The Morocco pavilion is GORGEOUS.
I love exploring WS. It's my mom's favorite thing to do, so we always spend a lot of time there. I love it!
I love your pick a pearl video! I didn't know there was so much to it - I just thought you picked your oyster, they opened it up, and that was it!
Oh no! I hate to hear that the cold was catching up to you! I hope your plans were only messed up momentarily!
I love the pictures from Morocco! I can't wait to explore the country myself. Lol at John humming the Aladdin tune!
Them rugs look lovely. I hope you manage to get one without DH going back to Iraq.
Yay on picking a pearl! The video looks great and I love the Mickey and Minnie t shirt!
Oh no - am sorry to hear that you started feeling really bad. Hope it didn't impact on your trip plans in a great way
Morocco is one of my favorite pavilions in the WS. It's so pretty.
I loved your pick-a-pearl video! It looked like such a neat experience. The pearl ladies are always so hyper and outgoing.
Ick! Sorry to see that your cold was getting worse! I hope it didn't mess up plans!!! Of ALL places to get sick... why did it have to be Disney?!?!?!!?
I love Morocco too, it's now one of my favorite areas in WS after we spent so much time there in November! I'd like to see it during the day, so I can imagine I stepped into Aladdin too!
I love your Pick a Pearl video! Your southern accent is so cute!
Ugh, I'm sorry you got so sick, being sick in Disney is NO fun! I'm pretty sure I know what plans got messed up, I think I remember you texting me and me being so surprised!
Yay! I have been so excited about doing this update, because it's one of my favorite memories from the trip!
After our filling dinner of comfort foods from 50's Prime Time Cafe John and I were both more than ready to go back to POP for a good night's sleep. It was still freezing cold, we were exhausted, and my head cold was getting worse and worse. I had a hot bathtub and some Nyquil in our cozy hotel room calling my name, but I just wasn't satisfied.
I told y'all earlier in this TR that I was on a mission to get as many PhotoPass pictures as possible. I just couldn't bring myself to go back to the room without getting a few more!
John and I have met a lot of characters at Disney, but some we have never met are those from Toy Story. The Toy Story movies are some of our absolute favorites, so I'm not sure why we've never met them. Well, on this night I just so happened to be wearing my super cute Toy Story shirt, so I asked John if we could please please pleeeease go meet whoever was available across from TSM before we went back to our room.
Being the fabulous husband that he is, he agreed without arguing and we walked over to see who we could meet. We peeked in the window and saw Buzz and Woody together and I got really excited. The line was all the way out the door of the meet and greet building (I think it's called Pixar Place) but I didn't care. I was going to get some pictures in my Toy Story shirt!
As soon as we got in line a CM walked up and told us that Buzz was about to leave and we would only be meeting Woody. Fine. We didn't care. I like Woody better than Buzz anyway!
The line in this building twisted and turned through different scenes from Toy Story, and we had to listen to a whole lot of sleepy kids whining and fussing, but about twenty five minutes later it was our turn to meet Woody!
I wasn't expecting much from this interaction. Mickey Mouse had been kind of a let down earlier in the day, so I just wanted to get my pictures and jet. Boy was I surprised!
As soon as Woody saw us he instantly spotted my shirt. He pointed at it, got really excited, and gave me a huge hug!
John loves to meet the characters too, so he came over to say hi. When Woody saw him he started pointing at his skull hoodie then back at my shirt, as if to say, "Where's your Toy Story shirt?" John just laughed and shrugged his shoulders, so Woody playfully pushed him away and started fawning over me again.
This picture is hilarious, because this was John's reaction. He was standing off to the side and cracking up. Woody was completely ignoring him!
Everytime John would come back over to get in the picture Woody would push him away again. We were all cracking up, even the CM taking the photos. Woody just kept giving me the star treatment!
Finally after about five minutes of playing around Woody let John get in the picture!
However, he couldn't resist messing with John one more time! Check out the bunny ears in this picture!
This was honestly the best character interaction we have ever had! We gave Woody big hugs and thanked him and headed back to our resort with happy hearts. I kept joking around with John (his Army buddies call him John Wayne) telling him that there was a new cowboy in my life! John was cracking up, and saying he'd have to keep a close eye on me around Woody from now on!
Up Next: The day isn't quite over yet! A few more surprises are coming my way!
I cant remember what time we woke up the next morning, but Im going to take a guess and say the butt crack of dawn. As soon as I got out of the bed I realized that my cold had finally won; I felt terrible. I popped some Dayquil and tried to brush it off. I left the room actually feeling pretty good. I dont think the bubonic plaque could stop me from at least trying to have a good time at Disney!
We went to the parking lot, defrosted the car headache, and headed to Epcot!
I know we got there before opening because the lot was really empty. We parked in the Imagine lot and walked to the entrance. The place was so empty that the trams werent even running yet, so it was a pretty short walk.
Merry Christmas you big beautiful golf ball! (Now say that in the George Bailey voice from Its a Wonderful Life!) John has always called Spaceship Earth the golf ball, so it stuck with me too!
We made it through the bag check in record time, and I had to take one more picture of the Epcot symbol in all its glory!
We decided to use the same strategy as the day before, so John walked with purpose to get Fast Passes for Soarin while I warmed up in Mouse Gears. It was really weird being in there so early because I think I was literally the only person in the store! I would have taken some fun merchandise pictures but I didnt want to uncover my freezing cold fingers!
John called me within just a few minutes to tell me he had the Fast Passes and we decided to meet up at Test Track. I left Mouse Gears through some random exit that just so happened to come out almost right next to Test Track. As I was walking along this pretty path I couldnt help notice again how stinking empty the place was!
Unfortunately my good mood was shattered when John and I met up and realized that Test Track was closed! Plus, we couldnt get Fast Passes because we had just gotten them for Soarin! We asked a CM standing nearby when the ride would open back up and he said they werent sure. GRRR!
Refusing to let this get us down, we decided to take a trip to Mars!
Mission: Space is one of Johns absolute favorite rides, but Im not too crazy about it. Honestly, it kind of freaks me out the way it compresses your chest when youre taking off. I always feel like I cant breathe. The last time I rode it I actually had a panic attack that took awhile to get over, so I was hesitant to ride it this time. However, my desire to see Gary Sinise took over and I decided to ride the Green side while John went on the Orange side.
I rode with three really nice girls, but I cant for the life of me remember what my job was. The Green side was way less intense though, so I avoided a panic attack and I got to see Gary Sinise!
Even though I rode the Green side John still finished before me and he was waiting when I exited the ride.
We decided to give Test Track another shot, but it was still a no go, and Fast Passes were disappearing with lightning speed!
We figured while we were in the area we might as well ride Spaceship Earth!
This was one of the rides that we didnt try for the first time until our 5th or 6th trip. Its another one that John loves and Im not too crazy about. I really enjoy the personalized part where you imagine your future, but the ride itself kind of gives me the creeps. Im not sure why, but something about being able to see those triangle things that are on the golf ball from the inside freaks me out! Maybe its because you can really tell how huge they are. I dunno, Im weird!
I wish I had taken pictures of our future, but I totally forgot! Im sorry!
After riding in the golf ball we tried Test Track one more time. Nope. Fast Passes were already for in the late evening at this point too. Double GRRR!
Next we decided to mosey on over to The Seas and see if we could find Nemo!
Theres something about the queue for this ride that I just adore. I think its all the fake sand. I really feel like I am at the beach!
We hopped in our clam and guess what! We found Nemo! Sorry if I spoiled the ending for anyone who hasnt ridden it!
After our undersea adventure we hung around to check out a few more of our underwater friends!
I love manatees! Theyre just big grey lumps, but still so cute! I took a video of these guys, but it was pretty much just them eating lettuce, so I didnt figure it would be a must see for everyone!
As we were wandering around The Seas John took a picture of that giant Bruce to text to his friend Gilman. Gilman has a horrible fear of sharks, so of course John had to be a good friend and try to terrify him with that picture! Boys.
UGH! Eels are so creepy! I think that eels are my least favorite animal, next to three toed sloths. However, I do like to eat them on dragon rolls!
NEMO! I tried to get a picture of Dory too, but she kept forgetting to stop and pose!
We hung around a little bit longer because I really wanted to see the bottlenose dolphins and sea turtles, but I couldnt get a good view of either.
After a few minutes I gave up and we decided to move onto our next stop!
Up Next: Someone tries to get fresh with me in the Land! Stay tuned!
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!
I always love to visit Morocco because it is just so beautiful. I always feel like I have stepped out of reality and straight into the movie Aladdin!
We wandered around a little bit admiring all of the beautiful colors while John hummed his favorite Aladdin tune and the namesake to my TR!
We stopped in a gift shop to admire the beautiful merchandise. We spent a while looking at the gorgeous rugs.
John told me that when he was stationed in Iraq there was rugs like these for sale everywhere and they were really cheap. I would love to have a rug like this in my home someday, but if it means he has to go back to Iraq to get it I say NO THANK YOU!
I tried to get a picture of the Morocco holiday traditions plaque but it was too crowded to get a good one because the speaker was about to come out.
A man came out just a few minutes later and started talking about Muslim traditions. We listened for a few minutes then moved on.
After Morocco we headed to my second favorite part of the WS after France Japan!
I immediately spotted the Japan Christmas plaque along with a really adorable lady talking to the crowd about Japanese traditions.
It was really interesting, but like in France and Morocco we only listened for a few minutes before moving on.
We wandered around Japan a little, but I only ended up taking one other picture.
I only took one other picture because I had something else on my mind, something I had never tried before: Pick-a-Pearl! I had gone through all of my past Disney trips never even knowing about Pick-a-Pearl until I read the other Jonis (shelbys_mommy) TR. Once I saw it I knew I had to try it!
We got to the PAP area and watched a few people getting their pearls. It took me a minute to realize you had to sign up and get a number. I got my number and waited anxiously while the people in front of me got their pearls. I was really hoping to get twin pearls like shelbys_mommy got on her trip!
I think there was only two people in front of me, so I didnt have to wait very long. When it was my turn John video taped the entire thing!
My Pick-a-Pearl Experience!
It was really fun to do, even though I was a little nervous because so many people were watching me! I didn't get twins, but I did get a beautiful 7mm pearl! I considered buying a setting for it but I didnt see anything I liked so I decided to just take my pearl home with me and buy a setting later.
I wonder, does every oyster have a pearl in it, or do they just assume they all have them? What if they don't? Do you get to pick another?
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 wasnt feeling well at all.
We decided to move out of Japan and into the next country. On our way out I saw some people playing these big drums and I snapped a quick picture!
Up Next: My cold finally gets the best of me! Which plans did it really mess up? Stay tuned to find out!
I took one year of Spanish in high school (couldn't handle two) Over the years, I've had several friends that spoke and attempted to teach me the language. Now with my boyfriend being Puerto Rican, I've picked up a tad bit more.
When I'm in Morocco, I think of that song from the beginning (and now it's in my head)
Love the shirt you're wearing (sorry to hear that you started to feel bad but you don't look horrible)
Since you were feeling that sick, I think you decided to skip the ADRs or go to the hotel, rest up and come back later.
Ok, I was on a DIS break, so I am way behind, but this had me sobbing!!! And then the pics of John being left out literally had me laughing out loud! Not April yet?
Butt Crack of Dawn had me dying laughing cause I say the same thing.
Your reference to "It's a Wonderful Life" had me sobbing. That was my mom's & now my favorite Christmas movie, and Wednesday was her angelversary...and well...I'm still emotional. Off to finish reading. I just had to comment on that one
AWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!! You mention me!!! I'm sorry you didn't get twins & even more sorry that you wasn't feel all that good!!!!!
Ugh, that PP photographer sounds like...well, not a DIS appropriate word, so I'll let you figure it out! I don't know why some of them get so snotty, I'm sure it's a pain to take pictures all day, but uh, hello, it's your job and you work in DISNEY WORLD!!! I'd trade places with you people in a second!
Sorry, mini rant over! I'm so glad you tried Karamell Kuche! Doesn't it smell so amazing in there? I really have to try that caramel popcorn next time!
I love seeing all the Christmas traditions for each country, they don't have all of that set up in November yet, so I always miss it! Your TR is making me sad that I'm not going for Christmas again!
Can't wait to see what you did next!
Them dolls sure look pretty!
Eek at that PP photographer - sounds like a horrible experience and def not one you want when you are not feeling well.
Yay on getting the fountain pic with no photo bombers!
Love the chocolate covered straweberry - can't wait to try one.
Wow at the price of the castle! I'm also thinking that you cancelled Le Cellier due to your cold getting the better of you.
Ahhhh! I am 3 posts behind. How in the world did that happen??
Hmmmm, let me see if I remember what I wanted to say:
1) I felt the same way about Les Chefs overall. I will say their lobster bisque was to.die.for!!! I also got the goat cheese pizza thing (whatever it's called, it's on the appetizer menu) and it was okay. My DH got the sandwich you had and I thought that I would probably get that if we ever decide to go back. I can't imagine going for dinner though. And I also wasn't wowed by their dessert selection. This was one we paid OOP for so we skipped that.
2) I also did the Pick a Pearl in Japan last May! I ended up with twins and had them made into a gorgeous ring. Such a cool experience! And I think they do have a way of making sure there's always a pearl inside. I've either read it or heard it on a podcast, can't remember exactly though.
3) Boo to the photopass girl! What a you-know-what. Maybe the way she talked to your DH is telling of how she treats her SO, ya know? Feel bad for them...
4) Oh no (about how you're feeling)!!!! Being sick is terrible, period. But feeling that bad on vacation...in Disney...hours before an ADR at Le Cellier?!?!?! I think I would have gone back to the resort to rest and then came back out for dinner. I hope you don't regret whatever you did!
I'm so sorry about that PP photographer! She sounds like a real nasty one.
The Christmas decor in the little town in Germany is too cute!
Sheesh, I could buy like 4 DVC contracts for the $$ for that one Castle!
Karamell Kuche looks so YUM. I cannot wait to try it!
I'm so sorry you were feeling so sick! You certainly don't look it! But don't worry, if I felt as as it sounds like you did, I would probably consider skipping out on Le Cellier as well.