*1/3 New Trip Report* Pole Dancing and Food Porn

[shannn]

yay! great updates! love the awesome pics! keep 'em coming!

Thanks. I haven't really looked at the pictures closely before now, so I'm only letting myself look at them as I post them. It's been fun to relive the trip!

Great updates, I also graduated in 88.....
Sam is quite a photographer. I just bought the D60 and am learning...
I really want to go at Halloween now.

Halloween at Disney is the best!! We're thinking spring next time, but I don't see how I can give up my fall trip!

Sam just got his camera at the beginning of the summer, but he's really enjoying learning about it. He's bought all kinds of lenses and a tripod and he wants to take a class.

Those UP characters are adorable! Great update. Can't wait to hear about 50's Prime Time!

I'm also glad to read someone honestly say TSMM is worth the rush and the hype. I've been skeptical about the whole having the rush the FP line and try and beat everyone...Guess I'll be reconsidering!

The UP characters are sooo cute! I really thought TSMM was amazing. You should try it!

LOVE the Star Wars shirts!! And what great character interactions!! We didn't ride TSMM on our trip--looks like we need to do it next time!!

Aren't those shirts precious?? We really enjoyed TSMM. You should give it a try.

 

[shannn]

Shann, could you try to explain what makes TSMM so awesome? It doesn't sound like the sort of thing my party would be interested in riding more than once (all of us are adults and none of us are really into Toy Story or video games), but it's so popular that I'm wondering if I should incorporate it into my touring plan twice.
Thanks!

It's hard to explain what's so cool about it. It's like being in the middle of an old-fashioned carnival. The shooting part is so much better than Buzz, if you've ever ridden that.

I would put it in the touring plan once earlier in the morning so that if y'all decide that you want to ride again it will be easier to go grab fast passes after you get off like we did. It worked pretty well and it would give you the option.

 

[manntra]

What a great update! I loved the shirts and the Princess Leia hair! So cute! And it is adorable the way Lily hugs the characters! She must have been so excited!
TSM is so much fun isn't it! Your kids will love the game for the Wii...I bought it before we went this last trip (and no, it didn't help my scoring for the real thing! ) Heck--I even have an app on my iPhone!
Looking forward to see if you got in trouble at PTC!

Tracy

 

[shannn]

Hey girl! I got all caught up tonight and love to have a picture of the lady behind the name! You make me laugh and I love the way you write! Can't wait for more and I need to finish mine before I start the next one! Pressure!!!

Dawn!!
I'm glad you followed me here and to Anita's report too. (Should I feel flattered or stalked? ) Can you see that same spark in Morgan's eyes?? Maybe that's why I love the mischievous ones!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Hi Shannon!
The kid's etsy shirts were just perfect for the studios! Love em!!
We have the TSM game for our wii and just let me say, be prepared for an arm ache! It's sooo much fun, but your arm will get sooo tired!
I have the app on my iphone too!

December trips are getting closer!

 

[Dizneydawn]

Dawn!!
I'm glad you followed me here and to Anita's report too. (Should I feel flattered or stalked? )

You say Tomato - I say Toe-ma-toe!

 

[praisehisname]

Love the Up! characters! I hope we can see them!

Denise

 

[shannn]

What a great update! I loved the shirts and the Princess Leia hair! So cute! And it is adorable the way Lily hugs the characters! She must have been so excited!
TSM is so much fun isn't it! Your kids will love the game for the Wii...I bought it before we went this last trip (and no, it didn't help my scoring for the real thing! ) Heck--I even have an app on my iPhone!
Looking forward to see if you got in trouble at PTC!

Tracy

Thanks. I loved the shirts, although the hair didn't make it through the whole day. Lily is the huggiest kid. It is really cute how she hugs the characters, although annoying when you're trying to take pictures and all you get is her backside!

Hi Shannon!
The kid's etsy shirts were just perfect for the studios! Love em!!
We have the TSM game for our wii and just let me say, be prepared for an arm ache! It's sooo much fun, but your arm will get sooo tired!
I have the app on my iphone too!

December trips are getting closer!

Two votes for the Wii game and the iphone game! I'm thinking I'm going to have to add to Santa's list for the kids and go search the app store for me!

I can't believe that I can now say I'm going back to Disney next month!! (although it's a surprise so I can only say it here!)

Love the Up! characters! I hope we can see them!

Denise

The UP characters were adorable. I'm glad we got to meet them. I didn't even know about that character area last time we were there!

 

[shannn]

So, after an eventful weekend in not the way we planned, we're back. We went to Homecoming at the Clemson (our alma mater) to participate in alumni band. We ended up at the emergency room all day! Lily fell in the stadium before the game even started and now has 3 stitches in her forehead. Quite a day!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyway, on to 50's Prime Time. We checked in at 12:10 (our ADR was 12:15). This was one of our longest waits as we were seated about 12:25. It was okay since it was air-conditioned and we got to check out the 50's themed waiting area.

When we got to the table, Sam discovered an amazing thing ~~ they had sweet tea!! He was so happy, and we all agreed that of course mom would have sweet tea. Our server was nothing special. Of course, she called us cousins and told us to keep our elbows off the table, but that was pretty much it. We actually kept a little of the fun going as we continually asked her how mom was in the kitchen and how random relatives were doing (made up ones of course!)

Grammie really enjoyed the clips of old shows and regaled us with her memories of those shows. I think it would be nice to have a complete show rather than all the short clips, but it was still nice to see.

As for the food, our apps came out fairly quickly.

Granmouse tried once again and ordered the crabcakes:"Blue Claw Crab Cake - Lump crab cake served in succotash with chili sauce and crispy onions."

She wasn't impressed and said that the only crab taste was an aftertaste! She said the succotash that it was with was good, but it didn't really go together.

Lily, of course, got soup and Morgan got no appetizer.

I think Lily was getting sick of chicken noodle soup as she didn't really eat much of it at all.

Grammie got the shrimp cocktail. "Shrimp Cocktail - Jumbo Shrimp served with cocktail sauce and lemon."

She said the shrimp was good and it was as advertised. It wasn't anything special. She shared some shrimp with Morgan so I think there were actually 5 shrimp (or maybe 6??) in the portion.

Sam and I both got the onion rings. "Beer Battered Onion Rings - Served with horseradish sauce."

They were yummy. Very big with crispy coating and tender onion inside. (I don't like it when the onion still crunchy.)

As for the entrees, the kids both got macaroni.

The both enjoyed it. It was obviously made there, and not Kraft. I normally don't let them order macaroni in restaurants because I can't stand paying restaurant prices for Kraft that I can make myself, so that made me happy.

Grammie got the fried chicken and shared it with the kids as well. "Aunt Liz's Golden Fried Chicken - Served with Mashed Potatoes, Chicken gravy, and Southern greens"

She said that the chicken was really good - well-cooked, almost as good as hers. The potatoes were real, and the greens were great (she loves greens). The only down note was the gravy. She wished she had left it off.

Sam got the meatloaf. "Dad's Traditional Meatloaf - A blend of beef and pork topped with tomato glaze served with mashed potatoes, and green beans"

He said the meatloaf was dry, the potatoes were very good, but agreed about the gravy. His comment was that it was obviously canned gravy.

Mouse and I both got the chicken pot pie. "Grandma's Chicken Pot Pie - A creamy cheese mixture of chicken, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, peas, and topped with a flaky pastry"

This was yummy. The pastry was flaky and delicious. There were big chunks of chicken and lots of mushrooms. I wish there had been less celery, although I like celery fine. My only complaint was that I only had 1 piece of carrot. I didn't know there was a carrot shortage! Granmouse enjoyed hers too, although we both agreed that the huge portion was absurd.

For dessert, the kids both got ice cream sundaes which were the same as they are everywhere else. Grammie and Sam both got milk shakes (vanilla & chocolate) and they said they were good.

Granmouse got Dad's Brownie Sundae. "Dad's Brownie Sundae - Rich fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge and caramel topping."

The presentation for this was absolutely beautiful and we all oohed and aahed over it. However, she said the brownie was not very good. It was dry and it was prettier to look at than it was good to eat.

I got the s'mores. "S'mores - A graham cracker square, topped with chocolate and yummy toasted marshmallows"

This was perfect for me because I like my marshmellows almost burnt when I toast them. Someone else might not enjoy them because of that. I could only eat 3 squares of this, but I shared it with everyone else.

Since our TSMM return fast pass was in the afternoon, we had to change our plan for the rest of the day. Rather than return to the Poly for a nap, we decided to make it a 3/4 day and spend the afternoon at DHS. We would then return for a late afternoon nap before our dinner at Ohana. So, we were off to catch the American Idol show!

Coming up next: an afternoon at DHS and Where are our KTTW cards???

 

[2xcited2sleep]

You are an updating machine! I have really enjoyed the last set of updates.

Sorry to hear about Lily's spill and stitches. Hope she's feeling better. You're not kidding about her sultry poses. The one in front of the liberty bell had me laughing out loud!

Great tip on rolling the outfits in masking tape and labeling them!

Kudos to Sam for not freaking out in the rain and saying if worst came to worst you could try again another night.

LOVE the kids' Star Wars t-shirts!

50's Prime Time looks fun!!

OH! I almost forgot!! AMAZING photos of the fireworks and the headless horseman. What a great shot!!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Hey Shannon!
Poor Lily... I hope she's doing OK!
I laughed when I saw that Lily, Grammie and Granmouse were sitting in the exact spots Marc and I sat in June. Baylor was in the recliner type lounge chair.
I thought the fried chicken was out of this world and enjoyed the pot roast too. I think Baylor must have shared his chicken with me, because I had the roast.
Our waitress wasn't the best either, hoping for better NEXT MONTH!

 

[Native NYer]

Aww I hope Lily is ok.

Love the onion rings at 50s Prime Time. And the s'mores look so good.

 

[Happydog]

Great update! Another one!!! We had an amazing waiter at 50s prime time... he kept us rolling... I am glad you still enjoyed the restaurant, though -- but the atmostphere is definitely part of the appeal. I am looking forward to trying the chicken pot pie or the pot roast... This past summer DH and I split a sandwich and an order of onion rings and it was plenty for the two of us (not wanting a mega lunch) and the kids really liked the food there, too...

I am glad your plans worked out to enjoy a little more of DHS... TSM is so worth it! Can't wait to hear about Ohanas... we have never been there!

 

[MaryAz]

Poor Lily!!! Great update.

 

[ladybugmom]

Oh no!! You have to share what happened to Lily!! Is she ok?!

Oh my!! Those S'mores look heavenly!!

 

[shannn]

You are an updating machine! I have really enjoyed the last set of updates.

Thanks! I think I get really excited about updating because I get to relive the trip.

Sorry to hear about Lily's spill and stitches. Hope she's feeling better. You're not kidding about her sultry poses. The one in front of the liberty bell had me laughing out loud!

Oh you wait! There are definitely more coming. The photopass pictures had me rolling!!

Great tip on rolling the outfits in masking tape and labeling them!

It worked great when Morgan went to camp this summer. At least he matched in most of the pictures I saw, although he was wearing his pajama pants and a torn shirt when I picked him up!

Kudos to Sam for not freaking out in the rain and saying if worst came to worst you could try again another night.

Every once in a while when I think all he cares about is money, he pulls out something like that! It's the reason we've lasted 17 years! He knows when to back off and talk me off of my OCD ledge!!

LOVE the kids' Star Wars t-shirts!

50's Prime Time looks fun!!

OH! I almost forgot!! AMAZING photos of the fireworks and the headless horseman. What a great shot!!

Thanks!

Hey Shannon!
Poor Lily... I hope she's doing OK!

I laughed when I saw that Lily, Grammie and Granmouse were sitting in the exact spots Marc and I sat in June. Baylor was in the recliner type lounge chair.

It was a very comfortable waiting area, just like my grandmother's house!

I thought the fried chicken was out of this world and enjoyed the pot roast too. I think Baylor must have shared his chicken with me, because I had the roast.
Our waitress wasn't the best either, hoping for better NEXT MONTH!NEXT month!!!

Aww I hope Lily is ok.

Love the onion rings at 50s Prime Time. And the s'mores look so good.

Those were definitely my two favorite things! Not a very nutritious meal, but definitely yummy!

Great update! Another one!!! We had an amazing waiter at 50s prime time... he kept us rolling... I am glad you still enjoyed the restaurant, though -- but the atmostphere is definitely part of the appeal. I am looking forward to trying the chicken pot pie or the pot roast... This past summer DH and I split a sandwich and an order of onion rings and it was plenty for the two of us (not wanting a mega lunch) and the kids really liked the food there, too...

Yes, it's definitely a restaurant where you could share easily. Their portions are huge.

I am glad your plans worked out to enjoy a little more of DHS... TSM is so worth it! Can't wait to hear about Ohanas... we have never been there!

Poor Lily!!! Great update.

Oh no!! You have to share what happened to Lily!! Is she ok?!

Oh my!! Those S'mores look heavenly!!

The s'mores are definitely yummy! And they could be easily made at home, I think. I'm going to try them next time we have guests for dinner!

Thank you to everyone for the well-wishes for Lily. She is fine - just has 3 stitches in her forehead! (and on picture day of course). We had just gotten to the stadium and the kids ran down to the bottom of the steps to get their picture taken with the field behind them. They were, of course, playing around and hanging on each other. It was pouring down rain and muddy and she fell and hit her forehead on a metal railing. It just split it open. I'll try and post a picture tonight when I get home.

 

[shannn]

Woo Hoo!! My photopass CD came today. I'll share the pictures that go with the things I've already posted.

with Fawn telling their favorite animals

Don't ask me why Morgan's smiles look like a crazed lunatic this day. That's what we got!

talking to Tink about their favorite games

posing with Tink (again with the crazed lunatic face)

Tink looking at herself on Lily's bows

Lily ADORES this picture

Hugs for Minnie (excuse the panties sticking out...)

hugs from everyone

Mickey pulled me in the picture for a birthday shot

family portrait (staring in the sun...)

another

sibling love in front of the spooky castle

Lily's poses in this series were priceless!! I couldn't just pick one!

Sorcerer Mickey at DHS

all of us with Mickey again

Meeting Carl

pure excitement

That's Love!

Love these smiles!

My children have horrible expressions on their faces!

Better of Morgan but what's Lily doing?

(I think some of those were actually taken at the end of our DHS day, but close enough...)

 

[Native NYer]

Great PhotoPass pics

 

[ladybugmom]

WONDERFUL Photopass pics!!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Your commentary is cracking me up on some of those photo pass pix. I do love Lily's sultry poses!