Weird and Ninja Shout Out to You! (updated on 7/14)

[beckyx3]

I'm here and all caught up

I absolutely know how you feel about your job. I'm currently in a similar situation, but they pay for me to get a degree so I'm not comfortable leaving yet. I'm really glad it worked out so well for you and it helped you find your place. I hope the same happens for me!

I know how you feel about planes. I have really bad anxiety when I fly, no motion sickness though so that's a plus! My mom always says that if you want to go anywhere good you'll have to fly, so I guess it's a good way to look at it.

Chicfila is a great choice! We have one a few miles away, but I only ever think about getting it on sundays...and it's always closed!

AOA! We're staying there in September, I'm so excited! I love how close you are to the bridge. We liked flipping between the POP food court and AOA the last few times we stayed at POP. It's so convenient.

I LOVE hanging out at the Poly. It's just so fun and relaxing, great choice for your first night.

Howard's pictures are beautiful! He has a really great eye. He also has a really great eye for bows!

How cute is Wendy, I would love to see her walking around.'

Great updates! Can't wait to read more!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

It's nice to see you back!

I LOVE all of your pictures from around the hub! The Partners statue was boxed during our last trip, so I look forward to seeing it again on my next trip. I also love the miniature statues of the characters!

It's too bad that you didn't like the citrus swirl. I've yet to try one (and meant to on my last trip, but it was not to be). I hope you managed to find another treat that you liked better!

 

[blklotus]

Just started following along and thought I'd say hi! I'm excited to read the rest of your TR, and sent you a follow request on Twitter too!

 

[RachelNinja]

I'm here and all caught up

I absolutely know how you feel about your job. I'm currently in a similar situation, but they pay for me to get a degree so I'm not comfortable leaving yet. I'm really glad it worked out so well for you and it helped you find your place. I hope the same happens for me!

I know how you feel about planes. I have really bad anxiety when I fly, no motion sickness though so that's a plus! My mom always says that if you want to go anywhere good you'll have to fly, so I guess it's a good way to look at it.

Chicfila is a great choice! We have one a few miles away, but I only ever think about getting it on sundays...and it's always closed!

AOA! We're staying there in September, I'm so excited! I love how close you are to the bridge. We liked flipping between the POP food court and AOA the last few times we stayed at POP. It's so convenient.

I LOVE hanging out at the Poly. It's just so fun and relaxing, great choice for your first night.

Howard's pictures are beautiful! He has a really great eye. He also has a really great eye for bows!

How cute is Wendy, I would love to see her walking around.'

Great updates! Can't wait to read more!

I was so comfortable where I was and didn't want to do anything else. But then when things got bad, it just FORCED me to get out of my comfort zone. And it really did help me understand where I had to be. Even though I basically lost a year of being paid full-time, I at least know what I was called to do!

We want to go to Disneyland eventually, but that means I'll have to deal with an even longer plane ride! I'm definitely going to have to find things to distract myself during the duration of the flight.

I remember when we first heard about visiting the resorts; I thought it was going to be awkward! Of course, now that we've done it a bunch of times, it seems so normal. I'm so glad that it's so easy to get a taste of the other resorts (especially the expensive ones!) by enjoying the restaurants! There's still a big part of my heart that adores Pop and AoA though!

Thanks! He's really been working on his photography, so I guess since I've been around it so much that I just couldn't help but be interested in it too.

It's nice to see you back!

I LOVE all of your pictures from around the hub! The Partners statue was boxed during our last trip, so I look forward to seeing it again on my next trip. I also love the miniature statues of the characters!

It's too bad that you didn't like the citrus swirl. I've yet to try one (and meant to on my last trip, but it was not to be). I hope you managed to find another treat that you liked better!

Thank you! Now that school is over, I can relax by writing some more updates. I would LOVE to be able to enjoy a longer trip at WDW to really examine and photograph all the details like the statues. During our regular vacations, I still have the mentality that we have to get through things quickly to move on to the next thing to experience it all.

I'll keep trying treats at WDW, haha. It's great that there are so many options!

Just started following along and thought I'd say hi! I'm excited to read the rest of your TR, and sent you a follow request on Twitter too!

Oh yay! I'm so glad you're following along! I saw the Twitter/IG requests so I'm glad we can be friends there too

 

[RachelNinja]

"Daddy, I Love Him!"

The 2014-2015 school year is finally over! Man, it is such a relief. As much as I absolutely love my job, once we hit the month of May, it's a countdown to the end. My kids were done once they finished their state tests back in April, so it's been a struggle trying to keep their easily distracted minds focused on the task at hand.

Last week we had Field Day and then a middle school celebration (we had a fried chicken party with all the fixings and then we walked to a nearby Dunkin' Donuts!). Then Thursday was the Pre-K and kindergarten graduation, which ended early so a bunch of us teachers headed to Applebee's for lunch since both lunch period teachers rarely all eat together. Then Friday was the 8th grade graduation, which was a bit stressful for me since this year the director of the school asked me to prepare and give the introductions to the salutatorian and co-valedictorians on top of my regular subject awards. Afterwards, we had the luncheon at a local venue. Normally, that's the end of our year, but our new headmaster wanted to have two close-out days this past Monday and Tuesday, so we cleaned up our rooms and had our end-of-year evaluations and an idea of next year's tentative assignments.

I have lofty plans for this summer in terms of fixing up my lesson plans and redoing some of my notes on the novels I teach and coming up with new projects. I'd also like to write more since I haven't written on my blog in a while. It's nothing earth-shattering, but I just like having a record of what's going on in my life. Taking some time to craft would also be really therapeutic for me because it's been a while since I've done anything with the ton of paper I have and my supplies! There's no Disney in the plans at this point, but Howard and I will be heading to Lancaster at some point this summer for a short road trip. And it wouldn't be summer if I didn't have plans to actually get down and clean the apartment. Hopefully, I can get some of these things done so that I don't feel guilty at the end of August! I would also like to have a less stressful 2015-2016 school year, and doing some preparation in the summer will make it easier.

With the abundance of time I have and the fact that I'm taking it easy today having had to take some Tylenol for some pain, I'm going to write some updates here! I did already do the dishes that have been piling in the sink and also unloaded one of the huge bags I brought back home from school, so at least I did have some moments of being rather productive today!

Now back to some memories of DISNEY WORLD!

After a brief glimpse of Wendy, we continued our way to New Fantasyland to ride Under the Sea: Journey of The Little Mermaid!



Years ago before I really started reading about Disney and all that the Imagineers have done to make the place so magical, I don't think I would have noticed the forced perspective! I think I just accepted it as what it was without thinking about the actual size and scale of the buildings.



VIDEO: Magic Band-ing Little Mermaid

After being amazed at Mickey-to-Mickey Magic Band beginning (it STILL fascinates me even though it does mean that Disney is WATCHING and TRACKING us, haha), I got to see my favorite - ride vehicles! Though I would probably never understand all the mechanics, the basics of a vehicle moving along a track entertains me greatly.



Do you ever think about how Disney characters make somewhat annoying animals endearing? I mean, I'm not a fan of seagulls and the way they so expertly swoop down in what feels like an attack on humanity, haha. But Scuttle seems to make everything better for the time being!



It's only because Howard took this picture that I realized that there's a snarfblat in the box!



It might make me lose some of my Disney fan status, but I haven't seen The Little Mermaid in a really long time. As a kid, we had a VHS copy of the movie that had a little bit missing because either my brother or I accidentally pressed record when it was in the player, haha. Oh how times have changed with DVDs and blu-rays now! However, when we rode this for the first time, I was in such awe! All the details! Seeing a movie of my childhood brought to life! It was incredible!



I think it was the fact that I was experiencing something new for the first time in a long time since I can't remember a time when I didn't go to WDW to ride Peter Pan or IASW. That's why I absolutely love going to the parks with newbies! It's as if I get to see it all for the first time through their eyes too!



And as we use our eyes to enjoy all the sights around us, this statue of Prince Eric uses its eyes to follow us ... am I the only one who feels that way when passing by?



Time to head into the best scene of the entire ride! When you stop to actually look around, we're just in one big room and circling around the perimeter of it, but because of how the clamshell moves to focus on certain aspects of it, it feels so involved and detailed. I know that now they added some extra fish and more colors, but I didn't mind how it looked beforehand. I'm one of those people who enjoys looking above and being reminded that we are just in a room!



It was only recently that I realized there were seahorses on the tentacles of this octopus!



Can't you just hear the music right now?



These guys remind me of the creepy ghosts that pop out from behind the tombstones in the Haunted Mansion!



As we were halfway through the room, our vehicle stopped! You can see it in the video below just how excited I was. Howard snapped these two pictures of Ariel as I kept recording.





VIDEO: Under the Sea

Then I decided to stop the camera and attempt a picture too. The quality is obviously subpar in comparison to Howard's, but I still like that it documents the moment of excitement when a ride stops for a moment!



VIDEO: Back Under the Sea

Can you see the speckles on this guy? Instead of just having plain ol' purple, it definitely looks more realistic (as realistic as a cartoon fish can look). Details!



Since I haven't seen this movie in so long, I actually said to Howard that Flotsam's and Jetsam's eyes were broken. Haha. I was wrong. He was like, "They're supposed to be like that ..."





The first time I saw Ursula, I leaned back in the clamshell a tiny bit! I love these shots that Howard gets because he has been working on his dark ride photography. I attempted some shots in April with the old camera, and I failed. He said it had a lot to do with the gear itself, but I also realized that I'm not too big on working on learning about the right settings to get these shots. I know he'll get them or work to get them! Haha, and then I can just use them for my trip reports!







Definitely one of my favorites!



If you've seen the changes on the ride, you also know that Ariel's hair was changed. Which do you prefer? I actually like the plastic hair. It seems more like the cartoon!





And now it's time to celebrate!



Sebastian!



Reminds me of my days in the marching band!



Triton's hands are creepy. It looks as if he can easily strangle someone with just one hand.





How adorable is it that Flounder waves?



Ariel and Prince Eric, on the other hand, are not as adorable. There's something really odd about the way they look here that I don't particularly like!



Scuttle seems to have fallen asleep.



And with that, the ride was over and I got to admire the tracks again!

​

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

I really enjoy the Little Mermaid Ride. I think it will be a classic through the years and has lots of great details! There are so many little things around you that make Disney World magical and most of them you don't even notice. I like to try to take a moment and pay attention.

 

[RachelNinja]

I really enjoy the Little Mermaid Ride. I think it will be a classic through the years and has lots of great details! There are so many little things around you that make Disney World magical and most of them you don't even notice. I like to try to take a moment and pay attention.

The quality of this dark ride is so much more advanced than the other Fantasyland dark rides, but I don't even think that's why I loved it so much. It just really feels so magical being fully immersed in the movies we all knew as kids! I can't wait for my kiddies to experience it themselves.

 

[RachelNinja]

The Tremaines Don't Like Photobombers!

As we exited The Little Mermaid and looked around for where to go next, we decided to take a look in Big Top Souvenirs. During the trip, I was very into trading pins, so I was willing to walk anywhere to take a peek at what the CMs might have or if there were any pin boards, bears, shields, or popcorn buckets. It's interesting how even when I have all my pins with me, sometimes I just have trips where I don't want to bother. I like having the option though. I'm sure it's related to heat levels!



Clearly, I was not very attentive to detailing since I was on the lookout for pins because I didn't know that they had this circus decor! When I was going through Howard's pictures, I was like, "There are rings and the trapeze bars!" Every time I see things that I didn't notice in real life, it makes me want to go back more so I can see it with my eyes!



Disney could have so easily just set up counters with registers. Instead, they set up little train cars! How adorable! Can I just say randomly that I love their shopping baskets too? I don't know that I've ever used one since we don't really do shopping when we're in the parks, but they're so sturdy and seem so much cleaner than the shopping baskets I grab at the grocery store. If I'm stopping by at a supermarket after work, I usually take a basket so I can maneuver in and out of the aisles faster, but sometimes I have to go through a bunch to find one that isn't entirely gross and grimy!



It's Lambert! And no, I did not know that. Howard had to tell me about three times! His love for Disney stems from the movies and animation whereas I'm addicted because of all the times I've been to the parks with my family.



We left the shop and started watching these two fellas because they walked out of a door, which meant they were working on Seven Dwarfs Mine train! We stalked them for a little bit because they were like, celebrities in our eyes, haha.



After following those burly men for a bit, we continued our walk and had a great view of another character interaction. Howard captured it on camera as this couple was looking at their map when Lady Tremaine slowly walked up behind them.



Out of nowhere, she just made a comment to the girl, and it completely surprised them!





Those classic color combos, haha.



Then as she was walking away, the boys in the back decided that they'd jump into the picture and photobomb because, you know, that makes them oh-so-cool. I get that sometimes it just happens that you're in the back of someone's picture so you stick your head or make a funny face or smile looking directly at the lens. But there was something just SO obnoxious about the way that kid did it that Drizella saw it and pointed out that that was so rude! Then Anastasia said that they didn't have manners and you can see even in the video below that she kind of shooed them away.



VIDEO: Tremaines Dislike Photobombers!

With the lower crowds, we figured we had done a lot already and could take a break to charge our stuff near the Tangled restrooms. I asked Howard to snap a picture of the pins I had on my lanyard that I had just "reset" with traders. I look back at them and see the ones I was so excited to get on past trips like the Darkwing Duck one and the Stitch paint can, but eventually I see other ones I like more and end up trading those away!



Time to charge our stuff!

​

 

[marDgreen88]

Ahhh the Little Mermaid ride. I'm fascinated by those clam shells too! I always look at the green lights on the one in front of me at certain parts of the ride. It's just so interesting!

I love when characters interact with people when just passing by. So fun!

And I'm in agreement with you about photobombing. Purposefully going out of your way to ruin someone's picture is just ridiculous. Good for those Tremaines for shooing them hahah.

 

[RachelNinja]

Ahhh the Little Mermaid ride. I'm fascinated by those clam shells too! I always look at the green lights on the one in front of me at certain parts of the ride. It's just so interesting!

I love when characters interact with people when just passing by. So fun!

And I'm in agreement with you about photobombing. Purposefully going out of your way to ruin someone's picture is just ridiculous. Good for those Tremaines for shooing them hahah.

I love seeing how the ride vehicles trigger certain things on rides. I usually pay attention on Living with the Land because I like seeing when the "garage door" things open up before entering the greenhouse! Though I know I'll never want to know all the details behind how it all works because I'm sure I won't understand it, I still just enjoy seeing it in action.

RIGHT?! I mean, I'm all for seeing a funny face in the background of a picture or someone looking directly at your lens when you don't realize they're in the shot, but that boy was just so obnoxious about it! It's stupidity like that that makes me wonder why they are even in Disney World. I mean, would they do that if a dad was trying to get a picture of the characters or with his family? Was it just because Howard was a younger photographer? That kind of stuff bugs me.

 

[Fantasia79]

Caught up!!! Allergic to Pineapple Dole Whip???!!?? That's terrible! I'd be out lookng for a support group.

The quality of your ride photos is just amazing!!! Totally teriffic.

Photobomb kid...wow. Some people will just do anything to get attention, and not even think about what could've happend to a kids' experience. Glad the character was so professional to play off of it and in character too! Talk about what could be a sour moment into Disney Magic.

I really enjoyed the video of you guys walking through Liberty Square for three reasons:

1. Totally one of my favorite areas of WDW.
2. The negotiating of walking the parks and passing slower walkers/coming up with lanes to pass people.
3. New Yorkers clearly trying to walk slower because they're on vacation and it's not working.

It's funny, we try to hide our regional stereotypes, and they just come out.

You gotta get a portable charger. Best money I've spent for trips. About $20 online.

 

[RachelNinja]

Caught up!!! Allergic to Pineapple Dole Whip???!!?? That's terrible! I'd be out lookng for a support group.

The quality of your ride photos is just amazing!!! Totally teriffic.

Photobomb kid...wow. Some people will just do anything to get attention, and not even think about what could've happend to a kids' experience. Glad the character was so professional to play off of it and in character too! Talk about what could be a sour moment into Disney Magic.

I really enjoyed the video of you guys walking through Liberty Square for three reasons:

1. Totally one of my favorite areas of WDW.
2. The negotiating of walking the parks and passing slower walkers/coming up with lanes to pass people.
3. New Yorkers clearly trying to walk slower because they're on vacation and it's not working.

It's funny, we try to hide our regional stereotypes, and they just come out.

You gotta get a portable charger. Best money I've spent for trips. About $20 online.

I almost needed one! Since I had more than one reaction to pineapple, it was a little easier to stay away. That feeling of my throat closing up was not something I'd want to experience again! I do think about having a SMALL taste of Dole Whip every once in a while though ...

Thanks! The ride photos are all Howard's though. I just appreciate the fact that I can use 'em all in my TRs, haha.

It really was so rude! "Sour" is the perfect way to describe it because although I don't think it truly ruined the moment, it just took away some of the sweetness of the experience.

HAHA, I went back and watched the video and totally see where I was being a New Yorker. We really were trying to take it easy; it's hilarious that you were able to detect that. I don't even think we were in that much of a rush because it was definitely not going to take 15 minutes to get to our destination, but we don't mosey much here. Slipping by people is something I tend to do often, and Howard sometimes has to tell me to stop doing it, haha.

I have one now! Howard bought me a power bank this past Christmas! My old iPhone died on me a few times, and I could restart it without hooking it up to a power source. Since it occurred when I was out of the house, I really wanted to buy one because I don't like driving home from work or running errands without my phone by my side in case of emergencies. I'm so glad I have one now so that we don't have to stop to charge our phones! I still appreciate those charging stations though for my digital camera battery that runs out quickly if I'm taking video, but now I use a DSLR too so our need to stop might dissipate entirely!

 

[RachelNinja]

Frontierland Hoedown

It's funny just how much you get to see when you are more nonchalant about your daily touring. If I were a kid with my parents, I know that we would've been slightly annoyed that the Frontierland Hoedown was making it difficult to get through to Splash Mountain or Thunder Mountain. I know, I know. These kind of things are what make Disney parks so much more magical than any other theme park. However, my dad is not someone who appreciated this kind of magic! That's why I was always so set on hitting as many attractions as possible. Even when I was with Howard the first few times, I was forced to learn how to be patient with his need to take pictures of everything when I just wanted to go go go! But I have learned, and I have mellowed out, haha.

And by mellowed out, I mean I can kind of enjoy the hoedown as long as I'm not too close to the characters from Country Bear Jamboree!



Brer Rabbit is okay. He looks like he could be a buddy albeit a mischievous one.



Even Brer Bear looks to be an adorable fella even though his size is a bit on the intimidating side.



But these bears? Keep me far away! I'm well aware that there's a fan base for all things Country Bear, but I stay far away. My main issue with them has actually nothing to do with bears. It has to do with the fact that they allow a buffalo to stay on their wall and TALK. For all of my long time Disboards friends, you have heard it many times before. I HATE BUFFALO. They have those beady eyes that peer out from all that fur! I've gone in depth over my utter hatred of buffalo and where it might have originated, but CBJ is one of those things that might have been the cause. Because of that, I have transferred my dislike to those bears too. I also can't be the only one who thinks that some of them are a little bit more ... uh, interesting-looking than the others.



I tried to avert my eyes though and really enjoyed watching the CMs who were clearly loving their job!



I always like seeing the CM costumes. When Disney buddies get accepted into the College Program or become CMs, I tend to pay special attention to the costuming and think about what it must feel like to wear it especially if it's really large or boxy or if it's something that looks like it would retain a lot of heat especially in the summer. However, when I'm in the parks, I seem to be blinded by all the fun and don't notice the costumes as much. I guess that just goes to show how perfectly they fit in the land or attraction they are in! Pictures, however, do cause me to take a second or third glance. This time, I noticed that the pants on the girl are pretty high up on her waist, which makes sense because I know Disney wouldn't want low waisted pants.



The villainous birds of Frontierland don't look very amused with the dancing or costuming.



Howard and I continued our walk through Frontierland, and I had to take a sad picture in front of the FP machines that were covered up. As with all things, I was disappointed in hearing about the change with the FP+ and Magic Bands. During this trip, I really grew to love them because of the fact that we could schedule FP later in the day without having to cross the parks over and over again. But that was also because we were vacationing in January when crowds were low and we could easily handle the shorter wait times. I really missed being able to grab FP to the SAME ride over and over again whether it was Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin or BTMRR. Because Howard and I don't go on all the thrill rides in the parks, sometimes we schedule FP just for the sake of having the 3 that we're allowed to have when instead, we would rather book 3 of the same! I totally understand wanting to evenly distribute the riding opportunities like with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but why can't I enjoy more than one ride on BTMRR during peak season?! Why must I be forced to ride it in the morning or at night if I want to experience it again and again? That's the main reason why I dislike the new system. If we are only going to be in each park for one day, I want to enjoy my favorites more than once or twice since it'll probably be another year before I return!



We popped into the Briar Patch shop, and I had HOward take a picture that I think I attempted a few years ago with my small point and shoot. The little scenes make it seem as if the little critters live there when we're not around, but the small Pooh bear that's kind of caged up is kind of funny! I wonder if that was something added in by a CM.



Another detail shot! I guarantee I never noticed this as a kid ... haha. I can't wait to point out these things to our own little ones! I was a fairly observant child. Even to this day, my mom and I will notice the same things when we're just passengers in a car because she taught me how to just watch what was going on outside and stay occupied that way during the long drive from NY to FL since it was the time before handheld devices and DVD players in the car. But if I was anywhere near Splash Mountain during our childhood trips to Disney, I was with my dad since my mom didn't ride things like that. And as I said above, if I was with my dad, everything was a great big rush!



There was no rush to get here though as the ride was shut down for repairs. I was fascinated with the track, of course. Look at all the scaffolding too!



And the speakers in the rocks!



Seeing this dry makes me wonder how parents let their kids stick their little hands in the water. I mean, they say it over and over again that all hands should remain in the ride vehicles at all times, but I know I'm not the only one who has seen people disobey the rules!



After a walk around Frontierland (I have no recollection as to whether we actually rode anything at that time!), we decided it was time to walk right down the middle of another street instead!​

 

[Curiouser&curiouser!]

The pictures of Frontierland seem particularly vibrant today! I don't know why, but I love them.

Over the years we have gotten much better at no rushing all over the place (though I will admit we don't always succeed). And we find that some of our most precious memories tend to end up from those moments in between!

 

[MEK]

Yay for being done school. I hope you are able to revise your lesson plans as you hope to. But even if you never get around to that, you have done a great job with your last few updates. All the pictures are wonderful, especially the little mermaid pics. They are beautiful!

I haven't been over to Story book circus in awhile, so I enjoyed those pics and, of course, who doesn't love Splash???

 

[marDgreen88]

I tend to do a mix of rushing and wandering, depending on which point of the trip it is. Haha. I do love looking for those Disney details though.

I had a little laugh at your buffalo rant. Sorry!

Boooo, closed Splash Mountain is a sad sad sight. Good point about the hands in the water thing. It's a wonder there aren't incidents every day! Yikes.

 

[Cando86]

I LOVE all those details you caught with your camera! Wow - really makes you appreciate Disney even more!!

And I have to say...I completely agree with you on the Bears from CBJ...just creepy

Looking forward to more!

 

[blklotus]

I really missed being able to grab FP to the SAME ride over and over again whether it was Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin or BTMRR. Because Howard and I don't go on all the thrill rides in the parks, sometimes we schedule FP just for the sake of having the 3 that we're allowed to have when instead, we would rather book 3 of the same! I totally understand wanting to evenly distribute the riding opportunities like with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but why can't I enjoy more than one ride on BTMRR during peak season?! Why must I be forced to ride it in the morning or at night if I want to experience it again and again? That's the main reason why I dislike the new system. If we are only going to be in each park for one day, I want to enjoy my favorites more than once or twice since it'll probably be another year before I return!

I totally agree with this! I always seem to grab one or two FPs that I really, really want and then the third is always kind of a throw-away FP because I can't get a second FP for the same ride. It's a dilemma!

 

[Fantasia79]

Wonderful new instalment!

To Pooh Bear in the briar patch is excellent! I really love all the details you guys find!

Ugh, summer lesson plans. I'm teaching AP Music Theory next year, I haven't taught it for 8 years, but taught it for my first 6 years. Brought the books home, well, into the garage. We'll see if they make it in the house anytime soon. Totally feel your pain.

 

[cdhale]

Awesome pictures and videos!! I'm just looking at them at work thinking... I'll be there in 23 days! Thanks for the great trip report!