoy the rest of your trip!!! I do think it was a smart decision to head back though. You needed your rest!

I enjoyed reading about your Harry Potter stuff! One day I'll go there to check it out, but it might be YEARS down the road. I'm not into thrill rides, so it really wouldn't be worth it to go, but I am curious to see it! I still haven't made it through all the movies, and I haven't read any of the books yet even though I really want to!

The All American is my favorite too! However, we went to Earl the day before we took our Amtrak ride back home so that we could have sandwiches to eat on the train instead of having to buy food (it's expensive!). The All American didn't last very well as a leftover sandwich. I was disappointed in that. It can ONLY be eaten fresh, in my opinion. It ruined it a little for me! The Italian one REALLY did well though! It tasted so yummy as a leftover sandwich! (We asked for all the sauces on the side.)

Ooo, that blue cheese on your plate from Artist Point looks absolutely delish! The moldier the better, in my opinion! Haha, Howard can't stand moldy cheese, and I have to make sure I eat something else after blue cheese so that it's not on my breath! I'm so glad you had a great meal there to hopefully make up for not having Le Cellier!

WOW, I can't imagine staying at WDW for that long! That must be pretty awesome just being able to enjoy being on Disney property and not feeling rushed to see everything! Talk about getting use out of annual passes!

My cousin got a caramel apple from Goofy's Candy Co that we all got to taste. It was so so so good! I can't imagine how much better the one you had was! Especially because it was from the store specializing in caramel!

I love how it's possible to spend an entire day at DTD! And whoa, I didn't think it was possible to see such a fight at Disney either! That's why kids are the way they are! No role models in their parents sometimes. Sad state of affairs.

Ahhhhhh, FINALLY caught up! Can't believe I fell that far behind! (This was in 2 days too ... I commented on the first part and saved it and just finished right now!)

Don't feel bad for falling behind, I think I fell behind even worse!

I love walking with purpose! It's way less aggressive than power walking, but it still gets the job done!

The food at Sci Fi is soooo good, but it's also SO bad for you! I am addicted!

Ugh, it's been almost a year and that kid sneezing on me still makes my skin crawl!

Awww I love Woody! He's still my secret boyfriend!

I'm not sure why my SD card filled up so quickly, but that was really sweet!

Oh my gosh I love that part of Beauty and the Beast! That's just the best movie!

Those crowds were SO bad. I really feel like they need to work out a better system for that place!

That doesn't sound stalker-y at all! I was the exact same way when I watched the video you made of Howard opening his first Vinylmation! It was so cool hearing what you talk like!

I hope you are not sick at all on your honeymoon! That would be a real bummer! I will keep my fingers crossed that you will be in your best health!

You're so right, the All American from EoS is not a good leftover sandwich. I learned this at the end of this trip. You'll see why later...

John hates moldy cheese too! He can't stand to be around it. He calls it the "stinky cheese"!

I couldn't believe those ladies at DTD either. There was very little class on display that day for their children.

Thank you SO SO much for putting so much effort into your comments. Sorry it took me five months to write back!

I hope you two are thoroughly enjoying your trip right now! I will look forward to reading all about it when you get home. We are going for the first time in June next year (we have visited ever other season BUT summer before), and I will be anxious to hear about your experience.

Even though you wrote this months ago I just wanted to tell you we had a blast! Thanks so much!

Hi, I've been on your June TR thread but decided to read about your December trip as well! I'm all caught up now and I hope you're still planning to finish this one! I want to know what WDW is like on NYE!

Sorry for taking so long to update both of those TRs, but especially this one! I hope you're still holding on!

Hello I had a question....
I want to book a Wishes Dessert party for the same day this year that you went last year... do you remember what day you were able to make the reservation?

Wow Jess I am so sorry because I never answered this question. Not that it would be much help now, but I think I booked it like a month out. It was kind of a last minute decision!

 

[therussells08]

Long ago, in a galaxy far far away, I started this trip report... Wow, has it really been over five months since I updated this poor TR?! I feel so bad, but I am determined to finish this baby! I hope that I still have some readers out there, and that you still want to hear about the last day of our wonderful trip that happened almost a year ago!

When I left off, we were getting ready to begin our last full day at Disney World. It just so happens that this day was also New Years Eve! While planning this trip I had been, of course, glued to the DIS trying to get helpful information about managing crowds. One thing I read consistently was that on New Year's Eve Animal Kingdom was the least crowded park because there were no real celebrations going on. Pretty much everyone who had done the Christmas week in Disney said that all the visitors would be busy packing themselves into Magic Kingdom and Epcot, so AK was a pretty safe bet. John and I discussed this before our trip and while we recognized it meant giving up some pretty awesome fireworks, we wanted to try to avoid the crowd and hit up AK.

Just to be on the safe side we arrived at Animal Kingdom around 7:00 that morning. There were EMHs going on, so we figured arriving as early as possible would be our best chance to avoid crowds. I was still really anxious because I had a mental image of the park being packed.

As soon as we parked our car I realized that I was worrying for no reason. Why's that, you ask? Is it because we got a really great parking spot? Well, I guess you could say that. Since they had us park not in the closest lot, but IN THE GRASS in front of the park! No kidding, we were parked on the grass in a spot where even my weakling arm could have chucked a rock and hit the main entrance sign.

Here's photographic proof:

Okay maybe I'm exaggerating when I say I could throw a rock and hit the entrance, but it was still pretty stinkin' close.

Anyway, we were super excited about our proximity and the fact that it was actually WARM! Finally I felt like I was in Florida. It was only 7am and already it was at least 60 degrees. After the frigid week we had endured it felt like a tropical climate!

As we approached the entrance to the park I had to stop and admire the beautiful Christmas tree...

...and this lovely sign. I love the entrance sign to AK so much, especially when it has Christmas lights on it!

We just barely missed rope drop, but it didn't matter because the park was literally dead. They probably didn't even do rope drop that morning because there was no one there to watch. It's like that whole thing about if a tree falls in the woods but nobody is there, does it make a sound? If a park opens in Disney and there's nobody there, do they have a rope drop celebration? The world may never know.

Hellooooo, baby!

I got so excited when I saw the Tree of Life, and I figured since the park was a ghost town we had time for a few PhotoPass pictures!

After my photo needs were satisfied we began our mission: to ride as many rides as possible before our 9am Tusker House ADR.

Well folks, that mission was a raging success. First we ran over and got FPs for Kilimanjaro Safaris. Then we went to Expedition Everest...

See? Totally empty.

We managed to walk onto this baby three times without having to wait AT ALL! Awww yeah!

After that we went to one of John's personal favorites, Dinosaur!

Once again it was another walk on! We couldn't believe our luck! We decided to really test it out and try Expedition Everest one more time!

You guys, we walked on again. Forgive my nerdy excitement, but this has never happened to me. Animal Kingdom on New Year's Eve = best thing ever.

This time I even moseyed around and took pictures. Okay, I know, now I was just being cocky.

After our fourth trip to Everest it was barely 8'o clock. It was time to use our Kilimanjaro Safari FPs, so we started that way.

Up Next: What else will we accomplish before breakfast? Plus, we have the best character interaction of the whole trip with some unexpected jokesters! Stay tuned!

 

[Nermel9]

OMG an update!!! Yayyyyy!!!

Great idea, going to Animal Kingdom on New Year's Eve, I can't believe how empty it was! EE four times before 8:00? Amazing!

I really love seeing your pictures with the Christmas decorations, I wish I was there right now!!!

 

[stephielela]

Wow, that's like having a private morning in the parks! Amazing!!!

 

[Tracy161]

Yay! An update!!! I cannot believe how empty the park was!!! Yay for you guys!!!

 

[TanzUnited99]

Yay, an update!!

Wow at getting such an awesome parking spot...seems like you made a good call going to AK. It looks empty!!

Love the Christmas touches and the PP pics.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

So glad to see an update! I had been wondering about how the rest of your trip turned out!

It looks like you made an excellent choice in going to AK on NYE! If we ever do that time of year I think we will have to do that as well. I can't believe how many times you were able to just walk on EE! Miguel would be in heaven!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

I completely forgot you never finished this trip report. Glad you didn't and are finishing it now. I can't believe how empty AK was on NYE. Can't wait to hear how the rest of your day went.

 

[JessicaFaye508]

I'M STILL HERE JONI!!! I hope you finish it because I love this TR (even though i don't really remember where we left off. I'm sure as I read it'll come back to me LOL)
YAY great parking spot! Congrats! That's why it's worth getting up early!
YAY for warmth! I am so nervous about my trip... I have no idea what to expect weather wise! I have about 50 different outfits picked out (already. yeah i'm insane). I just want to know!!!
Aww I like the christmas lights on the AK sign. They're so pretty
Very good point about the rope drop celebration. Who knows, really? But yay for no crowds!
I like John's Space Mountain shirt! That's really cool!
WOW all of those rides in that amount of time?!!? Holy cow that's AWESOME
Yay thank you SO MUCH for updating!! I can't wait for the next one! It's so good to have you back!

 

[therussells08]

OMG an update!!! Yayyyyy!!!

Great idea, going to Animal Kingdom on New Year's Eve, I can't believe how empty it was! EE four times before 8:00? Amazing!

I really love seeing your pictures with the Christmas decorations, I wish I was there right now!!!

Thanks for the warm welcome back! I'm so happy to be updating again!

I couldn't believe how empty it was either! That was definitely the right choice!

I know, seeing those Christmas decorations makes me wish I was back too!

Wow, that's like having a private morning in the parks! Amazing!!!

It was so great! Needless to say, we loved it!

Yay! An update!!! I cannot believe how empty the park was!!! Yay for you guys!!!

Thanks! We were so excited to have the place to ourselves!

Yay, an update!!

Wow at getting such an awesome parking spot...seems like you made a good call going to AK. It looks empty!!

Love the Christmas touches and the PP pics.

It was so cool parking that close! We couldn't believe it!

Those Christmas decorations were so beautiful! I miss them!

So glad to see an update! I had been wondering about how the rest of your trip turned out!

It looks like you made an excellent choice in going to AK on NYE! If we ever do that time of year I think we will have to do that as well. I can't believe how many times you were able to just walk on EE! Miguel would be in heaven!

Thank you! I'm so happy to be updating again! I had to get the mods to move it out of the "completed TR" section because I hadn't been on in so long!

I would definitely recommend doing AK on NYE. It was SOO nice having the park basically to ourselves! If you don't mind giving up the fireworks I would say this is the best choice!

I completely forgot you never finished this trip report. Glad you didn't and are finishing it now. I can't believe how empty AK was on NYE. Can't wait to hear how the rest of your day went.

I'm glad you're still reading along! Thanks for hanging in there with me!

I'M STILL HERE JONI!!! I hope you finish it because I love this TR (even though i don't really remember where we left off. I'm sure as I read it'll come back to me LOL)
YAY great parking spot! Congrats! That's why it's worth getting up early!
YAY for warmth! I am so nervous about my trip... I have no idea what to expect weather wise! I have about 50 different outfits picked out (already. yeah i'm insane). I just want to know!!!
Aww I like the christmas lights on the AK sign. They're so pretty
Very good point about the rope drop celebration. Who knows, really? But yay for no crowds!
I like John's Space Mountain shirt! That's really cool!
WOW all of those rides in that amount of time?!!? Holy cow that's AWESOME
Yay thank you SO MUCH for updating!! I can't wait for the next one! It's so good to have you back!

Thanks Jess! I'm so glad you're still reading! I PROMISE I will finish this TR! I am actually going to pretty much focus on this one until I finish (hopefully in the next week) and then I'm going to get back to my June TR.

You're right, that totally made it worth getting up early! Sometimes I really struggle with getting up early at Disney because I'm SO tired from the parks but I was glad I did this day!

It was such a relief finally being warm! I think you are making a wise choice by packing a variety of outfits. I would say most importantly make sure you bring a warm hat and gloves, because the wind last year was torture on my ears and hands, especially if we rode and outdoor ride!

Thanks, I love that shirt too. I was so happy on this day because he FINALLY wore something other than that awful skull hoodie! I don't care what it takes next time we go, he is NOT taking that ugly thing!

Thank you so much for the warm welcome back! It means so much to me! I really missed you guys!