Our Disney Trip to Sara-topia! Sept/Oct MNSSHP & F&W trip(link to dining review 11/1)

[jecskc]

Day 4 – Part Five

Finally, the fireworks started. There was a tree to our left that kinda blocked our view but we still had a pretty good spot. Anyway, we didn’t feel like fighting the crowds to get a better spot.

DH took photos and got some pretty good ones.

We really loved Hallowishes !! Very enjoyable !! DH especially loves fireworks and really enjoyed this show.

I was hungry so we stopped to get some root beer floats to share. They made them with vanilla ice cream, but it was orange in color. This threw the kids off a little until they tasted it and were OK once they realized they tasted like vanilla.

So when we were done with that, we just snagged a spot for the second parade there in Liberty Square. We were in the second row behind the rope and the people in front of us were kids, so they sat down the whole time and so we were able to sit the whole time and watch. The kids chatted with us and we talked to their parents as well. They were really nice people and they said they were going to board the Dream on the next day and they seemed real excited about it. We go in April and I can’t WAIT !!! It was really nice to have a good spot for viewing the parade and some nice people to share it with.

 

[Pixie Princess]

How freaky! We stayed in the room right above yours at Pop! At least they gave us a different room this stay. The last couple of times we've had the exact same room.

DD has that same Yeti cat. His name is Spotty. She's come a long way with the names of her animals since we bought him. LOL!

 

[jecskc]

How freaky! We stayed in the room right above yours at Pop! At least they gave us a different room this stay. The last couple of times we've had the exact same room.

DD has that same Yeti cat. His name is Spotty. She's come a long way with the names of her animals since we bought him. LOL!

You're back !!! Did you just get back today ?? I can't wait to hear all about your trip !! I hope you had better weather than we did. Geez, except for those last couple of days, it was wicked hot !! I saw on Facebook that it was raining there today, so I was thinking about you and wondering if you did a park or just decided to come back home. The kids were disappointed that they didn't get to see your DD for very long. It was bummer that our trip didn't overlap more. Post some pics !! I wanna see !!

 

[Pixie Princess]

You're back !!! Did you just get back today ?? I can't wait to hear all about your trip !! I hope you had better weather than we did. Geez, except for those last couple of days, it was wicked hot !! I saw on Facebook that it was raining there today, so I was thinking about you and wondering if you did a park or just decided to come back home. The kids were disappointed that they didn't get to see your DD for very long. It was bummer that our trip didn't overlap more. Post some pics !! I wanna see !!

We got back today, but left WDW on Sat. morning. We stopped in Perry, GA to see Blake Shelton and the JaneDear Girls. I was ready to get home, and could have skipped this, but it was DD's replacement b-day present so I let her decide.

The weather was fabulous most of the week. It heated up to the mid 80s on Thurs. and was more humid that day than any other during the week, but it wasn't the killer humidity that had been going on while you were there. Plus it was windy which was nice. Friday was quite windy, and it rained off and on, but Sat. was just constant rain while we were there, and until we got to about Gainesville, FL. It would come in bands of heavy rain then drizzle. We stayed our last night at Pop in the 60s section, and DD was really looking forward to swimming in the Hippy Dippy Pool. It was raining as we unloaded and got to our room. Then the a thunderstorm complete with lightning moved in , so swimming was out of the question.

DD was bummed she didn't get to hang out with your kids more too. I think she was trying to figure out how to wrangle staying with ya'll instead of going to the Mom's Panel Meet. LOL! She ended up having a really good time though.

 

[jecskc]

We got back today, but left WDW on Sat. morning. We stopped in Perry, GA to see Blake Shelton and the JaneDear Girls. I was ready to get home, and could have skipped this, but it was DD's replacement b-day present so I let her decide.

The weather was fabulous most of the week. It heated up to the mid 80s on Thurs. and was more humid that day than any other during the week, but it wasn't the killer humidity that had been going on while you were there. Plus it was windy which was nice. Friday was quite windy, and it rained off and on, but Sat. was just constant rain while we were there, and until we got to about Gainesville, FL. It would come in bands of heavy rain then drizzle. We stayed our last night at Pop in the 60s section, and DD was really looking forward to swimming in the Hippy Dippy Pool. It was raining as we unloaded and got to our room. Then the a thunderstorm complete with lightning moved in , so swimming was out of the question.

DD was bummed she didn't get to hang out with your kids more too. I think she was trying to figure out how to wrangle staying with ya'll instead of going to the Mom's Panel Meet. LOL! She ended up having a really good time though.

We would have loved to have her hang with us while you went to the Mom's panel. I wish I would have known that. The kids really enjoy her company. We really need to coordinate our trips better We have time though. Have you given any more thought to the Spring break trip ?? We are at AKL April 6-10. Let me know I just made our ADR's today for that trip. Good stuff. I thought I would be able to on the 6th, but it turns out I had to wait until today. Sadly, it was the highlight of my day.

Oh, and I need to hear all about AKL. Did you stay there ?? Did you love it ?? We sooooo did not have enough time together !!!

 

[kcandbella]

Joining in! Our trips overlapped so we were there part of the time you were. Can't wait to read more!

 

[jecskc]

Joining in! Our trips overlapped so we were there part of the time you were. Can't wait to read more!

We had such a good time, but boy was it ever HOT !! Looks like you got to enjoy more of the cooler weather than we did. I will have to go visit your TR and see If I can see myself in any of your photos Thanks for reading !!!

 

[Poolrat]

Joining in - Yes it was soooo hot the first part of the week. It got me too.

MNSSHP on Tuesday - Yep I was there until 7. The lines were short alright- Loved it. The crowds started building Thursday and then through he weekend.

 

[jecskc]

Joining in - Yes it was soooo hot the first part of the week. It got me too.

MNSSHP on Tuesday - Yep I was there until 7. The lines were short alright- Loved it. The crowds started building Thursday and then through he weekend.

Thanks for coming over !!! It really was hot. It was the hottest I had ever experienced in the WDW. I agree that it progressively got more crowded. It didn't bother us much though. We stuck with our plans and didn't have to wait much. It really turned out to be a perfect weekend. The weather was gorgeous near the end !!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

You guys got a lot done at the party! How great that you found nice parade neighbors, you never hear about that happening! The orange ice cream would have confused me too, I have to admit!

 

[jecskc]

You guys got a lot done at the party! How great that you found nice parade neighbors, you never hear about that happening! The orange ice cream would have confused me too, I have to admit!

We did get a lot done. We didn't get some of the photos I wanted, but that's OK. We did like our parade neighbors. And I know what you mean about that. all those thread about people waiting an hour before the parade and getting all mad when the crowd comes ?? Do they really think that parade is coming down the street JUST for them ?? Disney gets crowded. Deal with it. The sense of entitlement these people have .... Whatever. Throughout life, I find that the majority of the people in general will be nice to you if you are nice to them. Just smile and be pleasant and you will meet the nicest people.

The orange ice cream threw me a little as well. I was like wha ?? And then it dawned on me .... oh yeah, they colored it for Halloween ..... it was very yummy. I just love good soft serve ice cream with root beer.

 

[jecskc]

Day 4 – Part Six

Finally, the parade begins.

DH took photos again.

Headless Horseman

He was so cool.

Boo to You parade – YAY !! I was excited to see this because everyone had said how much they loved it. There’s a lot of photos, so get your scrolling finger ready.

 

[jecskc]

Day 4 – Part Seven

We really loved the parade !! I don’t know why the photos are so bad. They seem really dark, but when we watched it is seemed like there was more light. Maybe DH thought there was enough light to not use the flash. I dunno.

After that we headed over to Adventureland to ride Pirates and do some more trick or treating. After that it was after 11:00 PM and we were getting pretty tired. DD wanted to ride the carpets, so we did that

After that, we left the park and made it back to our resort about 12:30 PM.

Overall, we really loved MNSSHP. I feel like we had a good strategy and executed it very well. We were able to ride everything except Splash Mountain and Pooh with little to no wait. We got a TON of candy and got to see the fireworks and the parade. We didn’t bother to stand in line for any villains because they were kind of long. The kids really didn’t care as they were more interested in the trick or treating. And although there was a lot of people in line for candy, we really felt like the line moved very quickly so we didn’t feel like we had to wait too long.

There was this whole thread about how some people went on September 27th and how hot and awful it was. They said it was so crowded and they didn’t have fun at all. And I was like, whatever dudes. We had a great time. I mean it WAS hot and crowded, but we got a lot accomplished and really enjoyed ourselves. The ride waits were short, that was for sure. Also they said that the monorail had stopped running after midnight and that exiting the park was nuts. We left about 11:30 and the monorail was still running and we didn’t have any trouble getting to our car. So I guess not everyone has an awesome time at the party. But we did !!! And I really think we would do it again if we have the chance.

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

That's great that you guys had such a good time at MNSSHP! I agree, some people are going to complain, but if you plan things out well and know what you want to do, then a great time is sure to be had!

 

[jecskc]

That's great that you guys had such a good time at MNSSHP! I agree, some people are going to complain, but if you plan things out well and know what you want to do, then a great time is sure to be had!

Preach it.

 

[Poolrat]

It is odd that I sing along with the pictures of the parade???? Even the Chicken part???

 

[jecskc]

It is odd that I sing along with the pictures of the parade???? Even the Chicken part???

Of course not !! We really loved that parade !! And the song was so cute and catchy. I especially loved the undertaker dudes with the shovels and how they made sparks fly up. It was so cool.

 

[jecskc]

Day 5 – Part 1 – Wednesday, September 28, 2011

We stayed up LATE the night before with the Halloween party and all, so we really slept late on this morning. Oh, and the resort called us AGAIN at 9:00 AM. I picked it up, hung it up and pulled the cord on all of the phones so we could sleep some more. I halfway expected them to send their maintenance man again to see if the phones were working but no one came, thank goodness. Anyway, we didn’t get up and going until around 10 and our plan for this day was to go to Typhoon Lagoon for the day and then go see Fantasmic that night. We had never seen it, so it was a priority this trip for us.

So we got to Typhoon Lagoon about 11:00 AM. Here are some photos as we enter the park.

At this point, I am sorry to say that I didn’t get any more Typhoon Lagoon photos. We didn’t want to get the camera wet and when you are at a water park, there is just no easy way to carry it around.

We rented a locker and the kids wanted to hit the wave pool first so we decided to do that. DD rode the slide that empties right there in the wave pool. She did that a few times while DS and DH hit the waves. This wave pool scares me to death. These waves are so strong and the undertow when they recede is very strong. And the bottom is very rough. I guess it is for traction in the wave pool, but you can get seriously scraped up if you don’t watch out. So I don’t like it much and it make me really nervous when the kids are out in it. After DD was done with the slide, then I took her over to DH in the wave pool so she could play with them while I waited on a bench off to the side.

While I was watching, this older woman at the end of the slide got hit by an errant wave and it knocked her down and just moved her along and she took out about five other people. When she got up, she had this very bad scrape on her hip. It was very big and bleeding. I felt really bad for her because it looked like it hurt really bad. Some people helped her out of the pool and I assume she got some first aid.

Anyway, DH and the kids when out there jumping the waves and I found a bench at the shallow end of the pool. When the waves start, you hear a big Whoosh and then everyone starts screaming. Then these HUGE waves start coming. I was getting pounded with them where I was even. I didn’t really mind it because I was able to stay on my bench, but still get the benefit without getting knocked over. Seriously, I’m surprised that no on has drowned here. The waves are that strong. The kids did OK. DH taught them to time the waves and they escaped unscathed. We spent over an hour there.

Photo from Disney website

Then we decided to try the family raft ride which is called Gang Plank Falls. The line was LONG and it took forever to get on – about 45 minutes. It is very slow loading and then ….. the ride lasts ten seconds.

Photo from Disney website

So, it was lame. Next we went over to the tube slides.

Keelhaul Falls and Mayday Falls

Photo from Disney website

Photo from Disney website

These slides were fun and we didn’t have to wait long. So those were fun.
Then we got into the Lazy River

Photo from Disney website

to ride over to the other side of the park to ride the Storm Slides.

Photo from Disney website

I opted out of this. I was really just too tired. So I waited on the bleachers at the end of Humonga Kowabunga.

Photo from Disney website

DS tried this one and said he didn’t really like it. And after hearing all of the comments from people getting off this slide, I could see why. I heard some pretty funny comments. Everything from “atomic wedgie” to “water high colonic”. Apparently, the water really did a number on your bottom. There were several that tried it once and then left.

After that, DS really wanted to do Shark Reef. DH wasn’t really into it. He and DS did it in 2009 and he said the water was REALLY cold. But DS talked him into it, so he went.

Photo from Disney website

DD and I just watched from the overlook there by the pool. DD really thinks this is cool and loves to do it.
After that, we decided that to ride Crush n Gusher so we went over there. So in 2009, we all rode this was it was really fun. Even DD rode it multiple times. So DS and DH paired up and DD and I paired up.

So we get a tube and I walk all the way up four flights of stairs, sit down in the tube and then …. DD doesn’t want to go. She starts crying and saying she’s too scared. I was so surprised and a little frustrated. So we had to go back down. I just didn’t get it. She loved last time.

Anyway, I rode once with DS and after that DD and I just hung out in the pool while DH and DS rode a few more times.

While we were in the pool, DD scraped her nose on the bottom of the pool. She didn’t realize that it was getting shallower and she really got a good scrape on her nose. The lifeguard came to check on her, but I said she would be fine. He still came back after a few minutes to double check. At this point DD was done and so was I. So DH and DS rode one more time and then we left.

 

[jecskc]

Day 5 – Part Two

We got back to the resort and I started packing up our stuff since we were switching resorts the next day. DD asked me again when we were moving to Sara-topia and when I told her the next day, she was really excited. We were all looking forward to getting back to staying at a Disney hotel. We had dinner – just hot dogs at the resort – and headed out to Hollywood Studios about 6:00 PM.

When we got to the parking lot, the parking attendant was waving us to spaces waaaayyy out in the parking lot. And we were like – oh no – we KNOW there are empty spaces up close at 6:30 PM so we rebelled and drove up front and sure enough there were MANY empty spaces. So we parked right up front and were able to walk in instead of waiting for the tram. YES !!!

Entering the park.

Loved these topiaries.

More HS photos

And for Poolrat

DD posing for photos

Entry photos

DD wanted to ride Star Wars first. So we got in line. It was only about 15 minutes to get in.

See how cloudy it is ?? We kept checking the radar and there was a storm cell nearby, but thankfully, it never rained – YAY !!

After that we rode the Great Movie ride. All of us really like this ride. We still had a little time, so DS hopped in the single rider line for Aerosmith

By that time it was about 20 minutes before Fantasmic, so we headed over to grab a seat. Wow, this area is so big !! We had never been back here before. As we were filing into the stadium, we were wondering how many people it holds. My BFF said she thought it was about 7,000. Anyway, there were a lot of people there.

Anyway, while we waited DH went and got us some drinks and DD some popcorn. She was very happy.

See her little nose ?? This what happened when she scraped it on the bottom of the Crush n Gusher pool at Typhoon Lagoon

While we were waiting, I noticed this large family in front of us. There was the parents and something like 5 or 6 kids. So the mother busts out this 2 gallon zip lock bag full of already cooked spaghetti. There was a separate bag of cheese as well that they passed around. Everyone had a paper plate and they all had dinner right there before the show. I could actually smell it and it really smelled good. Anyway, I thought it was so industrious and economical of them to do this.

Because there was that storm in the area and some lightening our show was delayed several minutes. Someone got the wave going in the crowd and the kids enjoyed doing that. And finally they cleared the show to start – YAY !!

We really enjoyed it especially DS who said it was the best one out of all the night shows at WDW. Personally, I still pick Wishes as my sentimental favorite but this one was different and entertaining. We made our way out of the park and headed back to the resort for our LAST night at Silver Lake !! YAY !! We were moving over to Sara-topia the next day !! I was so excited !! Oh, and we are back on the dining plan, so food porn will resume !!

 

[kcandbella]

I remember going to Typhoon Lagoon as a teenager and loving the wave pool. As an adult, I'm sure it would freak me out more than anything! We always ended up with several scratches and scrapes from the rough bottom. Your poor DD and her nose!!! I bet that hurt.

We have seen Fantasmic on both of our recent trips and really enjoyed it. But you're right, Wishes has that nostalgia about it that nothing can compare to!