“Let’s Bring It Back from the Beginning, Start from the Top!” A Nov 2017 TR COMPLETED 7/15/18

[Elizabeth Smith]

Day 6 Part 1 -- Yikes​

This morning started off like many others--waiting at the bus stop to be taken to the Magic Kingdom! Hooray. We lined up, because there was an actual line at the station and were fairly close to the front. The bus stops at POFQ are separated into 2 areas. There is the Magic Kindgom/Hollywood Studios stop, and the other stop for everything else.
We were all in a pretty orderly line, pretty much single file, as a matter of fact, when a group of people, a large family, walked right up to the front of the line. The attendant had left to go to the other station, but before she left she designated our line for MK and the area where this group was standing for DHS. So a woman in front of us was trying to ask what park the group was heading to and informed them that we were in the line for MK and that they were standing in the DHS line. They said, "No, we're going to Magic Kingdom." The woman in front of us said something to the effect of, "well, get in line, you're currently in the wrong spot." But they didn't move and when the bus came, they basically shoved their way on. This was annoying enough, but it got more awkward. The woman's husband started to yell at them. "Don't get on the bus! You cut in line!" And other things that I totally agreed with. One of the members of the rude group responded by saying, "there isn't a line." Yeah, we're all just standing like this because we like to. And they went ahead and got on the bus. There was not enough room on the bus for everyone who was in line, so this group of people kept others who had been waiting nicely from getting on the bus. And the bus driver was really awkward about it too. The ride to MK was like a family reunion with feuding cousins. So silent and uncomfortable and crowded. YIKES.

But even this disaster at the bus stop couldn't keep me down, because we were going to the Magic Kingdom!
We arrived in time to see the castle show from the edge of Tomorrowland. I couldn't see it well from our spot, but I was glad to finally catch it!
We headed straight to Space Mountain! Our plan was originally to just ride it's a small world before our breakfast reservation--more on that later--but we had 40 minutes before then so we figured we could hit up both!

So off to Fantasyland we went. . .



I even miss the smell of this ride. . .






And look, this time, the screen at the end actually had my name on it! yay!
small world is a total mood changer! I was a little soured by the bus stop situation, but I truly believe the multi-ethnic dolls made me re-evaluate my priorities. Harmony and peace, baby.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Ugh. I really hate when people do that. I truly think those people just want to be loud and rude so no one will want to actually confront them.

Glad you made it on the bus, though!

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Glad you made it on the bus, though!

We did make it on the bus, but had to stand while the jerks were able to sit. . . .

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Day 6 Part 2 -- Everything was Satisfactual​

Breakfast time! We scurried along from small world to a certain castle for a special "ADR."

We were a little tiny bit late, but we were still seated pretty much right away.

We sat by the big window and waited for our food. We had already made our selections months ahead of time and I was ready to cash in.
I ordered the croque madame and Jacob got the meat and cheese plate. Mine was super delicious, and the pastries that were brought likewise were VERY good.

Look how beautiful this dining room is!
I must say, in retrospect, even though we were on the dining plan, I don't think the price they were charging for breakfast at that time ($24 per plate) is really that bad. Well, maybe it is. I think my breakfast, not including the drink and pastries, would go for about $12 at most restaurants. Once you factor in the drink and the pastries, the theme park mark up, and the excellent decor, it makes sense.

Now, we headed for the Frontier for a very special fastpass on my favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom, Splash Mountain.


Maybe I would not have looked so excited if I knew just how wet we would get on the front row.


It truly felt like taking a fire hose to the face!
If you don't believe me, well . . .

I took a break in the restroom by the ride exit to dry my face with some paper towels and then we were ready for another adventure.

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Day 6 Part 3-- Just a Grown Man Holding Hands with a Duck​

While we were in Frontierland, we decided it was high time for Jacob to meet "his people," the Country Bears. He waited with excitement for the show to begin.

I really like the paintings of all the bears in the lobby area.
The CM giving the run down of the show was really funny. He pretended it was his first day on the job and read the information for the Carousel of Progress off of his hand. He "realized" this was not right and proceeded to introduce us to the Enchanted Tiki Room reading off his other hand. Finally he got it right and introduced us to the Country Bear Jamboree and read the information off of his leg. This was a really charming way to start the show.

Unfortunately, the audio was not really synced correctly and some of the bears came on stage early/late. Really sad, because otherwise it's a funny/classic show.
We decided then to make our way back to Fantasyland to finally meet my fav of the fab five, Donaldo.
But first, waiting in line. . .

There was a funny family of little boys in front of us. The parents kept apologizing to us about how rambunctious they were, but honestly, they were pretty well behaved, just excited. I thought it was cute.

We met Goofini first and he was so much fun. We talked about his stunts and how it is to work for Pete at the circus. We asked if he is given enough breaks and he very solemnly shook his head.

I think it's obvious how funny we found him.

Then we met Donald!

Jacob was really awkward suddenly and didn't know what to do with his hands. . . so he wound up holding hands with Donald! LOL.
We had a really good time at this meet and greet and I enjoyed being able to see the characters while waiting in line. It was fun to be able to see all the cute little kids meet them.
We then went to Big Top Souvenirs to get a little treat.

This was super delicious and Jacob and I shared it, as we did with most of our snacks. I think the rice krispie treats in Disney World are somehow better than all others, likely due to their Mickey head shape.
Sadly, tragedy would soon befall our delicious sweet.
On our way to Mickey's Philharmagic, we stopped to get a picture with a photopass photographer with no line.

Behind my back, while our photo was snapped, the remainder of our treat slipped out of my hand and onto the pavement.
I was able to pull myself together, and we went onward to Mickey's Philharmagic where I got a picture of one of the posters in the ride queue.

Mickey's Philharmagic was one of my most beloved memories of the last time I had been to WDW with my family. I remember being blown away by the smells and the 3D. Sadly, as with every other 3D show in WDW, it simply has not held up over time and so I would probably skip this next time. BUT no harm done, because it was only a little after 11:30 and we still had 2 more fastpasses to use!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

It truly felt like taking a fire hose to the face!
If you don't believe me, well . . .

Ha! Funny!

Unfortunately, the audio was not really synced correctly and some of the bears came on stage early/late. Really sad, because otherwise it's a funny/classic show.

That is sad. It's been awhile since we have done Country Bears but Disney shouldn't let it get that bad.

I think the rice krispie treats in Disney World are somehow better than all others, likely due to their Mickey head shape.

Seriously, they put something in them!!!! They taste soooo much better. Probably extra butter of something.

Behind my back, while our photo was snapped, the remainder of our treat slipped out of my hand and onto the pavement.

That is super sad.

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Day 6 Part 4 -- The Old Dream​

It was time for our next fastpass on what would become my husband's favorite ride, Haunted Mansion.

I love the queue and everything about it. All the interactive stuff in the queue and the details on the gravestones.

After nearly becoming the thousandth and the thousand-and-first happy haunts, we meandered through Liberty Square and came across a lovely surprise.

Mary did not have an attendant, but some nice guests offered to take our photo for us. I really don't remember much about this meet aside from the fact that the sky was beginning to look like rain.
From here, we moved on to our final fastpass. It was time for some princess redemption!


This Tiana was really cute and I enjoyed her sweet Louisiana twang. I can almost hear her sweet voice looking at this picture.

Now, for my favorite princess, Rapunzel! We had cancelled a BTMRR fastpass for THIS moment!

Rapunzel's personality was spot on. Here in this picture, she was asking if Jacob was my "new dream" which made me laugh. I replied, "naw, he's the old dream," and Jacob agreed saying, "We've been dreaming for over 2 years now."

Rapunzel cheerfully replied that it's most important that we're still dreaming. I concur.

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

That is sad. It's been awhile since we have done Country Bears but Disney shouldn't let it get that bad.

Yeah, it was really depressing because we had been looking forward to it a lot actually. . .

Seriously, they put something in them!!!! They taste soooo much better. Probably extra butter of something.

Mmmm. Butter makes everything better! Lol.

That is super sad.

Thank you for the sympathy! Lol.

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Day 6 Part 5 -- A Romantic Afternoon​

As we walked around after our princess meeting, a woman with an iPad stopped us and gave us a survey about our experience. We reviewed Frontierland quite highly, but took the opportunity to give feedback on the audio issues with Country Bear Jamboree, but also how much we enjoyed the cast member who operated it.

We decided now to make our way out of the park for a look at how the other half lives--a look at the resorts along the monorail line. (Besides, we had a dinner reservation at one of them, so it made sense.)
First stop on the line was the Contemporary.

We never left the building, but we walked around and looked at the shops. And we used the restroom, which was surprisingly dirty and not as good-smelling as the lobby bathroom at POFQ. (Bet you weren't expecting a bathroom review, huh?)

And I snapped some lovely pictures of Jacob with their Christmas display.

Next on the Monorail line was Polynesian BUT we would be headed back there for dinner, so we went ahead to the Grand Floridian.


We spent quite a bit more time here, perusing the shops. And we actually dared to go outside.

I enjoyed getting my feet in the sand.
We also dipped our feet in the pool.

We watched the children in the pool play a little game with the lifeguard and stayed there a long time, actually, just relaxing.
When we had our fill of that, we walked along the path to the Polynesian resort. This walk was really peaceful. I liked looking at the bricks along the path for the Grand Floridian's wedding pavilion with everyone's wedding dates.
We at last arrived at the Polynesian resort, with some time to spare before our reservation, of course, so we could do a little exploration.

We checked out the lobby.

And pretended to be rich bungalow owners.

We stayed on the beach a while and swung on one of the bench swings. This was so relaxing and also a little sad. I think in this moment, I was really trying to fight back thoughts of how our trip would soon be over.
Then we headed back inside as our 3:50 Ohana dining reservation approached.

Classic Elizabeth only took one picture inside, and it was not even of the food.

Nevertheless, I will give my Ohana review: It was delicious. I really enjoyed the bread and salad. The appetizers were great, especially the pot stickers. Obviously, my favorite part was desert, and we had 2 servings of the bread pudding. We were absolutely stuffed. Atmosphere was nice as well. The view out the window over Bay Lake was quite nice, and the soft musical stylings of the musician walking and playing the ukulele was really romantic, in both senses of the word. The service was just alright, but everything else was so special, it didn't matter.
This afternoon away from the parks was really magical and it was fun to just have a date in the middle of a vacation, especially since by this time, the parks were beginning to become quite crowded. . .

 

[motherof5]

Great pictures looks like you had a blast. Still new to this site need to figure out how to post pictures before my next vacation

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Day 6 Part 6 -- First "Viewing" of Happily Ever After​

After a fabulous and filling dinner at Ohana, we made our way via the monorail back to Magic Kingdom. When we re-entered the park to get ready for our first viewing of Happily Ever After fireworks, we made a stop to get some more Sorcerers of Magic Kingdom cards. We got a lecture about how we actually need to play the game before getting more cards, but they gave us some anyway. We stopped in the shops too to look at some Christmas displays.

And then we went ahead to actually play some Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom so we could get more cards later.

A photopass photographer was stationed by the play location. (I really don't know what to call it? The screen?)

While we were in Liberty Square, we decided to take a ride on the Liberty Belle Riverboat. I was surprised by a room inside the boat that had a lot of cool details in it.


All in all, a peaceful ride. Though, it was getting quite chilly out and I was beginning to regret wearing my shorts, even if they had Stitch on them.
We went to find more screens to play at and found the next stop on our map in Frontierland.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/JJyJuM]
No fancy photopass guy here to help us out, so I had to get this picture myself.
It was getting close to showtime (not really) and we decided to stake out our fireworks viewing location.

We thought this would be a perfect spot to view the fireworks. . .
And we sat there for about two hours to wait for the show to begin. I believe Jacob went and got us an ice cream sundae from the Plaza ice cream parlor while I waited, despite how cold it was. It took him a long time to make it back to me because it seemed like a lot of other people had the same idea.
While we waited for the show to start, people began crowding in the walkways. CMs would move them along the hub and around Main Street to keep them from blocking the path.
However, as we got closer to show time, the CMs gave up and suddenly, our great spot along the designated walk way was blocked by a massive herd of people. Made me feel really smart for camping out for 2 hours in the cold. . .

The show started. . . and people began hoisting their kids up to sit on their shoulders. Some more gutsy individuals yelled at them not to hold their kids up so high. . . but to no avail. I don't understand why people can't hold their kids on their hips against their side to see the show instead of on their shoulders. It wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the projections on the castle. But there is stuff to see all the way down close to the stage that gets blocked.
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The show ended and between the cold, feeling stupid for waiting so long, and the fact that Tink didn't fly, I was maybe a little bitter. But on the positive side, I really did enjoy the show and the projections that I could see were really neat. I quite liked the theme song and enjoyed the Hercules portion a lot because "I Can Go the Distance" is my favorite Disney song ever, probably.
Though it was late and cold, we weren't quite ready for the fun to stop, so after the fireworks, we power-walked against the flow of traffic back to a favorite attraction. . . [/url]

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Fighting the crowds to see the fireworks show is getting really bad and it really hinders your enjoyment of the show. Sorry you guys had a bad experience. I hope you guys recovered and got in some fun rides.

 

[Araminta18]

Bummer about the fireworks and the projections--I hate it when people put kids on their shoulders too, but it seems like there's nothing to be done.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is so fun! I love it!

 

[goopysolelady]

Well, I'm finally caught up! After Denise commented on WITW about your Trip Report, I decided to check it out and Elizabeth...we are truly "Disney sisters"! Our likes/dislikes/"happy moments/disappointments are "in tune"! I personally think late November is a PERFECT time for a trip; my original choice for our upcoming trip but just couldn't work it into DGD's schedules . I, too, LOVE the wooden TOY soldiers in the parade! The "clomp, clomp" sound they make is mesmerizing and "music to my ears"; IMO the School Bread is also "so-so"...tried it but won't have it again; Teppan Edo chefs are AWESOME and Plaza Ice Cream is a "must do" for me on EVERY trip. I also "become a child again" when I meet the characters; Goofy, Chip & Dale and Donald are my personal favorites but our Merida was top notch and I LOVED the Meet/Greet with Kylo Ren...had the BEST time "BSing" with him...and gotta LOVE Chewy! We're HUGE Star Wars fans and spent a lot of time in Launch Bay and Star Tours

Crystal Palace is always fun but we haven't been in years; Eeyore is my favorite there. He was my now deceased son-in-law's (youngest DD's husband) absolute favorite and gave us a special "autographed photo" the year we were there during one of his hospital stays. He passed away about 9 months later and giving him that photo from Eeyore is one of my favorite memories. His eyes lit up like light bulbs!

DD said the same thing you did about Navi River Journey; was beautiful but not "worth" a FP. She recommended we get in line for it after early EMH rope drop which we plan to do in July. I, too, LOVE IASW and you're right, you can't leave that attraction in a "bad mood"! Splash is another favorite but I just hate the idea of walking around WET for hours after. Since we'll be there in July this time maybe that won't be so bad! I think Prime Time is pretty much my favorite and I KNOW it offers my favorite dessert...the Chocolate Peanut Butter cake with ice cream and whipped cream ...to "die for" ; DD's favorite is the carrot cake which comes in a "close 2nd" for me behind this heavenly dessert...

TOTALLY agree with you on the walk between the GF and the Poly...the absolute BEST way to spend 10-15 minutes for some "quiet time". Then the aggravations ... had the same thing happen to us at ASM bus stop involving a group of teenagers. We were lucky enough to have a gentleman in line with us who "read them the riot act" and told them they should be ashamed of themselves...adding "if you EXPECT adults to respect YOU...YOU need to respect adults and mind your manners!" LOVED that man and we, along with others in line gave him a "round of applause"! The teenagers promptly moved to the back of the line with the "help" of a CM who heard what was going on. DH and I staked out our fireworks viewing spot on Main Street about 2 hours ahead of time (well...HE did while I shopped ) with the same results. Had a PERFECT view of the castle until some Dad placed his daughter on his shoulders right in front of us...they were "walkups" elbowing their way in.

Beautiful couple and loved your "brother stories" ; we ALWAYS go through that. The most "trying" trip was when we traveled with DGD's soccer team and were responsible for 10-12 young ladies! Special memories for all of us. So enjoyed your report so far and look forward to the conclusion...

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

He was my now deceased son-in-law's (youngest DD's husband) absolute favorite and gave us a special "autographed photo" the year we were there during one of his hospital stays.

Wow. What a treasure. It's the little things like that that make WDW so special.

.the Chocolate Peanut Butter cake with ice cream and whipped cream ...to "die for" ; DD's favorite is the carrot cake which comes in a "close 2nd" for me behind this heavenly dessert...

OH my. That does look GOOD. Makes me want to go back and get a mulligan on my dessert right now.

Beautiful couple and loved your "brother stories

Thank you so much. You and your husband look really sweet as well in your Star Wars pictures.

So enjoyed your report so far and look forward to the conclusion...

Thank you for stopping by Karolyn! I appreciate you reading through and coming over from WITW.

Fighting the crowds to see the fireworks show is getting really bad and it really hinders your enjoyment of the show. Sorry you guys had a bad experience. I hope you guys recovered and got in some fun rides.

It's alright, but a definite lesson learned. No point in camping out so early just to have your view blocked.

Bummer about the fireworks and the projections--I hate it when people put kids on their shoulders too, but it seems like there's nothing to be done.

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom is so fun! I love it!

Yeah, even if there was a safety policy against putting kids on shoulders or something, there's no way CMs could weave through that crown and make them stop.

Glad someone else appreciates SotMK. I love the look of the cards and the maps so much!

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

Day 6 Part 7 -- I Could be a Happy Haunt ​

After the fireworks we made a mad dash toward Liberty Square for another spin on Haunted Mansion.

Spooky stuff. But I can tell you now that the wait was NOT scary. We were the only people heading that way it seemed and just about had the stretching room to ourselves. As much as I was beginning to wish that we would get to join those happy haunts, we made it out of the clutches of those grim grinning ghosts.
We decided to make our way into Fantasyland and had the good fortune to catch the Tangled lantern photopass with not much of a wait at all. Or so we thought. A group ahead of us was being pretty demanding and seemed to need to get a photo of every possible combination of people. But it was our turn soon enough.


What would we do now that we were back in Fantasyland? Well, there were some lovely ladies we had yet to meet, and with no line, we figured, why not?

I've kind of grown out of watching Disney Jr. here recently, so I don't know much about Elena, which she could probably guess. So she asked me about the flowers on my ears and if they were fresh picked. I told her they came from the gardens of Hobby Lobby, which she smiled at, but didn't break character.

I liked her well enough, but still had to wait to get to meet Cindy. Cindy seems like a real talker and show boat, but I mean, I guess she deserves it since its her castle and all.

We kept it moving from here and somehow made it into Tomorrowland. We decided to give Space Ranger Spin another. . . spin.

We both did much better this time, which I think you can tell by my look of determination and the tongue sticking out of my mouth.
At this point, we were both wilting and the park was nearly closing. Apparently we still had time for a little shopping, judging by the bag in my hand in this last picture we snagged on our way out of the park.

Pretty sure I was able to catch Once Upon a Time projection show on the castle while Jacob stayed in the Emporium to check out with whatever we had purchased.
We were getting to bed late, but nonetheless would be back at it again for rope drop at Epcot in the morning and some serious park hopping.

Thanks to my readers for being patient with my updates. Selfishly, I feel like kind of savoring these last days. It's been fun reliving the trip and am getting sad that it's almost over. I've been really fantasizing about our next trip and when we might go again. We are considering January 2019, but I'm trying to find a new job, so I'm not sure what my vacation time will look like at that point. If I'm still at my current job, I know we'll be hard pressed to go in January because our time off is accrued, but also cannot roll over from one year to the next. UGH.
Thanks again for reading, commenting, and liking these posts. It's been so much fun.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Spooky stuff. But I can tell you now that the wait was NOT scary. We were the only people heading that way it seemed and just about had the stretching room to ourselves.

Was it scarier being by yourselves? Or was it just weird.

We decided to make our way into Fantasyland and had the good fortune to catch the Tangled lantern photopass with not much of a wait at all.

That is good fortune, kind of makes up for your wit for fireworks. People do wait a long time to get that photo. I will need to try and remember to try and find this during the fireworks next time!

Thanks to my readers for being patient with my updates. Selfishly, I feel like kind of savoring these last days. It's been fun reliving the trip and am getting sad that it's almost over. I've been really fantasizing about our next trip and when we might go again. We are considering January 2019, but I'm trying to find a new job, so I'm not sure what my vacation time will look like at that poin

We are all planning in our head our next trip. I think we aren't going until March of 2019. I want it to be a little warmer next time and I think I want to see Flower & Garden. Plan away in our head! I am!

 

[Elizabeth Smith]

A note to my readers:

Sorry I've been MIA. I've been procrastinating on releasing the last several updates because I'm getting bummed about not having another trip planned right now. Also, I was preparing for my first trip to London, England, which happened in June. After I got back from London, I drove to visit my parents in Cincy for the weekend and to pick up my puppy, who they had been watching for me. And when I got back home from Cincinnati, my apartment had been robbed and my laptop stolen. So that put another delay on releasing updates. The good news is that all the photos I wanted to use for my TR are backed up on Flickr, so I'll still be able to finish the report. I just got a new laptop yesterday and so should be able to finish my report soon.

But again, I am so sorry for being slow in finishing this. I'll be surprised if I even have any readers left by the time I finish the last updates, but I appreciate you all. Hopefully it won't be long before I have another trip to share.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Oh no, that's horrible about the robbery! I hope you had a good trip to London though!

 

[Araminta18]

Oh no! I'm so sorry--that absolutely sucks!! Hopefully London was good, and don't worry, we're all here no matter when you continue. We're patient.