70 to Freezing in 7 hours. A Nov/Dec 2011 trip report. Updated 4/28

[petals]

Good news the lecturers liked my telly documentary idea. I was a little shocked with that because when I said it in class one of the lectures thought it was a boring idea. Whatever I'll go with it. I also have my work experience for both telly and radio sorted now and nervously excited about it.

On momabaarjo's trip report she noticed my obsession with plushies and I wanted to share a few pics with you all to show just how deeply that obsession goes. I had to take them in four sections because there was so many. I didn't actually realise how many there were though until I sat them all out for the picture and this is just what lives on my bed and not even half of what I actually own between my bedroom and the attic. You will also notice how many Disney ones there are and how some of the non disney ones have been disneyfied (is that a word? it is now )

 

[amandaw]

Congrats on the lecturers liking your documentary idea!

I don't think you have enough fuzzy friends. May need to buy a few more!

 

[petals]

Congrats on the lecturers liking your documentary idea!

I don't think you have enough fuzzy friends. May need to buy a few more!

that's not even half of them

 

[momabaarjo]

WOW!
Where do you sleep? I love how you have made them all Disney in some way!


On the documentary idea being liked...I think that 80% of the battle of projects is the topic, once you have one that done the actual "meat" just flows!

 

[afwdwfan]

Good news the lecturers liked my telly documentary idea.

Congratulations!

 

[amandaw]

that's not even half of them

And I thought Reid had a lot. Of course, we always come home with at least 1 or 2 more from Disney. So, I'm sure we'll add a few more to the family this year. He already informed me that he wants a Buzz fuzzy friend.

 

[petals]

WOW!
Where do you sleep? I love how you have made them all Disney in some way!

Momma wonders the same thing. They all kinda live at the top of the bed over the pillows and down the side and I fit in under and in front of them. It works.

On the documentary idea being liked...I think that 80% of the battle of projects is the topic, once you have one that done the actual "meat" just flows!

Yeah I'm glad they liked them because I don't really know what else I could do them on. Now I just have to find time to actually record the television stuff and the radio stuff I can do any evening. The telly stuff has to be done on certain days though.

Congratulations!

Thanks

And I thought Reid had a lot. Of course, we always come home with at least 1 or 2 more from Disney. So, I'm sure we'll add a few more to the family this year. He already informed me that he wants a Buzz fuzzy friend.

I don't think I've ever seen a Buzz fluffy in Disney. What you could do though is get a Build a Bear teddy and buy the buzz lightyear outfit they have for the bear.

 

[amandaw]

I don't think I've ever seen a Buzz fluffy in Disney. What you could do though is get a Build a Bear teddy and buy the buzz lightyear outfit they have for the bear.

Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a Buzz one either. But, that's a good idea about the Build a Bear. If I can't talk him into a different fuzzy friend I might just have to do that.

 

[blessedmom4]

For a limited time only. I don't usually post me pics to forums but it's me disney pics:

Dear Emma, I HAD to tell you how much I loved the pics of you!!! THANK YOU for posting them!! I KNOW it was just for me too! It is SOOOOOO nice to finally put a face with the lady! Thank you for sharing all of your plushies with us as well, LOVE THEM!!

 

[petals]

Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a Buzz one either. But, that's a good idea about the Build a Bear. If I can't talk him into a different fuzzy friend I might just have to do that.

Think you can get a Buzz outfit for Duffy as well but it's prob cheaper in build a bear.

Dear Emma, I HAD to tell you how much I loved the pics of you!!! THANK YOU for posting them!! I KNOW it was just for me too! It is SOOOOOO nice to finally put a face with the lady! Thank you for sharing all of your plushies with us as well, LOVE THEM!!

No probs. I love my plushies as well. Momma says between pins, vinylmations and plushies I have the price of a small house in my room but I don't really care because I love them all

 

[jenseib]

Some how I had missed the photopass pictures. I am so glad you posted them. I think you are so pretty.
I love the dance pics too. Claire talks about doing that, just for the dress and curls. LOL

And Claire would be in heaven with your room. She has a ton and I keep bagging them up and put away in a closet. She still has a lot on her bed too.

 

[petals]

Some how I had missed the photopass pictures. I am so glad you posted them. I think you are so pretty.

Thank you. I don't usually like pics of myself but I do like that Simba one. There was a tinkerbell magic shot by the same photographer he was good!

I love the dance pics too. Claire talks about doing that, just for the dress and curls. LOL

Thank you. Irish dancing is the best. It can be very competitive though you should watch Jig for to see the competitive side. I think it depends really on the dancer and the parents. But the shows we did were fun and I did love my dresses and curls. My second dress was my favourite it was deep purple and red gold with green and purple diamond shapes on the underneath that you'd see when I did high kicks.

And Claire would be in heaven with your room. She has a ton and I keep bagging them up and put away in a closet. She still has a lot on her bed too.

Most kids are in heaven in my room as well as all that on the bed there's dolls bunks under my mirror with a load of smaller disney plushies and then I've a display cabinet with hundreds of ty beanies and a few dozen porcelin dolls and then along the top of my curtain rail is my Vinylmation collection. My friend is in her 30's and thinks my room is disneyland

 

[petals]

First off I was looking at the tornado's in U.S. on the news tonight and hope that all dissers in those areas affected are safe. Sending pixie dust to you.

Now on with the Disney talk

Day 5, part 6:

When I had left you it was pouring rain and we had decided to man up and head to our next destination. I had given Momma an early Christmas present an invite to Pick a Pearl so we headed that way but on the way we made a quick stop in America to visit Mr. and Mrs. Claus:

Santa was very quiet but Mrs. Claus was lovely. Before we left for Florida I had made us one of these each:

I thought it might be fun to get them stamped at the Kidcot stations so we got that started in America and got the CM to write Merry Christmas 2011 on the back.
I took pics of the American tree:

and when I got home found a hidden Mickey on it:

I also wondered why there was pineapples on the tree?!
We eventually got to Japan and I led Momma to the Pick a pearl counter and explained to her how it worked and how she should pick the ugliest one. As we were watching a lady got two blue pearls. I went off to pay and Momma was deciding which osyter she was going to pick:

Soon enough our turn came the CM gets you to do a traditional Japanese welcome and then invites you to pick your pearl. She opens it and measures it:

Momma's was 7mm. I got one as well mine was 7.5mm I win
The CM then washes it and cleans it up

Then they pop it in a little bag for you, bang some drums to congratulate you on your find and invite you to buy some of their "lovely jewellery settings" that have lovely prices as well! Momma loved the whole experience and said she was glad she only got one pearl because it was bigger than the lady's two pearls she got. After that we had a look around the Japan shop and got some of the lucky cats which I didn't take a picture of but I took a pic of the lucky Owl:

We went to Japan Kidcot to get our next stamp and Christmas message in Japanese this time:

and like big child I am I got a Duffy on a stick and then Momma thought it was cute so she got one as well. We visited their exhibit as well:

and saw the Matsuriza out briefly when we were leaving Japan:

Apparently we paid a visit to Morocco next because I have pictures on the camera from there. I guess maybe that was a toilet break

It's a Mickey head:

Then we headed back towards the American Pavillion to queue for Candlelight Processional since on our way to Pick a Pearl we had noticed that even people with reservations were queuing in the rain at 3pm
Some pics on the way back:

Look at those horrible big grey rain clouds!

Next up: A very wet Processional.

 

[jenseib]

I love pick a pearl. Claire really enjoyed it last trip too.

 

[amandaw]

That's so great that your Momma enjoyed the Pick a Pearl. That really was a sweet Christmas gift.

I'm glad y'all weren't letting the nasty weather slow y'all down! I just hope it didn't stop the Candlelight Processional that night.

 

[petals]

I love pick a pearl. Claire really enjoyed it last trip too.

it was a fun thing to do but I'd really buy the jewellery settings on ebay rather than in that shop. Save the pennies and all that

That's so great that your Momma enjoyed the Pick a Pearl. That really was a sweet Christmas gift.

I just wanted to do something different because I always seem to give her like perfume or bath sets or pyjamas or something like that I wanted something different.

I'm glad y'all weren't letting the nasty weather slow y'all down! I just hope it didn't stop the Candlelight Processional that night.

Naw we're well used to nasty weather. In Ireland it pretty much rains everyday!
I think Disney have a policy that once the stage is covered over the show goes ahead. At least that's what happened when we were on our dancing trip in 2008. It was really wet that day and there was talk of the show being cancelled but it was only among our group because Disney said the show was never going to be cancelled because stage is covered!


Speaking of the dancers. My old dance class are in Paris at the mo and not only did they dance in Disneyland they only met Peter Andre and danced for him as well! Not jealous at all!

 

[petals]

Day 5, part 7:
As I was saying we headed back towards the American Pavillion to queue for Candlelight processional. They had started letting people in and the covered over area was full apart from two rows of seating that a CM was reserving for some reason.

We sat out as near to covered area as possible and waited. I took pics while we waited:

While we were waiting rain continued and I was worried about what was in my bag because I knew the bag let in water so I decided to give in and go buy a poncho. Leaving I was told the password was Gingerbread and I must tell the CM this to get back in. I was confused by that because the place wasn't nearly full. We had booked the dining package because we had heard it would be really busy. Maybe it was the rain keeping people away but there was tonnes of empty seats that evening. Anyways poncho in hand I went back over to get in and CM was like password please! I really didn't get the need for that esp since he had seen me leave walk across street get poncho and come back but whatever. I put poncho over me and the bag and offered it to Momma to cover her bag but she said no. At one point the CM's made an announcement that every had to move all the way over in their row and fill all available seats, again why because where we were there was loads of free space. We were watching the covered seating though and nobody moved there and weirder still the rows that the CM was saving were never filled at all. Why like? Why didn't she let people that had dining package sit there closer to start of show when it was clear whoever or whatever reason she was saving it for wasn't happening. Candlelight Processional began. I took video and pics from under the poncho:

Michael W. Smith was narrator that night:

It was good but it rained the entire time the Candlelight Processional was on and because it was raining the entire time it got colder as it got dark as well and yours truely here had only brought crocs to Florida with her so I had I wet feet and was cold because I'd left tracksuit bottoms in the hotel and Momma got soaked through. So next order of business was forget everything else we wanted to see and find dry clothes. I actually felt sorry for Momma because she thought her bag was ok and wouldn't put it under the poncho when I offered and when she checked later it had got soaked as well so her Duffy on a stick got wet and her pic with the Mickey head flags got wet. She was disappointed but it didn't get totally destroyed so she made do with it. Anyways we headed back towards Mouse Gear to look for something dry to go on us. I stopped to take more pics on the way:

In Mouse Gear I was going to get dry socks until I saw the price of them 16.95 for three pairs.. No thanks. I just took the wet socks off and dried the crocs. Momma literally walked around for two hours because she couldn't decide what she wanted to get. I love her to bits but I can never understand how anyone can spend that long in one shop. I'm get in get what I want get out type of person 99% of the time and all the time she was walking around and around and around I was thinking of everything we weren't getting done but I stuck it out. I picked up my Epcot souveniors and then sat on the floor and waited for her because I had started having stomach cramps again. Eventually she just decided to get a new dry t-shirt and move on. So we left and tried to go to Ellen's energy adventure but it was closed so we started to head back towards World Showcase but then the tears came. I'd had enough. I was cold, wet, sick and disappointed that we hadn't got one storyteller which is what I wanted to see the most in Epcot. I was now going to have to rework the schedule again and try fit in more Epcot time which meant that something had to go in our plans for the rest of our holiday so I just stood there crying. Momma fixed the cold thing by popping into Mouse gear and buying me a tracksuit bottoms that wasn't in my days budget. Through my tears I somehow managed to snap another picture:

And then we headed back towards World Showcase. The rain was easing but still drizzly so we decided to hop into Mexico and visit Donald and I had myself a treat to make myself feel better as well:

We got our next kidcot stamp and Mexican Christmas message and then started to talk about whether or not to get an earlier bus home or stay for fireworks.


Next up: Illuminations or not?!

 

[blessedmom4]

Oh I LOVED that you did Pick pearl for your mom. She really should know what a wonderful daughter she has. I had NO IDEA Santa and Mrs. Claus were in Disney, HOW FUN! Do any of the other countries have their version of the Kringles or special Christmas customs? One of these days I am gong for Christmas! It looks so pretty! I am SO SORRY you weren't well though!

 

[petals]

Oh I LOVED that you did Pick pearl for your mom. She really should know what a wonderful daughter she has. I had NO IDEA Santa and Mrs. Claus were in Disney, HOW FUN! Do any of the other countries have their version of the Kringles or special Christmas customs? One of these days I am gong for Christmas! It looks so pretty! I am SO SORRY you weren't well though!

Every country on world showcase had Christmas storytellers. Basically whatever their Christmas figure is telling the customs of Christmas/New Years in their country. Santa and Mrs. Claus didn't tell any story though they were just a photo op.

Christmas and Halloween are definately the best times to visit. Christmas was amazing with all the lights and trees and characters in their fesitive costumes but then I really liked the MNSSHP as well

 

[amandaw]

I'm so sorry you weren't having a good night! I don't understand why the CM wouldn't let people move up to the covered seating once they saw whoever it was reserved for wasn't coming. And then, to be feeling bad on top of being cold & wet.....well, that's just no fun. I hope you were able to work in some additional Epcot time later in the week for you to see the storytellers.