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

[Angies1274]

Great pictures from Astro Orbiter. We still haven't made it there yet.

Gotta love morning EMH!!! You have been able to get so much done!!!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Good morning everyone!!

Does anybody notice my new ticker?

As I mentioned earlier, today was the first day we could book for next spring break. Dad was on the computer early this morning to try and snag one of those Bay Lake Tower studios. And, we were able to get it! So it's official, as of April 1 of next year I will be able to cross off the final DVC resort and will have stayed at all of them! (well...minus the Treehouse Villas but like Dad says, that's part of SSR. And until the Grand Floridian is completed. Then I'll have to stay there too.).

AHHH I am so excited, I can't believe I will be staying here:

But now you're probably all wondering: Did we go with the theme park view or try to save points with a lake view?
















Well, I'm hoping our view might look something like this:

Yes, Dad booked THEME PARK VIEW!!!!



So, just to recap, here are the basic details for Spring break 2013...

When: April 1-7, 2013
Where: Bay Lake Tower theme park view
Who: Me and Dad (since Dad wants to stay at BLT too he's going to come along even though he will have just been at the Boardwalk in mid-March, haha!)

Only 7 months to go! haha

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. Can't believe school starts next Tuesday for me-so hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in another update or two before then.

 

[Pinkocto]

Congratulations!!!

 

[wisblue]

Now that I've booked the BLT studio for Sarah's spring break, I may need some reinforcement to convince me that I'm not crazy for even considering going on the trip with her if she doesn't have anyone else to go along.

As Sarah has already said, I will be going on a trip with her Mom and one of our other daugthers from March 16-22. We scheduled that trip because our third daughter MIGHT be doing the Disney College Program again in the spring (she is anxiously awaiting the posting of those applications) and, if she is there, we would be visiting right around her birthday on March 15. We were able to book a Boardwalk view studio; the Boardwalk (and especially the Boardwalk view) is my wife's favorite Disney resort (although she isn't quite the Disney fanatic that some of the rest of us are). Even if our daughter doesn't get into the college program, we will get a trip to a beautiful resort at a great time of the year with the Flower and Garden Festival going on. It's a no lose porposition!!!

Anyway, if I decide to go along on Sarah's trip too, I will only be home for 10 days before heading back to WDW. It seems crazy, but here's my rationale:

1. I've wanted to stay at BLT since it opened, and this would be a great opportunity to do that. If they do have those 7 AM EMH at the MK like they did last year, I would love being able to stroll over to the park for one or two of those. Plus, staying at one of the monorail resorts would bring back fond memories of those Easter trips to the Polynesian that Sarah talks so fondly about.

2. The trip would be cheap for me. If the room is already booked, it obviously won't cost any more for me to board there. I can cover my airfare with some of the 50,000 Rapid Reward points (that translates to $833 in air fares) that I got from Southwest when I opened one of their VISA cards earlier this year. Plus, Sarah and I both have annual passes that we bought on the trip she's covering in this report, and those are good until April 7, 2013, the day we would be coming home.

3. Some people take 10 day triips to WDW, so in a way that's what I'd be doing. I would just be taking a break at home for 10 days in the middle of the trip so I can spend Easter weekend wit other family members.

4. Because different family members have different tastes, travelling to WDW can be a different experience depending on who you're with. My wife doesn't like the thrill rides, and doesn't particularly like the Animal Kingdom, but she enjoys strolling around the World Showcase (especialy during the Flower and Garden Festival) and the Magic Kingdom and visiting the shops. Sarah and I, on the other hand, love the Animal Kingdom, exploring a lot of the hidden magic at the parks, and visiting the other resorts. So, the two trips would be different in a lot of ways.

5. If our daughter is doing the DCP, I would get another chance to vist her. (She has already said that if she is there she would want to spend a couple of nights at BLT). If she isn't doing the DCP, she might go with Sarah on the trip if she can, and I might stay home.

Anyway, I think I'm preaching to the choir here, but I would welcome some support.

 

[dawnbu40]

Of course you should go with her! You had more than enough good reasons to go and I can't think of a single good reason not to! Enjoy

 

[Pinkocto]

Asbolutely, if not for the memories alone. I'm around Sarah's age and can tell you how much I cherish the trips I've taken with my parents in my adult life. Ive done trips with both of them alone, and the quality time is something I'll always treasure. I know this won't be the first time, but the memories are still priceless. If its not conflicting with anything at home I definitely say do it.

 

[Caretames1]

YAY! I'm so happy for you, and of course excited to see the TR! LOL

Your dad seems as excited as you!

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[wdwgirl03]

We were at Epcot on Wednesday. We left to go back to our hotel for our Welcome Dinner and left early to go back to Epcot to watch Illuminations. We sat on the wall in front of the church at Norway. The park was so crowded that evening. I told my dh to sit and wait while the crowd thinned, but after 20 more minutes we just joined in and left.

We were in the Dells this weekend and I heard a funny story how the owner of Mount Olympus (it used to be Family Land) is buying up everything in WI DELLS and he thinks he is creating his own Disney World. Almost every hotel where Noah's Ark is, is now owned by Mount Olympus.

I hope to do a lot of catching up this week on the boards. Hurt my ankle and I am suppose to be off work for the week. I had to come in today to get the church bulletin done, then hello couch all week.

What time were you there? I don't remember it being all that crowded but maybe we left pretty early (before 8:00?).

haha, if only Mt. Olympus was like Disney World. I've never been there (we've been to Noah's Ark and the Dells...the hotel we stayed at was actually called the Polynesian...) but it would be nice to have a mini Disney World here.

Hope your ankle is OK!

I just don't see how you could NOT take advantage of those EMH! So so awesome.

HAHA your dad in the Space Mountain photo. Too funny! Yall got so much done, that's awesome!

Exactly! We always get so much done and it's exciting being up so early.

You really did get a lot of attractions done prior to your tour. I agree with you regarding breakfast, why wait in line for food when there are short lines for rides? Looking forward to your tour report.

Yeah, if you want breakfast I say do some attractions first and then go eat. Or just eat before coming to the park...haha

I think we'd make great EMH touring partners! I'd would have gotten up and gone early too. Take advantage while you can!

I really need my pic w/ Frontier Donald! He always seems to have such a long line when we see him, or he is leaving, and we are on our way to something.

I can't wait o hear about the tour. Were you able to take pictures?

haha, I think we would too! Getting up early is hard sometimes but so worth it.

Aww, well hopefully in November you'll be able to see him since you've got so much time.

Yes, we could take pictures but only when we were out in the park (not surprisingly).

Great Space Mountain pic I think I've been on Astro Orbiter once in all my trips. That tight squeeze just doesn't appeal! Looking forward to the tour!

Thanks. Yeah, Astro Orbiter is one of those attractions that we seem to do every couple trips or so.

I would be right there with you for those 7 am EMHs, you guys were able to get so much done!

I guess Disney finally decided to take away the option for the redneck ride photos on Space Mtn by slapping those words right across your face, lol!

EMH are the best-it was hard not to take advantage of them. We just love them! Can't wait to do it next April when we're at BLT!

Finally back to get caught up!

Yay! Glad you're back.

I wonder if they do that at Maelstrom because they just don't want anyone getting out of the boats? Who knows. Good thing you didn't get evacuated though. Although I'm a weirdo and would want that to happen. Because I want to be in an area that I'm normally not allowed.

We did actually get evacuated once when we were in Disneyland. We were on iasw and were stuck for atleast half an hour before they finally made us get off. It was kind of cool because we ended up backstage and got to see the monorail roundhouse.

Ugh, Karamel Kuche pictures. To die for!

Yup! So many good treats to choose from. I'll have to go back next year.

T-Rex has been on my list too. I'm thinking for our trip next summer with the kids. The boys would probably freak out.

T-Rex was great! Hope you get to go next summer!

That's a pretty awesome Vinyl! I love them too. I can't go into D-Street without buying too many.

Thanks! I was really glad to get that design.

I love that statement "I don't know what it is about those Dolphin people..." You can totally apply that to so many people.

haha, right?! I just thought it was so weird that whenever the buses went there it was always crowded. That morning going to DAK was by far the worst though.

Wow, you know it's early when they aren't even running the Safari yet.

I know, it was crazy.

Awesome, visiting Boston! The East Coast is virtually untouched territory for me.

We had such a good time in Boston. If you ever get the chance, you should go!

I'm in love with that tiny turtle!

Flights of Wonder is awesome. I haven't seen that show in years.

It is an awesome show. The birds are pretty cool.

I always bring my Dad back the Chip and Dale pretzels. He's somehow convinced that since they're from Disney, they taste better.....

I've never had the pretzels, but I like the Mickey cheese crackers. They're shaped like Mickey heads and are basically like Goldfish but SO much better. Yum.

That's awesome that they gave your Dad the credit to get the snack mix. That's service for sure.

It was a nice touch that they did that for us.

That's awesome that it's dark and you're watching the Welcome show at the Magic Kingdom.

I know!!! Somehow it's more exciting when it's dark out. I love knowing you have the whole day ahead of you.

(comments in purple!)

Great pictures from Astro Orbiter. We still haven't made it there yet.

Gotta love morning EMH!!! You have been able to get so much done!!!

Aww, really? One of these days you'll have to do it! More reason to go back!

 

[LisaKeys]

GO! go! GO!!!

My Dad was one of my Best Friends. He passed away in '08, but lived a great life and was 86. BUT, I cannot tell you how many special moments I relive in memories of our special times together.

As I've been reading this TR, I always think about how wonderful it is for the two of you to enjoy such a wonderful trip - a trip of life long memories. That's what you really call "priceless".

So, don't think twice - just GO!

 

[wisblue]

It seemed like virtually everyone at the Main Street Bakery that morning (except us) was using up Dining Plan credits.

That's one of the reasons I'm not a fan of the Dining Plan. I really don't have to eat that much every day, and I don't like to feel tied to eating at certain places.

As I've said in other reports, when we stay at a DVC resort, on our first day I buy a box of raisin bran, a half gallon of milk, a carton of orange juice and a box of mini muffins. For about $20 I have what I call "Breakfast for a Week" that I can eat in the room before we leave while others in the party are getting ready.

Of course, when you get up before 6 to get to a 7 AM EMH, I often feel like something else at mid morning. That's where places like the Main Street Bakery and Starring Rolls at DHS come in handy.

 

[Nermel9]

Yay, you got BLT!!!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Congratulations!!!

Thanks!! I'm so excited!

Asbolutely, if not for the memories alone. I'm around Sarah's age and can tell you how much I cherish the trips I've taken with my parents in my adult life. Ive done trips with both of them alone, and the quality time is something I'll always treasure. I know this won't be the first time, but the memories are still priceless. If its not conflicting with anything at home I definitely say do it.

Yes, two of my all-time favorite Disney memories now are doing the Backstage Magic and Keys to the Kingdom tours!

YAY! I'm so happy for you, and of course excited to see the TR! LOL

Your dad seems as excited as you!

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haha, yeah, it's going to be a while until the TR but it should be exciting (hopefully by that time this report will be done ).

Yay, you got BLT!!!

I can't wait to stay there!

 

[wdwgirl03]

Thursday, April 12, 2012 cont'd (part 2)...Keys to the Kingdom: Main Street USA

Our tour was scheduled for 9:30 so after we ate our snack to hold us over until lunch, we went to check in for the tour. I cannot tell you how excited I was to be doing this. It’s something we’ve talked about for a while and now we were finally going to experience it! I was looking forward to learning some more Disney secrets…and of course getting to see those famous utilidors!

I should preface this by saying that unfortunately these updates are not going to have too many pictures. Our tour guide told us we were welcome to take as many pictures as we wanted (unless it was backstage-no surprise there) but I just didn’t. So I apologize for that. But I think some of the secrets/trivia will make up for what is lacking in pictures. Unless of course you don’t want to know them-in which case, you might want to stop reading because there will be some spoilers! So if you’re thinking about doing Keys to the Kingdom, you’ve been warned! Now that I’ve got that out of the way, let’s get to the tour!

We checked in at the Main Street Chamber of Commerce (aka package pickup), which is right near City Hall. There we had to choose what we wanted for lunch at the Columbia Harbor House because they said they’d have it ready for us when we got there. We also received a small headset to use so we could actually hear our tour guide and a cute nametag.

Then we gathered outside to wait for everyone to arrive. As we were waiting, the trolley show was going on.

Our tour group was a pretty decent size-I’d say there were around 20 people (as compared to the four when Dad and I did the Backstage Safari tour). Once everyone was there, our tour guide, Robert, introduced himself. I’m just going to say right off the bat that this guy was OUTSTANDING. He was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to answer any questions we had. But anyway…Robert gave us a brief rundown of the work he’s done with Disney so far (he was probably in his mid-20s) and I was completely envious of the guy. He said that he began working in housekeeping but then moved on to work in many of what he called “dream roles”: Jungle Cruise skipper, Haunted Mansion butler, Soarin’ flight attendant…ummm yeah, I’d say those are definitely dream roles (if I could pick any attraction to work at it would without a doubt be Soarin and I know that Emma has said that if she does the CP again, she wants to work at Soarin too). And now he works in Guest Relations/does tours. Awesome.

After we got our introduction, we kind of went through what I’m going to call “mini Traditions.” If you don’t know what Traditions is, it’s basically Disney’s orientation for new cast members where they get a history of the company, tour the MK, etc. Now, the tour is called “Keys to the Kingdom,” but what exactly ARE the Keys? If it weren’t for Emma having just completed the CP, I would honestly have no idea. But since she did do the CP and went through Traditions, I did know a little bit about them (that was one of the first things I remember Emma telling me after her orientation). So when Robert asked us if we knew any of the four Keys (the keys are sort of like Disney’s mission) I was ready to answer. I raised my hand and said SHOW. Then Robert briefly explained what that meant and asked us if we knew any of the others. Nobody else did, so I raised my hand again and said SAFETY. Which at that point I felt I had to explain that I had a sister who just finished the College Program and that was how I knew them. LOL. But those were the only two I could remember, so Robert told us about the other two. So all four of the “Keys” are SAFETY, COURTESY, EFFICIENCY, and SHOW. From there, we headed down Main Street, but that wouldn’t be the last reference to those keys!

Once on Main Street, we stopped in front of the theater where Robert pointed out some of the windows. As some of you might know, a lot of the names on the windows are names of prominent Imagineers, or people who were involved in creating the park.

He also explained how a lot of the elements on Main Street can be compared to the movies. For example, what is the first thing you see as you walk under the train station? The attraction posters. So they’re sort of like previews, or coming attractions. Then you’ve got popcorn carts right there too (concessions, anyone?). And going back to the windows, those are like the movie credits. Pretty cool, huh? It’s things like that that make me really appreciate and admire Disney. So much thought goes into every little detail!

After that explanation we continued a little further down Main Street where we talked a little more about the four Keys. Robert basically had us try to find/think of examples of each of them. I had read a review of the KTTK tour before our trip and the person who wrote it said that this was really boring, but I actually thought it was kind of fun. I won’t go into too much detail but some of the examples we talked about were the “Disney point” and open shop doors (courtesy…though Robert said the open doors is also an example of safety because you never know when someone won’t be paying attention in those stores!), the fact that employees are called “Cast Members” and wear costumes (show), and fastpass (efficiency).

As we finished up on Main Street, there was one more window Robert told us about. I mentioned how the windows are similar to movie credits. So here’s a question: where in the credits do you find the director’s name? At the end. And who is the “director” of Disney World? Walt Disney, of course! Any guesses as to where I’m going with this? Where on Main Street would you find a window for Walt Disney? The end! Robert told us that there is a window for Walt Disney at the end of Main Street, right above the Ice Cream Parlor. I thought it was cute because he also said how it’s like Walt has a “front row seat” of the castle.

Up next: Which landmark serves as the transition point between Main Street USA and Adventureland???

 

[dawnbu40]

I am really enjoying reading about your tour! I love all the little facts and trivia! We've always talked about doing the tour but the price x3 has always seemed too steep thanks to you I can enjoy it for free

 

[WDWaddictt]

I got a chance to go on this tour in 2010, when my DH and I went to WDW solo. It was a lot of fun and cool info for those of you that love MK. Glad to her you enjoyed it! Can't wait to hear more... I would like to take the family on the family tour of MK but X4 is very pricey.

 

[Angies1274]

Yay for getting to stay at BLT!! So exciting!

I'm really enjoying reading about the KTTK tour!! It sounds so interesting. Can't wait to read more!!!!

 

[marDgreen88]

More tour!!! More tour!!!

 

[Caretames1]

WOW, it sounds so interesting already! I love behinds the scenes type of things. Learning certain things that others don't know is neat.
I hope to this someday.

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[wdwgirl03]

I am really enjoying reading about your tour! I love all the little facts and trivia! We've always talked about doing the tour but the price x3 has always seemed too steep thanks to you I can enjoy it for free

haha, you guys really should do the tour. I think my dad and I would both agree that it is worth the money-especially for people who visit WDW as often as we do!

I got a chance to go on this tour in 2010, when my DH and I went to WDW solo. It was a lot of fun and cool info for those of you that love MK. Glad to her you enjoyed it! Can't wait to hear more... I would like to take the family on the family tour of MK but X4 is very pricey.

That's awesome you got to do the tour a couple years ago. We actually did the Family Magic tour too, several years ago because we had some sort of package so we either got to do it at a discount or for free.

Yay for getting to stay at BLT!! So exciting!

I'm really enjoying reading about the KTTK tour!! It sounds so interesting. Can't wait to read more!!!!

I am so excited we are going to get to stay at BLT. WOOT! I wish it was sooner than April, but it'll be here before we know it.

Glad you are enjoying the tour info!

More tour!!! More tour!!!

I know, I need to get moving on updating!

WOW, it sounds so interesting already! I love behinds the scenes type of things. Learning certain things that others don't know is neat.
I hope to this someday.

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If you like the behind the scenes stuff then you'd definitely enjoy the tour. Hopefully you'll get to do it soon!

 

[Mickey_Mom]

I love hearing about the tour, it'd be so great to do it one day. More please!