Scared Silly But Loving It

[dolphingirl47]

Day 5

I had set the alarm to be on the safe side, but we were awake ahead of it going off. I had been worried that I would have a sleepless night as this was not only the first day of my Ride-A-Thon on behalf of Give Kids The World Village, but it was also the day that I would do the three rides that scared me the most. Still, I was so exhausted after the previous day's adventures that I slept like a baby. We got up and got ready. I quickly packed an overnight bag and we headed out. Graham was planning to return to International Drive once we were checked in at Animal Kingdom Lodge and go to Aquatica. He would get changed at the hotel before headed back to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I had spotted that there was a 7:30 shuttle to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and this sounded perfect. We got to the front of the hotel about 20 minutes ahead of schedule and the bus arrived promptly. We did then pick up at further 4 hotels and traffic was quite heavy so this took longer than I would have liked. We also dropped off at Magic Kingdom first. When we got to Animal Kingdom, it was quite a walk from the place where we were dropped off to the bus stops for the Walt Disney World Transportation. I started to wonder if we had been better off getting off at the Transportation and Ticket Centre and get the monorail over to Magic Kingdom to get a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge from there. We had a bit of a wait for a bus and when it arrived, the driver had to unload and load some mobility scooters. Eventually we were on our way.

This trip was the first time I had done online check in as I wanted the check in process to be as swift as possible. This worked out really well even though we were directed to the normal check in desk, as the line was shorter. We got our packet and they took my mobile phone number so that they could text me the room number once our room was ready. We were given our Magic Bands. I also had the package with my jewellery for the cruise sent to Animal Kingdom Lodge so I was asking about this. It took them a little while to find this. Once I had this in my hands, I opened it and put the jewellery in my overnight back, which I then left with Bell Services. I handed the ticket to Graham and asked him to retrieve it when he got back to the hotel. We then headed out to the bus stops. Graham wanted to head to Downtown Disney to get the Lynx bus from there and I headed back to Animal Kingdom. There were a lot of people waiting and I had to wait for the second bus, but this came very quickly after the first one left so that was no problem.

On my way to the entrance, I had to stop at the big tree. Fortunately it had a Photopass photographer in front of it so I got some more photos. The family in front of me had asked the photographer if he could do a magic shot with Stitch and he confirmed that he could. So I asked him to do the same for me. Once I had my photos, the moment of truth came. I headed to the entrance and fully expected that my Magic Band would not work after the comments the Guest Services cast member had made the previous day about not being sure if my annual pass was linked properly. Fortunately it turned out that it was. However, I learned that the Magic Band readers are very temperamental. If you did not touch the Mickey head on the Magic Band to precisely the right spot on the reader, it did not recognize it. I ended up taking it off to touch it against the reader and then the Mickey head on the reader turned green. I was in. This solved a problem for me. The readers at the entrances are set up for you wearing the Magic Band on your left wrist and use your right index finger for the fingerprint. I wear my watch on my left wrist and wearing them both on the same wrist was rather uncomfortable. However, if I had to take it off anyway to use it, I could wear it on the right wrist, which worked out much better for me.







Once I was inside the park, I had some more photos taken and then I got on with my day. I had planned to get a character hug or two before starting my big challenge, but this was not to be. Dug and Russell were not due out until the later and the same was true for Winnie the Pooh and friends at Character Landing and for Pluto and Santa Goofy at Dinoland USA. As I was in roughly the right area, I decided I may as well get on with it and went to check out Dinosaur. The posted wait time was 15 minutes, but it was a walk on. This was one of the few rides that I committed myself to that does not actually scare me, but as I suffer from motion sickness, this is a challenge nevertheless as it is so rough and bumpy. So this is still not ride that I would normally do. I survived it without too many ill effects. I went to have the photo added to my Photopass card. For some reason this particular photo was playing hard to get. Even though I visited a number of Photopass Centres while I was still in Florida and at one stage they had even located the photo, it still did not show up on my Photopass account. It finally was found and added to my Photopass account on 3rd January just before the 30 days that they keep the photos for were up.







Once I got off the ride, I took a couple of photos around Dinoland USA and then I had every intention to head over to Asia to get the second ride of the day out of the way. However, in the end I decided to check out the situation at Kilimanjaro Safari. After all, there was no rush. As long as I had done Expedition Everest before I went to lunch, it was all good. When I got to Kilimanjaro Safari, there was a 45 minute wait, which was too much for my liking. The Fastpass return time however worked out that I could do the ride straight after lunch. As I was park hopping that day, I had opted to use my Fastpass+ reservations for Hollywood Studios. I had however heard that I could still get a paper Fastpass using my room key or my annual pass. I decided to try this and shortly afterwards walked away with my Fastpass.








I had every intention not to eat anything before my lunch reservation as to not spoil my appetite. However, after I got my Fastpass, I decided lunch was still a long time away and I could not face Expedition Everest on an empty stomach. I got a Jalapeño Cheese Pretzel from a kiosk near Kilimanjaro Safari, which was delicious. I checked out where Tusker House was and then headed towards Discovery Island. I wanted a photo with Russell and Dug. The line looked manageable so I got in line. Fortunately I realized very quickly that only Russell was there. I was really only interested in Dug so I left the line again.

By that time, I decided it really was time to face the Yeti. I headed over to Asia. The posted waiting time was 15 minutes. However, Expedition Everest has a Single Rider Line and there was nobody in that line at all. The cast member manning this line could not get me on the ride quick enough. It was a matter of seconds from entering the Single Rider Line to sitting in the cart with the lap bar down. This was just as well. Expedition Everest was the ride that after Tower of Terror scared me the most. By the time I had properly realized what I was doing, I was strapped in and on my way. There was no going back. Well, it was not as bad as I remembered. I would be lying if I said I enjoyed it, but it did not scare me as much as I thought it would. The backwards portion did freak me out, but it was mercifully short and with the rest I could cope. I was a little bit surprised when we were slowing down to return to the loading dock and asked the person next to me if this was it. It was and I was soon back on firm ground. I quickly had the ride photo added to my Photopass card and then I got out of the lair of the Yeti as quickly as my feet would carry me.



I still had about 45 minutes until lunch and I decided as I had been good and done my first two rides, I definitely had deserved a character cuddle. I headed back to Dinoland USA to meet Pluto and Santa Goofy. The line was not too long and I got into it. It seemed to be moving quite nicely as well. At some stage they went in for a quick break, but they were back out less than 5 minutes later and shortly afterwards, it was my turn. Getting a big hug from Goofy and Pluto after my adventures of the morning felt so good.











Once I was finished with Goofy and Pluto, I headed back to Africa and checked in for my lunch at Tusker House. I was a little ahead of time, but was checked in straightaway and then sent to meet Donald. This took a little while and Donald also went in for a quick break. Eventually it was my turn. Once I had seen Donald, I had another short wait and then somebody came for me to show me to my table. On the way we stopped in the buffet area and the cast member told me how this was all organized. I thought the theming was the best of any Disney restaurant I have been to and there was a nice choice of food. I was then shown to my table and my server came to introduce himself and took my drinks order. I ordered a Coke and then I went to explore the buffet. I started with Hummus with Flatbreads. The Hummus was one of the better kinds by Western standards, but not as nice as the one I had two days earlier. I then raided the kids' table and had some Corndog Nuggets and an Uncrustable Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. I always wanted to try one of those and I rather liked it. Indeed, I got another one with my main course. For that I had Spice Rubbed Beef Strip Loin, Coffee Rubbed Barbecue Pork Loin and Pearl Couscous with Sweet Basil Essence. Everything was delicious. By that time I was pretty full, but decided to check out the desserts. I had Chocolate Volcano Cake, a Chocolate Brownie, a Coconut Macaroon and a piece of Baklava. All the desserts are bite size so that you can try a variety. This is just as well as they were just a touch too sweet for me.










While I was eating, Daisy, Goofy and Mickey came round. I was in the restaurant for about an hour and they each came round twice. I only had photos taken the first time round. When Daisy came, there was no cast member in the area, but somebody from the family sitting opposite me kindly took a photo. For the other photos, a cast member magically appeared as the characters approached. I just hit one snag. Because I had Photopass+, I was supposed to get a photo package with the photo with Donald that was taken near the entrance. Normally somebody from the Photopass team comes round with those during the meal and that had not happened. Once I had paid, I waited a bit longer and then I asked my server about this. He told me that they had technical issues and could not print the photos at that point. He advised me to visit the Photopass Centre near the exit before leaving. It would have been nice if this information had been volunteered especially as I was wearing my Photopass+ lanyard.

 

[dolphingirl47]

With the hold up, I had to put in some speedy footwork to head over to Kilimanjaro Safari. I got a certain sinking feeling when I approached the Fastpass entrance as the line looked huge. Somebody else commented about this and was advised that it may look long, but was much shorter than the standby line. The Fastpass line goes past the Stroller Park and each buggy had either a squirrel or a grackle in it. I had to laugh. The line was moving quickly so I did not have time to take a photo. This was so cute. In the end, it was less than 10 minutes from entering the Fastpass line to getting on a truck. Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the truck for taking photos as most of the animals were on the opposite side. I still enjoyed the ride and even though it was the hottest time of the day, most of the animals were out and about. I was surprised to see that there were some Zebras in the final section as I had heard that they had been removed since my last visit.




























Next up was the main reason for my visit to Animal Kingdom. Last year I had fallen in love with the character Christmas trees at Camp Minnie-Mickey and as it was likely that this was the last year they would be there, I really wanted to see them one last time. They did not disappoint. I was both amazed and amused how many people did not even notice that they are there. They are quite well camouflaged, but still obvious enough. I was asked a few times what I was taking photos of and people were very surprised when I pointed this out. I am really hoping that the trees will turn up somewhere different in future as it would be great shame if they were just to disappear.

 

[dolphingirl47]

As I was at Camp Minnie-Mickey anyway, I thought I may as well meet a few characters. I yet again managed to miss Pocahontas, but I had a great interaction with Baloo and King Louis and Donald. The best interaction however was with Chip and Dale. Thanks to some very generous and talented people, I had special graphics for each day of the Ride-A-Thon, which I had turned into t-shirts so that I could wear them on the relevant day. Part of this was because this project was a really big deal for me, but part of me also thought that this may raise awareness for Give Kids The World Village. Indeed, I was asked a few times during this trip what my t-shirts were all about and had some nice conversations with people about my project and why I am doing this. Anyway, Chip and Dale had picked up on the special graphic on my t-shirt and got really excited about this. I explained what this was all about, which got them even more excited. Their escort and the Photopass photographer also showed an interest. When I told Chip and Dale that I was about to head over to Hollywood Studios to pick up the second half of that day's challenge they communicated that they wanted to come to do the rides with me. I cannot even begin to explain how much I would have appreciated the moral support, but even though I could not take them physically with me, this had given me a real boost.

 

[dolphingirl47]

By that time, I really needed to think about making tracks if I wanted to make my first Fastpass+ reservation at Hollywood Studios. I did however take the time to get some Photopass photos with the Tree of Life in the background and a couple of Magic Shots with Simba. Speaking of Photopass, before I could leave, I had to check in with the Photopass Centre to get my photo package from Tusker House. Unfortunately they were still having technical issues with the photos, but I was given the frame that was part of the photo package and the character stock photo and was advised to check again at Hollywood Studios later that evening or at Epcot the next day and was given directions for both locations.















After this, I left the park. The line at the bus stop for Hollywood Studios was huge. The first bus came and went and the line was still impressive. The next bus was not far behind and I even managed to get the last seat. Even with the detour to the Photopass Centre and the delay caused by having to wait for another bus, I still arrived at Hollywood Studios well ahead of my Fastpass+ window opening. I took some photos of the big Christmas tree near the entrance and a couple of photos inside the park before making my way towards Toy Story Mania.





I was rather excited. Not only do I love this ride at the best of times, but this was also my first attempt of using Fastpass+. I still got there about 5 minutes before my window was due to open and waited near the Fastpass entrance until the display showed that it was 15:40. Only then did I approach the Fastpass entrance. I touched my Magic Band against the reader and it turned blue. The cast member manning the entrance pointed me to another cast member who was carrying an iPad with a reader attached and when she scanned my Magic Band, the Fastpass+ reservation showed up. She walked me back to the Fastpass entrance and asked me to touch the Magic Band against the reader again and this time round it turned green. She suggested that my window had not opened when I tried it the first time round. I knew that this was not true, but I was just so glad that I was in that I just thanked her and entered the line. I really enjoyed the ride and this time round I left knowing that I would be back later in the day.

Just as I was walking away from the ride with the best intentions to finally have a proper look at One Man's Dream, I suddenly heard somebody calling my name. I turned round to see if there was somebody who I knew, but could not spot anybody. I was just turning around again, when I heard my name again and saw somebody waving out of the corner of my eye from one of the benches. I walked over there. It turned out to be somebody from the DIS from the UK who had recognized me from my trip reports. We chatted for a while and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting up. Unfortunately I have forgotten the name. All the thrill rides that day must have shaken up my brain cells. If you are reading along, please come out to say "hi".

When we said goodbye, I had started to feel rather thirsty. I had read on a number of occasions that you can go up to any counter service restaurant and ask for a cup of ice water and that this is provided free of charge. So I decided to try this. I headed up towards Sunset Boulevard where there are a number of counter service outlets. I indeed got my free cup of water and it was quite a generous size as well. This went down rather well. I sat down in the shade while I was enjoying this and I felt revived after this. I had a quick look around some of the shops in that area and used the bathroom and then I headed up towards Rock'n'Rollercoaster.





By then I was starting to feel antsy. I still had two rides to do for my challenge that day and they were probably the ones that scared me the most: Rock'n'Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. I still had a good half an hour until my Fastpass window for Tower of Terror was due to open and I was getting to the stage that I needed to do something or risk chickening out. The posted waiting time for Rock'n'Rollercoaster was 35 minutes, but this ride has a Single Rider Line. With that, the waiting time was about 20 minutes. This ride is quick in more ways than one. I had totally forgotten how fast the launch is, but it also did not last very long. This is definitely a ride that would benefit from some temporary lockers. I had a small backpack with me and a shopping bag with the stuff for the photo package. I managed to clamp the backpack between my ankles and this pretty much stayed put. The shopping bag however was too slippery for this and it kept sliding around the car. Once the ride was finished, I had the ride photo added to my Photopass card. I was so shaken up that by the time it was my turn, I had forgotten the number for the photo, but they managed to find it.



When I was all done, my Fastpass window for Tower of Terror had opened. I walked over there and scanned my Magic Band. The Mickey head on the reader turned blue. The cast member then proceeded to tell me that my next Fastpass reservation was an hour away and was for Rock'n'Rollercoaster. I got my iPhone out. Fortunately I had checked my Fastpass times while I was having my water and had not navigated away from the page. I showed him the reservation page and he did a manual override. So I was on. I slightly jumped the queue. As we were approaching the area where the service elevators are, a cast member was calling for a party of one and I raised my hand. I just wanted to get it over and done with. By the time I had time to think about what I was doing, I was inside the service elevator, strapped in my seat and the door was closing. I did however manage to find a way to keep my stuff secure. After my camera was trying an escape act on Tower of Terror in California in May, I wedged by backpack and the shopping bag behind my knees and hung on to their handles with one hand and clung for dear life to the seatbelt with the other. In the end it was not as bad as my previous two attempts. I would not go as far as saying "Third Time Is A Charm", but I did not totally freak out. I am not sure if I have started to build up a tiny bit of tolerance to this ride or if the drop sequence was kinder to me, but after the ride, I managed to walk off without my knees shaking. I was still rattled and again, I could not remember my photo number, but they had no problem finding the photo and adding it to my Photopass card. I had a quick look around the shop and nearly bought a couple of t-shirts, but resisted in the end.



When I stepped out onto Sunset Boulevard there was something strangely familiar and comforting in the air, but at first I could not put my finger on what it was. I just know that suddenly all the pressure I had felt seemed to lift and a warm feeling spread around my heart. When I finally cottoned on to what it was, I started to smile. The Christmas loop was playing. Up to this point, I had not even realized that Hollywood Studios had a Christmas loop. The song that was playing as I stepped out onto Sunset Boulevard was Oh Du Fröhliche, which has been my favourite Christmas Carol for as long as I can remember. I always assumed that it is not known outside Germany until I heard it at Epcot just as I was entering the park for the first time in 2012. To hear this right as I stepped out from the ride that was the last one for that day's challenge made me feel that somebody was smiling down on me.

I positively bounced down Sunset Boulevard and towards the exit. When I was planning this trip, I had planned to try the Macaroni Cheese Gourmet Hot Dog from Fairfax Fare, which is just before you get to Tower of Terror and Rock'n'Rollercoaster. I got as far as getting in line before I realized that I really could not face any food at that point. There was a little big of regret that I would not get to try the Macaroni Cheese Gourmet Hot Dog this trip, but you always need to keep something to come back for.

Before I could go and enjoy The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, I had something else to take care of. I needed to check in with the Photopass Centre to see if the Tusker House photos had now made it to my Photopass account. They still had not. I got myself a bottle of Orange Soda and then I headed towards the Sorcerers Hat. I took a couple of photos and then I spotted a Photopass photographer and had some photos taken.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Then I headed over to see the lights. What was different this year is that they had cast members all over the place with contraptions that looked like light sabers pointing people in the right direction for The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Although it was nice not end up getting lost like initially happened last year, this also meant that everybody was herded in the same direction. Last year I entered at the top of Streets of America near the Backlot Tour. This time round, I was pointed along a convoluted route down Commissary Lane, past the building where the Muppetvision 3D show is and down one of the side streets leading onto Streets of America. On the way, I came across a character Meet and Greet. Phineas and Ferb were near the exit to Muppetvision 3D. I have to admit that I had never even heard of them before playing the Agent P World Showcase Adventure and I still don't know who is who, but I had never met them before and the line was not particularly one. While I was in line, I managed to take the first few photos of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.











In 2012 I ended up having just a flying visit to The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. I think in total I spent about 10 minutes there. It was literally a question of entering on one end, walk through, take a few photos and leave again. This time round I more than made up for this though. I walked a few steps, took photos, enjoyed what was immediately around me and walked a few more steps. I found the dancing of the lights mildly irritating. They were so pretty and the dancing just distracted from this. I did love the snow though. The lights are just so beautiful that words can't describe them so I will let the photos do the talking.

 

[dolphingirl47]

 

[dolphingirl47]

I had felt that I had spend a fair amount of time admiring the lights, but could not believe that I had spent two hours just wandering around and enjoying the beauty all around me. I am pretty sure that I still had not seen everything there was to see. For one, I never found Santa Goofy, but I was OK with this as I had seen him at Animal Kingdom earlier in the day. What I did find this time round so were some Photopass photographers. By the time I decided to leave it was nearly an hour after the official park closing. I had an amazing time.




















I wandered towards the exit and left the park. However, I would not leave the park for long. Although I already had a very long and action packed day, there was more to come. As I headed out, I spotted a Photopass photographer by the Christmas tree. So that was too good an opportunity to miss. I then found myself a nice bench near the Christmas tree and sat down. It was nice to take the weight of the feet.









I am sure some of you wonder what I am doing sitting around outside Hollywood Studios after the park is closed. Well, when I was starting to plan this trip, I found out that Dreams Unlimited Travel who I have been dealing with for years were organizing an after hours events at Pixar Place: DISApalooza. This was just too good to pass up. So as soon as registration opened, I signed up. This was due to happen that evening. We would have access to Toy Story Mania, which was just open for us. There would be food and drink and we were promised some surprises. This also gave me a chance to meet Laura, who I know through the Animal Kingdom Lodge thread on the DIS. We had exchanged mobile phone numbers and not long after I sat down, Laura texted me. She was waiting for the Friendship boat to take her from the Epcot Resort area to Hollywood Studios. I let her know where I was and then I just enjoyed the beautiful balmy evening and the wonderful Christmas tree in front of me.



Not long after this, somebody walked up to me. It was Laura. She introduced me to a couple of people and we spent the next half an hour or so chatting. Three of us stuck together for the whole of the event. Then we headed towards the entrance. The party was not due to start until 22:00, but we had been advised to get there early. We were waiting in the entrance area for quite a while. It was still warm and with so many people milling around in a relatively confined area, it felt quite stuffy. They had set up some tables for a bag check and once they were ready for us, they started to let us in. We then ended up waiting again at the other side of the entrance until everybody had been through the bag check. We were going to be escorted to Pixar Place as one group. Shortly afterwards, the first surprise turned up. Barbie and Ken from Toy Story 3 came to meet us. I was not particularly taken with them, but people mentioned afterwards that they were very funny.

Eventually we were on the move. It felt truly magical being in an empty park. All the lights in the shops and on the Christmas decorations were on. At strategic intervals, cast members with the light sabers were standing directing us to where we needed to be. What I saw when we reached Pixar Place took my breath away. They had set up loads of tables with white tablecloths pretty much the whole length of Pixar Place. It looked very romantic and festive. We did not hang around for long. There was a ride calling our names. I was a little concerned about this before the trip. I had read that the ride has a capacity of 900 riders an hour, which is not that much. I also knew that up to 700 tickets had been sold for the party. So I figured I should be able to do this ride twice or maybe 3 times if I was lucky. Well, on the first go around, it was a walk on. We enjoyed the ride and then we decided to check out what else there was on offer. Around the sides of Pixar Place, buffet tables had been set up. There were some tables with fairground food like cotton candy, popcorn and pretzels. Other tables had cheese platters, vegetables with dips, assorted breads and big pans with meatballs. There were huge bins with water and soft drinks. They also had stations with flambéed donuts and various toppings. I had not eaten since lunch so I helped myself to some food. I had a selection of different cheeses with Pita Bread. I also had some of the meatballs, which were delicious. We all had some Coke. Neither of us fancied the donuts. They just looked very rich and heavy. Before the party, I was really looking forward to them, but during the event I just could not face them.



While we were eating, we saw Barbie and Ken were still around and Mr. and Mrs. Incredible were out for a meet and greet. There were also some balloon artists. We finished our food and drink and then headed back to the ride. This time round, it was even emptier. When we got to the loading dock, there were actually empty cars going round. I really did not understand why with the ride being so quiet, they still made us exit, walk back to the entrance, down the line and up and down the stairs to the loading dock. With nobody waiting, I thought they could just have asked us if we wanted to go again. We did the ride twice in a row and then we decided to go for a wander. Mr. and Mrs. Incredible had left and had been replaced by Mike and Sully. I could not resist and got in the rather short line to meet those two. We spent a while resting our arms and then we had one last go on the ride. I had so much fun that evening. Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would ever get to do Toy Story Mania 5 times in a single day. Realistically, we could probably have done it at least twice as often, but my companions' arms and my feet vetoed that idea.



By 23:30, we had enough. I had been on the go for 16 hours and the day had been physically and emotionally pretty draining. We headed towards the exit together and then it was time to say goodbye. The buses had already arrived and we were all going to different hotels. I had thoroughly enjoyed the company of my two partners in crime and I really hope that we get to meet again at some point in the future. Once I got on the bus, I stretched out as much as I could. I was one of the first people on the bus. It was a good 30 minutes until everybody was on the bus and we were ready to leave. I was quite happy just sitting. Once we were on the way, we had a number of drop offs. We stopped at Pop Century, Art of Animation and all three All Star Resorts before we headed to Animal Kingdom Lodge. As soon as I was inside, I kicked off my shoes and walked the rest of the way barefoot. This felt like complete and utter bliss. After the fun and games I had with my Magic Band and the Fastpasses, I had a few nervous seconds if the room would actually let me in. Fortunately it did. Graham kindly had left a light on for me. He also had collected my overnight bag from Bell Services and picked up some Zebra Domes for me from Mara. I quickly got ready for bed and then I slept the sleep of the righteous.

 

[tiggrbaby]

What a full and magical day! Hooray for you for facing your fears and supporting children!

 

[Chilly]

What a day! Love your ride photos.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Loving your pictures. What a full day!

Thanks for sharing the ones of the Christmas Lights. They are great.

 

[Pinkocto]

Wow, what a fabulus day!!! You got some great pictures of the giraffes on the safari. Loved the character trees, I still havent seen those.


Your pictures of the Osborne lights are gorgeous, it feels like Im right there.

The Disapalooza sounded like great fun.
Glad the rides werent as bad as you remembered.

 

[dolphingirl47]

What a full and magical day! Hooray for you for facing your fears and supporting children!

It was a great day, but it showed me that I am not getting any younger. I was exhausted. Still, I managed to pack as much into a single day as some people do in a week.

What a day! Love your ride photos.

It sure was. Most of the ride photos are gringe-worthy, but I have earned them and therefore will post them.

Loving your pictures. What a full day!

Thanks for sharing the ones of the Christmas Lights. They are great.

The lights really are amazing. I really hope that they have a long-term future at Walt Disney World.

Wow, what a fabulus day!!! You got some great pictures of the giraffes on the safari. Loved the character trees, I still havent seen those.


Your pictures of the Osborne lights are gorgeous, it feels like Im right there.

The Disapalooza sounded like great fun.
Glad the rides werent as bad as you remembered.

I love the character trees. Unfortunately this was the last year for them unless they find them a new home. Camp Minnie-Mickey has gone and the ground-breaking for Avatarland has happened by now. I am so happy that I got to see them once more.

Corinna

 

[PJB71]

OMG Corinna you must of been shattered

Looks like you had a fantastic day though

( I keep scanning your pictures to see if I can see us in the background somewhere!!!!!!! )

Really looking forward to the next update

 

[dolphingirl47]

OMG Corinna you must of been shattered

Looks like you had a fantastic day though

( I keep scanning your pictures to see if I can see us in the background somewhere!!!!!!! )

Really looking forward to the next update

Shattered would not even begin to describe it. Would that not be funny if we were in the same place at the same time and did not know it?

Corinna

 

[RachelTori]

Hi, Corinna!

Stopping by to say that it was so great to meet you and YES!, we had a great time at DISApalooza! It was lovely to spend the evening with you and Catherine! You were such a trooper -- after the long day you'd had........ I'm sure I would not have held up nearly as well as you did!

Your photos, as always, are awesome!

 

[jenseib]

What a fabulous day You did so much and braved so much.
the lights just are too great for words. I enjoyed them so much as well.
I have heard of those parties, but I thought they stopped doing them. It's nice to know they still are being done. I heard they are a lot of fun.
I have to ask, I notice you always put the time in military time...well at least thats what I call it. Is there a reason? Is that how you do time where you live? I always have to try and convert it in my head. I am not always so quick to do that.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Hi, Corinna!

Stopping by to say that it was so great to meet you and YES!, we had a great time at DISApalooza! It was lovely to spend the evening with you and Catherine! You were such a trooper -- after the long day you'd had........ I'm sure I would not have held up nearly as well as you did!

Your photos, as always, are awesome!

I had such a great time with the two of you even though I was absolutely exhausted.

What a fabulous day You did so much and braved so much.
the lights just are too great for words. I enjoyed them so much as well.
I have heard of those parties, but I thought they stopped doing them. It's nice to know they still are being done. I heard they are a lot of fun.
I have to ask, I notice you always put the time in military time...well at least thats what I call it. Is there a reason? Is that how you do time where you live? I always have to try and convert it in my head. I am not always so quick to do that.

The lights are amazing. I can't believe that I did not see them for the first time until 2012 even though I was in Orlando when they were on in 2006 and 2007.

DISApalooza takes place every other year. The one before that was at The Wizzarding World of Harry Potter.

We call it the 24 hour clock and this is the norm in Europe. I know they also use the 24 hour clock in Dubai.

Corinna

 

[Pinkocto]

Oh no, I truly hope they find a new home for the character trees! I thought Avatar Land was on hold because of the MBs being over budget?

 

[dolphingirl47]

Oh no, I truly hope they find a new home for the character trees! I thought Avatar Land was on hold because of the MBs being over budget?

That's what I thought,too, but the ground breaking has now taken place so looks like this is going to happen.

Corinna

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Great update love the photos! How nice to meet Laura and go to the Dreams Unlimited party

I am soooo jealous of your D & B cruiseline bag collection!

I could wonder around looking at those lights forever. Never enough time!