They Should Really Put a Bar in Here - Closing Thoughts - 4/1

Is it Closed for Fast Pass People Too???


My goal for the night was to ride Star Tours, and nobody else made any requests, so we decided to head over there taking the long way around. I thought we’d see how long the wait for Toy Story was, but it was still around an hour… no real surprise. We slowed down and enjoyed the Osborne Lights a bit longer as we passed by and noticed that they actually had a Nativity Scene on the back side. Not to get into the religion debate here, but it was nice to see that included in the display.

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Hmmmm...we missed that.

We got to Star Tours and Dad took the kids while everyone else went to ride. As always I enjoyed the ride and asked if anyone wanted to ride again since it was a walk on. Mom, DW and both of my sisters all shot down that idea. Now I have always had an issue with motion sickness on the type of simulator rides that move while you’re watching a screen. In my opinion, the new Star Tours is the best I’ve ever been on, and doesn’t leave me feeling the least bit uneasy. Apparently, they all disagreed with my assessment of it, because that would be the only time any of them would step foot on the ride.

I'm with the rest of them...that ride all of sudden really bothers my stomach. :confused3

It was getting close to time for the park to close and BiL was probably about ready to land at MCO, so we decided to call it a night and head back to CSR. We had a relatively peaceful night and everyone slept well. We heard quite a bit of noise coming from the Dig Site as we approached our room, but once inside it didn’t bother us too much.

I’m going to go back to something that happened as we were walking out of DHS to end this update though. It may not be as funny in print form in a TR as it was when it happened, but I thought it was hilarious and I wasn’t about to let the subject be dropped. As I’ve pointed out before, my whole family has been to Universal Studios and Disney World several times. Sis2, is actually very smart, and she’s an interview away being accepted back to school to study Veterinary Medicine. She doesn’t always pay attention to her surroundings though (remember Push), and she asked me a question that I could only answer by laughing.














Is the E.T. ride in Hollywood Studios or is it in EPCOT?

Oh my......:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
 
One lady walked up to them and asked them if the ride was closed for Fast Pass people too… REALLY?!?!?!
:lmao:

that is a GREAT line!

Anyway, our Splash Mountain FP’s were finally good, so DW, my sisters and I headed off to ride. Mom didn’t feel like getting wet and dad just didn’t want to ride anything with drops so they stayed with the kids. It was a warm afternoon and they had all the water features going. We had a fun ride and got fairly wet. When we returned, we found a couple of nice surprises. The kids were both passed out in the stroller, and BTMRR was running! We decided to go ahead and use our FP’s and then we’d head back to the resort.

YAY for crashed out kid nap karma! That is fabulous.

We headed into the park toward the Streets of America. DS said he was hungry, so we made a quick detour to Backlot Express to grab some chicken nuggets for him. We headed back to grab a spot in the middle of the intersection so that we’d be able to see the lights in all directions when the switch was flipped. Let me tell you, as blown away as I was by the Osborne Lights the first time I saw them, they were just as good the second time!

What time does the switch flip? I must plan around that!!!!

What a fun night you had. And good parenting, headphones and everything. My kids are just deaf now. Oh well. So cute that he rolled on the floor with Mickey!

Is the E.T. ride in Hollywood Studios or is it in EPCOT?

Well Hollywood Studios of course, it is a movie you know.

:rotfl:

I think it is a common thing with freakishly smart people, my youngest is like this. He could have seen something 10 times, been on it 10 times and miss the most obvious thing (yet recall the most obscure).

We call it "Eric's World"

Which is of course sung to the tune of Wayne's world.

It's party time, it's excellent.
 
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Merry Christmas!!!!

Cute!

I hope you and your family had a great Christmas.

Loved the last update. Busy, fun day. So glad that you got to ride Splash and BTMMR. Perfect nap timing on the kid's part.

Speaking of kids - all of your kid pictures in this update are adorable. The dance party looks like fun and who doesn't love the Osbourne lights?

I totaly agree with you on the nativity scene. I love seeing it there and I'm glad Disney isn't afraid of including it.
 


Okay, I'm caught back up again. Wow, you had kind of a rough start with the check-in at Chef Mickey's and then the midnight door-kicking at your parents' room and the bottle-spillage with your daughter. But it looks like the trip improved after that and you had a good first full day. Bummer that no one got any pictures of Mickey rolling around on the floor with your son though....that sounded like quite a sight!
 
What a really fun day!

Y'all got so much accomplished in MK! And sounds like that night at DHS was great, too! I love the Osborne Lights...your pictures really make me miss them.

Your sister's question leaving the park is just priceless!! :lmao::lmao::lmao:
 
Just found your trip report. Can't wait to hear more!

Can I ask few questions about your drive? We will be heading to Disney World in May and our younger son will have just turned 2. We will be driving from IL. Dh and I are currently debating doing the drive overnight.
How did your two year old handle the drive? Did you take anything to keep him entertained?
 


errrrr...... I don't know where I've been. Just catching up.

Sorry you weren't able to get into your room at checkin. I'm sure you were shot.

CM is an expensive buffet. Great pics from dinner. DD is soooo cute!

Aren't the Osbourn lights awesome! :banana:

I love the new startours! It blows away the old version. ::yes::

Oh, and Team Barry sucks! :rotfl::rotfl:
 
Wheeeeewwwww.....I've been negelecting a lot of trip reports (my own included) but just did a marathon reading session (well, maybe a half-marathon reading sessions) and got all caught up.

I have a feeling DS will be talking about rolling around with Mickey for quite some time. That sounds just awesome! Is the dance party something they do during EMH? I don't think I've heard about it before.

The picture of DD at Fantasmic: Fantastic! What a little cutie.
 
It seriously amazes me how clueless people are! When we were at Disney in 2011, Big Thunder was totally down for renovation. A family of a dad and two sons walked over there wanting to ride it. They saw the big things in front of it showing it was closed off; they asked the CM if it would open later in the evening? Seriously? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: And then they complained that Disney didn't advertise that it was closed? Hmm....do you know how to research on the internet? It was all over the place.
If it weren't for people like this, then they wouldn't be selling the "What time is the 3:00 parade" shirts in the gift shops. :rotfl2:

Awesome...you go to do both right then and there.
It worked out well. DW wasn't too crazy about hanging around to use the FPs, but I'm glad we did.

Too bad the kids didn't see the parade, though. :sad2:
We'd just have to try again later...

Well, glad to see the cheerleaders would good for something. ;)
And that is the first, and last, positive comment you'll read about them in this TR. :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

Glad you took matters into your own hands; Mark did the same at the hot tub!
It was just ridiculous. My past experiences at Disney has shown that you'll come across a few people who have an attitude that "I've paid $X for this trip and it's all about me," but for the most part people around the resorts are friendly and polite and as you see the same people a few times you might strike up a conversation. This trip it was hard to find someone not being rude and disrespectful. :sad2:

It was our first time seeing them and I really hope we can go back and see them again next year.
Even better than advertised, aren't they?

Great video job!
Thanks... that was with the phone. :thumbsup2

Too much to handle all at once? The pictures are great!
Sometimes she can be a light sleeper, but when she's out, she's out!

This is too funny!
I feel bad about constantly picking on her in these last couple of updates, but she brought it on herself. :rotfl2:

Oh my...I love this picture...she is such a :cutie:
Thanks. I think she already knows what the camera is, because she always seems to turn on the charm when one comes out.

It never fails when that really special moment comes that we are not prepared with a camera. :sad2:
Yeah, it was disappointing. I just wish I had still been in the room to see it myself.

Hmmmm...we missed that.
It is actually on the back side towards the LMA area. Basically if you're in the middle of the Streets of America and walk down the street with the light canopy over it and turn right at the end of that street it is right there.

I'm with the rest of them...that ride all of sudden really bothers my stomach.
I've always thought the new version is a lot better. I guess everybody reacts differently to it.

Oh my......:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:
What can you even say to a question like that?

It looks like I'm a little late to this party but better late than never. :wave:
:welcome: Hey, glad to have you! Feel free to jump right in!
 
:lmao:

that is a GREAT line!
I guess that feeling of superiority of walking past all those suckers in the standby line while you're holding that magical piece of paper really gets to some people's heads. :rotfl2::rotfl:

YAY for crashed out kid nap karma! That is fabulous.
It was great to have this happen. DS had been fighting naps before the trip, so we really hoped this was going to be a sign of good things to come.

What time does the switch flip? I must plan around that!!!!
I planned around it, but I didn't write it down and have forgotten. It was either 6:00 or 6:15... I think it was 6 though.

What a fun night you had. And good parenting, headphones and everything. My kids are just deaf now. Oh well. So cute that he rolled on the floor with Mickey!
Well, we didn't get them to save their hearing... we got them because DS HATES loud noises. He absolutely freaks out during fireworks, and darn it, we aren't going to go to Disney World and not see fireworks!!!! :rolleyes1

I actually got the idea from khertz, who got the idea from Drew Brees. :thumbsup2

Well Hollywood Studios of course, it is a movie you know.

:rotfl:
You know, if her confusion was between Hollywood Studios and Universal, I could understand that, but when EPCOT was the second choice... :rotfl2::rotfl::lmao:

I think it is a common thing with freakishly smart people, my youngest is like this. He could have seen something 10 times, been on it 10 times and miss the most obvious thing (yet recall the most obscure).

We call it "Eric's World"

Which is of course sung to the tune of Wayne's world.

It's party time, it's excellent.
Ok, that's funny! :rotfl2::rotfl:

Cute!

I hope you and your family had a great Christmas.
Thanks! It was a nice day... too much running around, but fun.

Loved the last update. Busy, fun day. So glad that you got to ride Splash and BTMMR. Perfect nap timing on the kid's part.
It worked out really well, and it was just the kind of day we needed.

Speaking of kids - all of your kid pictures in this update are adorable. The dance party looks like fun and who doesn't love the Osbourne lights?
Thank you! We had a great evening, and the Osborne lights are always incredible.

I totaly agree with you on the nativity scene. I love seeing it there and I'm glad Disney isn't afraid of including it.
It is tucked away, but I was glad to see it at least represented somewhere.

Okay, I'm caught back up again. Wow, you had kind of a rough start with the check-in at Chef Mickey's and then the midnight door-kicking at your parents' room and the bottle-spillage with your daughter. But it looks like the trip improved after that and you had a good first full day. Bummer that no one got any pictures of Mickey rolling around on the floor with your son though....that sounded like quite a sight!
It was a rough start, but you know how things can turn around once some of that pixie dust starts flying around. And they throw a bunch of that stuff around during the MK opening show. :rotfl2:

It was definitely a disappointment that we didn't get pictures of Mickey on the floor. I was kind of surprised to hear he did that. You'd think there would be concerns about a wardrobe malfunction when they do something like that.
 
What a really fun day!
It really was a perfect day after our rough start at the resort.

Y'all got so much accomplished in MK! And sounds like that night at DHS was great, too! I love the Osborne Lights...your pictures really make me miss them.
It was really a commando type morning, but we wanted to get some of the must-do's done so that we could take a more leisurely pace later on. I'm glad we did that.

Your sister's question leaving the park is just priceless!! :lmao::lmao::lmao:
Sometimes I wonder how she's my sister. :faint: :rotfl::lmao::rotfl2:

Just found your trip report. Can't wait to hear more!

Can I ask few questions about your drive? We will be heading to Disney World in May and our younger son will have just turned 2. We will be driving from IL. Dh and I are currently debating doing the drive overnight.
How did your two year old handle the drive? Did you take anything to keep him entertained?
:welcome:
This is actually the second year in a row that we've done the drive at night. I really like it, because DS sleeps in his car seat really well. He slept until about 9 am both times, so we had the majority of the drive done before he ever woke up. We like it because we can cover a lot of ground while he's asleep, but once he's awake, we always stop for 20 - 30 minutes every couple of hours so he can burn off some energy. We take some toys, stickers, coloring books, DVDs and DW just got an iPad before this trip, so we used it to entertain him as well. He actually did fantastic on the drive this year. Last year, the last 2 hours of the drive were awful, but he did really well this time. You know your kid though, so I guess it would depend on how well he sleeps in the car and handles a long ride.

errrrr...... I don't know where I've been. Just catching up.
Pretty bad when you don't know where you've been.

Sorry you weren't able to get into your room at checkin. I'm sure you were shot.
I was :furious: .

CM is an expensive buffet. Great pics from dinner. DD is soooo cute!
For the same price, you could buy a nice dinner at Le Cellier... but you don't get characters. Always a trade off...

Aren't the Osbourn lights awesome! :banana:
They are amazing!

I love the new startours! It blows away the old version. ::yes::
::yes:: I can ride it over, and over, and over...

Oh, and Team Barry sucks! :rotfl::rotfl:
:thumbsup2

Wheeeeewwwww.....I've been negelecting a lot of trip reports (my own included)
Really? I hadn't noticed. :rolleyes1

but just did a marathon reading session (well, maybe a half-marathon reading sessions) and got all caught up.
Just in time to get behind again in a couple of weeks. :rotfl2::rotfl:

I have a feeling DS will be talking about rolling around with Mickey for quite some time. That sounds just awesome! Is the dance party something they do during EMH? I don't think I've heard about it before.
He really had a good time once he warmed up to the idea of dancing with characters. The dance party is only for EMH. I'd never heard about it either, and I just stumbled across something about it in a post on the Dis a while back. They really don't advertise it, but we decided we'd head over and see if it was real or if it was one of those Disboard rumors. They just have a DJ up on the stage in the Disney Junior building and they have 2 - 3 characters at a time out there and they rotate new ones in every few minutes. We saw Disney Junior characters and Fab 5 characters when we were there. I don't know if they do any others or not, but it is a great opportunity to get some character time in, and I know Madison would love it!

The picture of DD at Fantasmic: Fantastic! What a little cutie.
She's a lot like your Madison. She seems to know when a camera is present. :rotfl2:
 
Oops... First morning, revisited

I had one thing that I left out of our first morning. Partly because my note taking basically lacks detail and this picture happened to be in a different place than the others.

Anyway, with the new Fantasyland opening, seeing cameras around the area shooting all the scenery from different angles was something that we tended to see basically everyday. I really didn't pay much attention to any of that because it was so common to see around there, but as we were leaving the Little Mermaid ride and heading to lunch we noticed there were CM's trying to disperse a large crowd gathered around. I was just pushing the stroller and trying not to run over anyone and I walked right past a lady that looked kind of familiar... Then it hit me...

HOLY CRAP!!! That was Whoopi Goldberg!!!

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My sister snapped a quick cell phone picture and posted it on Facebook. My BiL, who was waiting in the airport at the time texted her and told her to tell Whoopi he loves Sister Act... but just the first one. :rotfl2::lmao:

Anyway, random story, but I just forgot to mention it when I did the update.
 
Well, it sounds like that day made up for the first night! How nice that the kids fell asleep so that you guys could ride BTMRR and Splash!

Love the Osbourne Lights photos! I have got to get there to see them for myself one of these days. (though after spending Christmas with both sides of the family, DH offered to let me plan a trip to WDW over Christmas eve/day next year. :lmao:)

What an awesome dance party! I hadn't ever heard of that either. Too bad you didn't get the pic of DS and Mickey rolling on the floor, but what an awesome memory for you all!

You should have let your sister ask at information where the ET ride was...:rotfl:
 
lol...Whoopie...awesome! :lmao:
It definitely took me by surprise!

Well, it sounds like that day made up for the first night! How nice that the kids fell asleep so that you guys could ride BTMRR and Splash!
It really did. It was a fantastic first day!

Love the Osbourne Lights photos! I have got to get there to see them for myself one of these days. (though after spending Christmas with both sides of the family, DH offered to let me plan a trip to WDW over Christmas eve/day next year. :lmao:)
I totally get where he's coming from and I think that is a fantastic idea!!!!:thumbsup2

What an awesome dance party! I hadn't ever heard of that either. Too bad you didn't get the pic of DS and Mickey rolling on the floor, but what an awesome memory for you all!
The dance party is really a nice feature. I definitely recommend checking it out, because while there's a decent crowd there, it is still a pretty good ratio of characters to kids to allow for some good interaction time.

You should have let your sister ask at information where the ET ride was...:rotfl:
:rotfl2: I was too floored by the question to even come up with a good response. That would have been great!!!

How cool is that? I loved Whoop in Ghost. Great job getting a photo.
:rotfl2: Thanks, but all I did was take it off of Sis' Facebook page. :rotfl:

:yay::yay: WHOOPIE!!!!!!! :yay::yay:


2010-05-07-WhoopiePie1_rect540.jpg
:lmao: I see what you did there! that's nice :thumbsup2 :rotfl:

Whoopi! That is so awesome!
Not necessarily the first character I'd expect to see wandering around Fantasyland... :rotfl2:
 
Following along! We were there the same time as you (actually even down to MK during the day on 12/2 and DHS in the evening!), its neat to see such a completely different perspective on the same day! Your kids are adorable.
 

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