7 AM Extra Magic Hours? We're in!...NEW 12/27 p. 31

[marDgreen88]

I feel like if you've seen the entertainment before, you don't necessarily HAVE to see it on every trip. That being said, I think MMY is something I will want to see eeeevery time hahah.

I love seeing all the videos. It's so cool to see/feel the atmosphere at the Boardwalk along with hearing "We Go On!" Beautiful!

 

[MHTeacher]

Love the picture of the purple castle! Very pretty!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

So many, many, many, many, MANY TRs I'm behind on. So sorry Sarah I haven't commented in awhile. I blame finals (evil finals, how dare they decide to ruin my DIStime! ) I am caught up of course now. to your DISMeet and a great Easter in the World! I agree about the old Easter parade. I never saw it, but it's a shame they had to get rid of it. :/ I'm glad to hear about your upcoming trips though! Sorry you are missing the Christmas decorations again, but hey at least you know in advance you WILL be going back. Well, I'll be back for the next update for a much nicer and longer review

Can't wait to read more!

 

[RachelNinja]

Now that the wedding is over and the school year is over, I can catch up on DIS! Yay! BTW, while Howard and I were there on our honeymoon, I had to point out how you stayed at the Boardwalk and had that fantastic view! We took the Friendship boat over to DHS, so I was able to see it in real life for the first time! BTW, we also had Chik-Fil-A when we arrived!!!

I have to say that I should totally just follow you on one of your morning EMH days. You always accomplish so much!

Oh yeah, I didn't even think about the fact that the mural would be taken down at Snow White! I hope they do something with it, like at least take it down in pieces? Save it? Something. They should come up with a way for people to see parts of former attractions, maybe even in the style of One Man's Dream. I'd definitely get nostalgic looking at all those things!

How long was that training thing for the game? I had wanted to get a pack of cards even just for keepsakes in a scrapbook since I wasn't that into playing it (we always saw crazy lines of people waiting for it). But I just wasn't in a mood to sit there for the lil' presentation thing. Haha, I just wanted to get my cards and skedaddle. Looking back now, I should've just gotten them during both trips! What do you think about the game in comparison to Kim Possible? BTW, I wish I had a chance to do all the countries for KP before they changed it!

THOSE . BUNNIES . ARE . SO . SCARY!!!

Love the Jammin' Jungle Parade! It has to be my favorite, and I can imagine stopping for it every trip just because I love the music so much.

I'm not insanely afraid of birds like some other DISers, but even I was bothered by their presence at Flame Tree BBQ! I didn't like the crows who seemed very aggressive as they landed on the railings!

We missed TSM on our honeymoon! Too crazy in terms of crowds, and we were never there early enough for FPs. The GAC that I had didn't help either; the CM said I could still stand in the regular line, which would've meant dealing with fainting, so we just skipped it.

Haha, I sometimes sing "Follow the yellow brick road," but I don't belt it out or anything. I just sing it to Howard.

YAY for the recap of our DIS meet! It was definitely SO MUCH FUN that we got to hang out especially since it was so spur of the moment! It's hilarious that we just happened to be there at the same time because our first ride ended up being messed up with the guns not working so we went on again. Otherwise we wouldn't have crossed paths! Also, when I went back to watch videos, we actually have one at the end of TSM where you can see your dad turn around!!! Howard and I watched it and kept clicking pause/play/pause/play, and we can see your dad! I'll have to upload that to photobucket or something so I can post it.

I love LMA so much! I actually get a little nervous during each show because I'm thinking about the safety of the drivers. I mean, I know they're so used to this and it's rehearsed so many times and all that, but I still think about the fact that accidents can happen. That's why I still feel like I'm holding my breath at certain times!

Haha, I'm so happy you didn't post any photos of the buffalo head from Country Bear Jamboree!

So cool that you had the option of just leaving MK and watching IllumiNations from your balcony!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Wow! That Rapunzel picture is beautiful!!!

I know, isn't it?

I actually like to stroll and take in the details, but it's hard to do at Disney. Sometimes being crowded can have small advantages.

Love the painting!

haha, well, when you have 12 days on your next trip I think you'll be able to squeeze in some strolling.

OMG that Rapunzel painting is beautiful!!

I need to stay at the Boardwalk, I love that you can see Illuminations from there! I'm sure there are places that you can see it from the Beach Club too, but it seems a little easier to see it from the Boardwalk! Although, if I'm that close to Epcot, I'd probably just go over there and watch it in person!

The Boardwalk is great. If you like the Beach Club I'm sure you'd enjoy the Boardwalk as well. haha yeah, I know you really like the night shows so it might be better to just go to the park! And the walk back is so easy.

I feel like if you've seen the entertainment before, you don't necessarily HAVE to see it on every trip. That being said, I think MMY is something I will want to see eeeevery time hahah.

I love seeing all the videos. It's so cool to see/feel the atmosphere at the Boardwalk along with hearing "We Go On!" Beautiful!

OK, thank you. I feel like there are so many DISers who HAVE to see all the night shows every single trip. I enjoy it when they do special versions, like the Holiday Wishes, Hallowishes, and a couple years ago when they brought back the show from the Pirate and Princess Party.

Glad you liked the videos!

Love the picture of the purple castle! Very pretty!

Thanks. I love the castle at night with all the different color lights.

So many, many, many, many, MANY TRs I'm behind on. So sorry Sarah I haven't commented in awhile. I blame finals (evil finals, how dare they decide to ruin my DIStime! ) I am caught up of course now. to your DISMeet and a great Easter in the World! I agree about the old Easter parade. I never saw it, but it's a shame they had to get rid of it. :/ I'm glad to hear about your upcoming trips though! Sorry you are missing the Christmas decorations again, but hey at least you know in advance you WILL be going back. Well, I'll be back for the next update for a much nicer and longer review

Can't wait to read more!

Don't be sorry, I understand. There's still hope for Christmas...we'll just have to wait and see. But you're right, atleast I do know I'm going back-just not exactly sure when!

Hoping to get a new update done soon!

Now that the wedding is over and the school year is over, I can catch up on DIS! Yay! BTW, while Howard and I were there on our honeymoon, I had to point out how you stayed at the Boardwalk and had that fantastic view! We took the Friendship boat over to DHS, so I was able to see it in real life for the first time! BTW, we also had Chik-Fil-A when we arrived!!!

So did you get over to the Boardwalk at all during your honeymoon then? YAY for having Chick-Fil-A!!! What did you think?!

I have to say that I should totally just follow you on one of your morning EMH days. You always accomplish so much!

Well, if we're ever there at the same time again and you stay on property, you can join us. We love EMH! BTW, how did you like AKL? I am anxiously waiting for your TR!

Oh yeah, I didn't even think about the fact that the mural would be taken down at Snow White! I hope they do something with it, like at least take it down in pieces? Save it? Something. They should come up with a way for people to see parts of former attractions, maybe even in the style of One Man's Dream. I'd definitely get nostalgic looking at all those things!

I still don't understand why they closed Snow White so early, considering the mine train ride isn't scheduled to open until 2014. And really, how many character locations do they need? That's just my opinion though.

How long was that training thing for the game? I had wanted to get a pack of cards even just for keepsakes in a scrapbook since I wasn't that into playing it (we always saw crazy lines of people waiting for it). But I just wasn't in a mood to sit there for the lil' presentation thing. Haha, I just wanted to get my cards and skedaddle. Looking back now, I should've just gotten them during both trips! What do you think about the game in comparison to Kim Possible? BTW, I wish I had a chance to do all the countries for KP before they changed it!

The training couldn't have been more than a couple minutes. And like KP, once you've done it you really don't need to go through it again. If you really didn't want to wait, you could've told the CMs you've already done the training. I think the two games are pretty similar. The thing that's intriguing about the Sorcerers game is that it has the different levels. Not that I'd ever get to anything other than easy (unless I moved to FL!) but I do think that's cool. Not to mention I like the cards.

THOSE . BUNNIES . ARE . SO . SCARY!!!

LOL, I thought they were cute.

Love the Jammin' Jungle Parade! It has to be my favorite, and I can imagine stopping for it every trip just because I love the music so much.

I was listening to the song on my ipod the other day and thinking about how fun it is. I want to see the parade again too!

I'm not insanely afraid of birds like some other DISers, but even I was bothered by their presence at Flame Tree BBQ! I didn't like the crows who seemed very aggressive as they landed on the railings!

The birds are a little freaky. People probably feed them when they're not supposed to so they just flock around the dining locations.

We missed TSM on our honeymoon! Too crazy in terms of crowds, and we were never there early enough for FPs. The GAC that I had didn't help either; the CM said I could still stand in the regular line, which would've meant dealing with fainting, so we just skipped it.

Aww, that's a bummer you guys missed TSM. I wonder why you couldn't just go through the fastpass line with the GAC card. There's that one stairway that they seem to use for groups of 2.

Haha, I sometimes sing "Follow the yellow brick road," but I don't belt it out or anything. I just sing it to Howard.

If I sang it I wouldn't belt it out either. Maybe I should ride with some DISers because I don't think I've ever actually heard anyone sing!

YAY for the recap of our DIS meet! It was definitely SO MUCH FUN that we got to hang out especially since it was so spur of the moment! It's hilarious that we just happened to be there at the same time because our first ride ended up being messed up with the guns not working so we went on again. Otherwise we wouldn't have crossed paths! Also, when I went back to watch videos, we actually have one at the end of TSM where you can see your dad turn around!!! Howard and I watched it and kept clicking pause/play/pause/play, and we can see your dad! I'll have to upload that to photobucket or something so I can post it.

Oh yeah, you definitely need to post the video! I want to see it. Maybe that was right before he started tapping me on the shoulder when he first saw you guys! Too funny.

I love LMA so much! I actually get a little nervous during each show because I'm thinking about the safety of the drivers. I mean, I know they're so used to this and it's rehearsed so many times and all that, but I still think about the fact that accidents can happen. That's why I still feel like I'm holding my breath at certain times!

I don't blame you for getting nervous. It is scary to think that something bad COULD happen.

Haha, I'm so happy you didn't post any photos of the buffalo head from Country Bear Jamboree!

LOL! Nope, no buffalo pictures from me.

So cool that you had the option of just leaving MK and watching IllumiNations from your balcony!

Yes, it was really cool. I loved being able to just look outside, see all the activity on the BW, and watch the fireworks when I wanted!

Put my comments in purple.

 

[wisblue]

I love the picture of the Boardwalk carnival games, especially the basketball shooting. I spent so much time just relaxing on the balcony relaxing and watching people shoot.

Skipping a couple of the night shows was the tradeoff for all of the extra early EMH we did on the trip. I don't have much trouble getting up early in the morning to get to a park by 7 AM, but if I stay out too late it makes it tough to do it again the next morning. Getting back to the room earlier in the evening made the trip much more relaxing and enjoyable for me, especially since I have seen all of the shows (several of them more than once) in the last year on our trips relating to Emma's stint in the DCP.

 

[wdwgirl03]

I love the picture of the Boardwalk carnival games, especially the basketball shooting. I spent so much time just relaxing on the balcony relaxing and watching people shoot.

Skipping a couple of the night shows was the tradeoff for all of the extra early EMH we did on the trip. I don't have much trouble getting up early in the morning to get to a park by 7 AM, but if I stay out too late it makes it tough to do it again the next morning. Getting back to the room earlier in the evening made the trip much more relaxing and enjoyable for me, especially since I have seen all of the shows (several of them more than once) in the last year on our trips relating to Emma's stint in the DCP.

Yes and how long did it take until we finally saw someone make a basket? LOL.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Tuesday, April 10, 2012...Future World favorites and Mickey!

Tuesday was our "sleep in" day since we weren't going to be heading to morning EMH. The plan was to visit Epcot. Because it didn't open until 9:00 we had a little bit more time to get ready in the morning. Dad ended up going to the Boardwalk Bakery to get us a couple of breakfast croissants rather than our usual cereal. It was like the one I had at the MK on Easter. So good!

I think we left around 8:30 or so to get over to International Gateway, aka our private entrance to the park. As we were waiting, we started talking to this little boy, his mom, and grandmother. The boy was very excited since it was his birthday and it also turns out they were from Wisconsin (pretty sure Dad's Marquette t-shirt got that conversation started!).

Right before 9:00 we headed into the park. Gotta love seeing an empty World Showcase!

It was pretty nice not having to deal with the hoardes going to Soarin...well, atleast temporarily. We eventually caught up with the crowd going to the Land pavilion. But, it wasn't too long before we were in line ready for our flight to California!

We got our flight instructions..."Nice work pal."

As usual we LOVED the ride. I seriously do not know what I would do if they hadn't brought it to Epcot. On our first trip to Disneyland, a nice couple gave us fastpasses for it (which was awesome since it was the middle of the day and not really knowing anything about the ride at the time, we wouldn't have been able to ride without them!). I remember being a little nervous before riding, but as soon as those clouds gave way to the Golden Gate Bridge, I was HOOKED! And then we were lucky enough to preview it during soft opening on our spring break trip in 2005. OK, sorry for the random stories but that's how much I love this ride. And on the way out we made sure to grab some fastpasses for a second ride.

After Soarin, we wanted to do Test Track, but made a little detour on the way. I wanted to meet some characters too, and Dad suggested doing the Character Spot early before it got too crowded. As we were passing by, the posted wait time was 5 minutes or so, so I figured why not just see the characters now?

The wait turned out to be a little longer than 5 minutes but hey, it was still better than if we had waited until after some more rides. Even as we were in line they started opening up more ropes in the building because it was getting pretty busy. When it was finally our turn, we met the main mouse first! I love Mickey! (not sure why I'm not looking at the camera-that's one thing that annoys me about having a photopass photographer and a personal camera too).

Next up was Pluto.

Then Minnie!

One of the things I always enjoy about seeing the characters is watching the little kids interact with them. There was this adorable little boy, probably no more than 2 or 3 years old who was so eager to meet all the characters. He would start walking up to them before it was his family's turn. At one point, he even ended up walking behind the curtain (he must've seen one of the characters go back there)! Too funny.

Anyway...we also met Donald. Stinks the picture turned out blurry. But I had to do my "Donald's #1" pose. Now that my sister's told me that secret, I am going to have to do it for every picture with Donald from now on.

Last but not least, Goofy!

After meeting all the characters it was time for another favorite...Test Track! Of course we had to ride it one more time before it went down for refurbishment. I guess the tradeoff for not waiting as long for the characters was we had to wait for Test Track. The standby was already up to an hour, and single riders was 20 minutes. Obviously we chose the single rider line. I had to take a picture of the queue, knowing it is going to be completely different when it reopens.

I honestly don't know what to think about the refurbishment here. From the things I've seen, I'm not too crazy about it. Hopefully the ride portion won't be too different. Should be interesting. But it was fun to ride the "original" one last time.

WHEEE!!

(that's my dad's head on the right...funny how many times we do single riders and still end up in the same car!)

up next: Enjoying the blooms!

 

[MHTeacher]

Love all your pics with you and your dad with the fab 5!

I wish we'd gotten to ride Test Track this time. When we were there the last time in 2010, we had no clue that it would be closed, so we just took it for granted.

 

[dawnbu40]

I love the "secret" entrance to Epcot. It makes you feel like you've got the place all to yourselves


Great pictures with the characters. You and your dad look so cute!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I love entering Epcot through the International Gateway. You're right, you get to miss all those crazy crowds for a good portion the time.

What's the Donald's number one pose? I'm intrigued....did I miss something?

 

[wdwgirl03]

Love all your pics with you and your dad with the fab 5!

I wish we'd gotten to ride Test Track this time. When we were there the last time in 2010, we had no clue that it would be closed, so we just took it for granted.

Thank you!

That stinks you didn't get to ride it before it closed. But yeah, you just never know when they're going to change something.

I love the "secret" entrance to Epcot. It makes you feel like you've got the place all to yourselves


Great pictures with the characters. You and your dad look so cute!

Yes it does. I love it!

Thanks.

I love entering Epcot through the International Gateway. You're right, you get to miss all those crazy crowds for a good portion the time.

What's the Donald's number one pose? I'm intrigued....did I miss something?

LOL, I suppose it might help if I actually had POSTED the picture at first! I obviously forgot to put it in. When we went to visit Emma in October, we met Donald at the Animal Kingdom and she said to him, "Donald's #1". So now basically whenever I see Donald I'm going to have to say that and hold up one finger.

 

[marDgreen88]

Random stories are always fun! Hahah I mean, you've read my TR... I tell random stories at LEAST once per update.

Donald's always number one. (I do the same thing when I meet him!!!)

Ahh, Test Track. I think the new ride will be cool, but I'm mostly looking forward to new queue music! Hahah, seriously. That old music drove me insane!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

to EPCOT later in the morning and using the "secret entrance"! The International Gateway seems to be getting a lot more use out of it since I first learned about the place lol Sorta ironic

Awwww... I love little random stories, I'm pretty sure they breed in my TRs/PTRs nowadays lol But that's so awesome you've been going on Soarin' since before it made its way to WDW. Of course, good choice on making it your first ride of the day!

to getting over to the Character Spot! The pictures with the Fab Five all look awesome! A shame your picture with Donald and Donald's #1 pose is blurry :/ But the rest still came out great. LOL @ the little kid stalking all the characters, I love kids like those even if I do know I probably was the total opposite at his age

Another BIG thumbs-up to riding Test Track one last time before the refurb! I'm not sure what to think of the new refurb either, I liked the original just as it was and always thought, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and Test Track really wasn't and isn't in need of refurbishment. It's a beautiful, classic ride in its entirety though maybe this refurb will be a good one like what they did with Space Mountain. I guess, we'll just have to wait and see. Love the banked turn picture you got, best part of the ride!

Can't wait to read more about your day at EPCOT!

 

[Caretames1]

We still have not done the Character Spot! Hopefully this Nov we will. It always seems to be so bust when we're in the area, and the wait times so long.

YAY for Soarin, love that ride. It's one of the only rides beside TT that I don't get motion sick on.

I'm sad TT is scheduled to be down until the end of Nov. I am hoping for an early soft opening while we 're there. That's Kadence favorite ride.

 

[Angies1274]

Great updates!!

Love Soarin'!! So much fun! You got some great pictures with the characters!

Yay for riding Test Track! I'm so sad that we are going to miss it this trip. Oh well...something to look forward to next time!

 

[wisblue]

As we were waiting, we started talking to this little boy, his mom, and grandmother. The boy was very excited since it was his birthday and it also turns out they were from Wisconsin (pretty sure Dad's Marquette t-shirt got that conversation started!).

Not only were the people from Wisconsin, but the grandmother lives in our hometown, just a few blocks away from us. The daughter went to the same high school as Sarah, though she lives in Appleton now.

 

[Maestra99]

Just caught up on your TR! You mentioned Country Bear Jamboree and Tiki Room - I've never done either of those!! I guess they end up low on the list of things to do, time gets away from us and it just never happens. I should try to check them out sometime! I wonder if a toddler would enjoy them (since our son will be 14 months on the trip)?

Glad you got to enjoy the original Test Track one last time! And great photos from Character Spot - that's definitely on our list as an important stop in Epcot this time!

 

[RachelNinja]

Wow, that's so cool that you rode Soarin' in DLR! I remember when they first introduced it there, and I saw all the pictures of the building. I was jealous that they were adding a new ride there and not at WDW, haha. So glad they brought it over!

I know a lot of people have complained about Test Track, but I don't mind it at all! In fact, I love it and am upset that they're going to change it. I know people are bored with the inside portion of the ride, but it's just the right amount of thrill for me, and there are so many moments where you can just laugh (especially when you have parts of the narration memorized!).

 

[wdwgirl03]

Random stories are always fun! Hahah I mean, you've read my TR... I tell random stories at LEAST once per update.

Donald's always number one. (I do the same thing when I meet him!!!)

Ahh, Test Track. I think the new ride will be cool, but I'm mostly looking forward to new queue music! Hahah, seriously. That old music drove me insane!

LOL, yeah, they are fun. Glad you didn't mind mine.

I can't believe I had never even known about the Donald's #1 thing until Emma did it in October.

Oh yes, I know what you mean. I had never really noticed it all that much but since our wait was a little longer this time I heard it. That music was kind of annoying!

to EPCOT later in the morning and using the "secret entrance"! The International Gateway seems to be getting a lot more use out of it since I first learned about the place lol Sorta ironic

Awwww... I love little random stories, I'm pretty sure they breed in my TRs/PTRs nowadays lol But that's so awesome you've been going on Soarin' since before it made its way to WDW. Of course, good choice on making it your first ride of the day!

to getting over to the Character Spot! The pictures with the Fab Five all look awesome! A shame your picture with Donald and Donald's #1 pose is blurry :/ But the rest still came out great. LOL @ the little kid stalking all the characters, I love kids like those even if I do know I probably was the total opposite at his age

Another BIG thumbs-up to riding Test Track one last time before the refurb! I'm not sure what to think of the new refurb either, I liked the original just as it was and always thought, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and Test Track really wasn't and isn't in need of refurbishment. It's a beautiful, classic ride in its entirety though maybe this refurb will be a good one like what they did with Space Mountain. I guess, we'll just have to wait and see. Love the banked turn picture you got, best part of the ride!

Can't wait to read more about your day at EPCOT!

The 9:00 opening seemed so late since we had been getting up early the first couple of days!

Yeah, I only got to ride Soarin that one time in Disneyland. We weren't even able to on our second trip. Sort of weird we skipped it, but they were probably out of fastpasses or something. Not to mention I'm pretty sure we went later in the afternoon so it probably had a huge wait.

It's OK about the Donald picture...I made up for it later in the trip.

I agree. Maybe it could've had a general refurb to kind of spiff it up like BTMRR but why change the whole theming?

We still have not done the Character Spot! Hopefully this Nov we will. It always seems to be so bust when we're in the area, and the wait times so long.

YAY for Soarin, love that ride. It's one of the only rides beside TT that I don't get motion sick on.

I'm sad TT is scheduled to be down until the end of Nov. I am hoping for an early soft opening while we 're there. That's Kadence favorite ride.

Great updates!!

Love Soarin'!! So much fun! You got some great pictures with the characters!

Yay for riding Test Track! I'm so sad that we are going to miss it this trip. Oh well...something to look forward to next time!

Soarin is amazing. No doubt it's my favorite.

That's true! I'm just glad we got our chance to ride it one last time before it changes.

Not only were the people from Wisconsin, but the grandmother lives in our hometown, just a few blocks away from us. The daughter went to the same high school as Sarah, though she lives in Appleton now.

I forgot about the daughter going to the high school. I thought I remembered the mother lived near us.

Just caught up on your TR! You mentioned Country Bear Jamboree and Tiki Room - I've never done either of those!! I guess they end up low on the list of things to do, time gets away from us and it just never happens. I should try to check them out sometime! I wonder if a toddler would enjoy them (since our son will be 14 months on the trip)?

Glad you got to enjoy the original Test Track one last time! And great photos from Character Spot - that's definitely on our list as an important stop in Epcot this time!

That's usually how it is for us too. But since we were at the MK later, it was the perfect opportunity to do them.

The character spot is great. Make sure to get there early!

Wow, that's so cool that you rode Soarin' in DLR! I remember when they first introduced it there, and I saw all the pictures of the building. I was jealous that they were adding a new ride there and not at WDW, haha. So glad they brought it over!

I know a lot of people have complained about Test Track, but I don't mind it at all! In fact, I love it and am upset that they're going to change it. I know people are bored with the inside portion of the ride, but it's just the right amount of thrill for me, and there are so many moments where you can just laugh (especially when you have parts of the narration memorized!).

Yeah, I really don't even think I knew what it was when the woman gave us fastpasses. But I sure am glad she did! It was fun getting to see the "original" version of the attraction.

That's how I feel too-I loved Test Track and am not looking forward to the new storyline. I don't even really get it. Hopefully it'll still be good. I'm just worried it's going to go the way of Journey Into Imagination in that the original is so much better! haha, the narration is pretty great. "Hello! The seatbelt check is around the corner."