exwdwcm
wishes she was Wendy Moira Angela Darling
- Joined
- Aug 19, 1999
- Messages
- 5,046
Tuesday, 12/6
Me- Michelle, 32, marketing manager, married to a non-disney guy, no kids (but trying now!), former cast member (wdwcp in 1996), the pefectionist/organizer/trip NAZI
Mom- "MawMaw", 50s, married 35 years, recently retired, the generous one! Had brain surgery (pitutary gland)last year that might slow her down a bit this trip as she gets tired more
Dad- "PawPaw", 50s, along for the ride, our driver and constantly pulling out his wallet to pay for stuff!
Great Aunt- Marion or "Auntie", 60s, first time ever to WDW! recently retired as well!
Sister- Mandy, "NeNe", 28, special ed teacher, not big into disney, but loves to go with us, calls her "schmoopy" (boyfriend for those that don't get the Seinfeld reference) every night
Sister- Wendy, 30, paralegal, married with 2 year old, huge Disney NUT and the comedian of the family
Bro in Law- Mike, turned 30 on the trip, married to Wendy, and another comedian and great dad to little Ally
Ally- Mike and Wendy's little angel, 2.4 years old (terrible twos!!!), the first grandkid in our family and completely SPOILED ROTTEN (we love it!)
Well today was the big day, we had all been waiting with baited breath for the all too famous MVMCP. A year ago, no one in my family could tell you what MVMCP stood for, but I educated them all- now they even know what an ADR is! So we slept in a bit today- getting up at about 8am. Epcot opened at 9am today and we arrived just about 9:30. We had scheduled an ADR (see there we go again!) for the Princess Breakfast in Norway. Only my sister Wendy had done this before with Mike.
We actually all decided to head to Mission Space first and get it out of the way. We had already tackled Soarin earlier in the week, so this was the other one to knock out early to avoid lines. There was absolutely no wait, even at 9:45am. Not all of our party was on board with trying this ride. Auntie and Mike sat it out with Ally. Wendy, Mandy and I rode together and my parents rode together. I had prepared everyone for all the warnings they give you, I swear the really scare people. The ride didn’t bother me at all the first time, in fact, I didn’t really think it was that intense. It was more intense this second time around. Mandy gets a little carsick sometimes but Wendy and I are always fine. We lifted off into space and on the way out, Mandy was grabbing a barf bag to go, just in case. My mom also got a little lightheaded afterwards. Mandy joked that she was hoping that we didn’t have to do a return flight to earth, because she wasn’t sure she could make it there and BACK lol! My dad loved this ride too, I knew he would. I thought it was great and better this time around....and around.....and around....oh wait, i am getting dizzy here, Mandy, pass me the barf bag!
After our space mission, half of us went on to the World Showcase and Mike, Mandy and I decided to do Test Track again. This would be our 2nd ride on it of the week. Mike claims he must ride it at least 5 times every trip! Little wait on this one too. We caught up with the rest of the group near Norway, of course the world showcase doesn’t open until 11am, so only those having breakfast were over there. We had some time to kill, so we took some pics and wondered around a bit. At 10:15am, our time had come- we were greeted with a photo with Belle. Then off to our table where fresh fruit and cinnamon buns awaited us. Before the waitress even made it over, we had emptied all those plates! We were served the yummy skillet which had cheesy potatoes, eggs, sausage, bacon and biscuits.
Ally wore her Snow White dress today, which was also her Halloween costume. It is simply adorable on her.
Isn't she an adorable princess!?
I swear every little girl there had on a princess dress, I felt kind of left out! Maybe next time I’ll wear mine! Just kidding, I don’t own one…..yet!
We were able to see all of the princesses- starting with Aurora/Sleeping Beauty…..oh wait, I mean Seeping Booty! Next was Jasmine, and we forced my dad to take a pic with her. Okay, there wasn’t much forcing involved, he does like Jasmine everytime we go. His only complaint was she was wrapped up in her winter gear……sorry Dad!
After Jasmine was Snow White…..she was so great. She gave Ally a kiss on the forehead and left her lipstick mark there all day long! I love this picture of Ally and Snow White. Ally really just stared in awe the whole time.
Next was Mulan who was very gracious and beautiful. Got some great pics with her too. We heard some commotion from another large table and it turned out that Sleeping Beauty was trying to embarrass a pre-teen boy. He wanted nothing to do with her, but the whole family and parents kept egging her on. She finally got his ball cap off to kiss him on the forehead or cheek. He was beet red and everyone laughed and clapped. But about 5 seconds later the poor boy was crying. He was so embarrassed and mad that everyone had been watching. Poor kid. Give him a few more years, he’ll appreciate that kiss!
check out Snow White's kiss on her head!
After our great breakfast, Wendy, Mike and Mandy took Ally on their own to try and do Crush. The rest of us did the Norway boat ride and skipped the movie. It was so quick, we decided to head towards Crush too, but the line was already 2 shows (40 minutes long). Wendy, Mike and Mandy were up near the front with Ally. We all wanted to see it, but didn’t want to cut. I figured we would try and do it later. There was no way we could all wait for 40 minutes in line due to bad backs and other stuff. So I snuck into line (only me!) with Wendy and them and we saw Crush. My parents and Auntie took a much deserved break on a bench outside Living Seas after they went to do the Journey into Imagination ride. The show was quick and cute. Ally sat up front, but kept getting up. The kids really loved this show, as well as the adults, really a great new attraction for the kids to check out. This is the only reason I will come back to the Living Seas.
Mandy also ran into Hook near the Character Connection and she wore her "Hookin Up" shirt I got her at Walmart for $8! It is super cute though. So she had to get a pic with him- he was embarrassed that she had his pic on her um chest......l
After Crush- it was nearing 1pm or later, and Mike and Wendy took Ally to get started on her nap. The rest of us tried the Coca Cola station! We did this a few years ago before the renovation. And we got a classic pic of my dad trying Beverly last time. This year, it was Auntie’s turn. The result was the same…..the classic bitter beer face you see on the Keystone commercials. WE chatted with other families, telling them “if there is someone you want to play a prank on, have them taste the Beverly and tell them it is good”…….then we watched. It was greatness. The watermelon one was pretty good actually. We did some quick shopping after that and decided to take our daily break. Tonight was going to be a busy and long night afterall at the MVMCP….ABCDEFG….whatever it is!
We did take a bit of a nap today, knowing that MVMCP runs until midnight. Mike and Wendy got some laundry done during our break too.
(TIP- pack or bring your own laundry detergent and don’t forget the quarters!).
We had originally planned to eat dinner at the Port Orleans food court, but due to POP Warner being in town, the food court was starting to become very crowded and overwhelmed with cheerleaders. We just decided we would head to MK earlier than we had planned and eat fast food there.
Wendy, Mike and Ally on Main Street
So we arrive at the Magic Kingdom by 5pm, get our cool MVMCP wristbands and head to Tomorrowland. Main Street really is beautiful at Christmas! We decide on the old standby, Cosmic Ray’s. Wendy and I had great soup there last visit, but it turns out the counter that served soup and sandwiches was closed, so our selection was hot dogs, burgers or chicken. I settled for chicken strips which were okay. But Ally absolutely loved my cheese sauce. The topping bars here are great. I had some cheese sauce for my fries and Ally started dipping too. I went to dip another fry and Ally had about 10 fries just sitting in the little cheese container…..she was dipping one and licking off the sauce and putting it back in……ooh! So I ended up giving her my cheese sauce to say the least!
After our quick meal, it was nearing 6pm. As we exited the restaurant, we were waiting on Mike to find the stroller. There was already a CM stationed in front of the doors asking people for wristbands- even if they wanted to go in an use the bathroom! They were being pretty strict. We could see them directing the non-parties towards Main Street when possible. We tried to figure out what to do next. With all my crazy planning, this was a first for us and we didn’t have a plan other than to skip the first parade.
We decided we wanted to get some rides done and see the second parade. So we asked where rides would be open between 6-7 for the party-goers and were told Frontierland only. So we headed that way and see the people already grabbing spots for the first parade. I just didn’t want to waste an hour and a half just sitting on a curb waiting to keep a parade spot. So we were in frontierland and walked on Splash Mountain twice, no line at all! We even did a cute pose for the photo---Mandy and I were doing “vogue” Madonna type poses…..but alas, our picture didn’t come out- technical difficulties…….
Ally loved the little playground there too. We had to drag her away crying “payground, payground!”……too cute! Next, we headed to Big Thunder- just me, my sisters, dad and Mike. Had a great time on it with no wait too. By now, it was getting close to 7. And yes, they were checking our wristbands each time we went on a ride in that time frame. They even were checking to let you through into Frontierland in general.
We decided now to head to Haunted Mansion. We all loved it and I pointed out the hidden mickey on the table to everyone. We still haven’t found the ring at the end though. Ally did fine on this- we were concerned about the dark room first- but she had her little flashlight keychain we brought her and she used that and was perfect. There was a big spider scene that we were afraid would freak her out after her Sci Fi restaurant experience……but she did fine. Next we conquered Fantasyland and I mean conquered……but first, a quick pitstop for hot chocolate. I read posts on here about people not being able to find the hot chocolate stations or the lines being crazy. We didn’t experience that at all. Waited a few minutes and got hot chocolate with marshmallows and cookies. It hit the spot. It was chilly this night, probably one of the coldest nights of our trip.
All warmed up, we tackled fantasyland….first was snow white, then peter pan, philharmagic…….rode them all with no line. Ally loved Philharmagic and was trying to grab everything. Our entire party rated this a great attraction. Next it was Dumbo’s turn. There was about a 5-10 minute wait here, but not bad. We watched the Holiday Hop in Ariel’s Grotto while we waited in line. It was very cute seeing the characters dance with guests. And…there was another hot chocolate station back there too. So we had our second one. Then we were riding Dumbo and taking pics. I can’t say I remember riding this ride ever. I must have been too young to remember or something. Ally had a great time though.
We headed towards Pooh, but it was a 20 minute wait, so we passed. We never waited longer than 20 minutes for anything. We would either fastpass it or adjust our plans and come back later. So we passed on Pooh and the playground for now too. The teacups were calling my name. I am a huge Alice fan, so I loved these. “A very merry unbirthday!!!!”…..my dad and I got our own teacup. Mom and Auntie got one and Wendy, Mandy and Ally in another. Mike got in his own. Ally absolutely giggled the whole time- she loved spinning and really liked this ride!
My dad and I in the teacup, going fast as can be!
Afterwards, we got some pictures with the Mad Hatter. He saw Ally’s kiss on her head from Snow White and asked her if Snow White had kissed her earlier! Too cute! I guess that is her trademark thing. We had a great time in Fantasyland with no waits. We did all that in under an hour. The parade was going on at the same time, which is why it was so empty back there.
Next, another ride we usually skip that usually has a tremendous line…..the indy race cars……is it just me, or are these things slower than I remember? We all rode. I drove Auntie and let’s just say she wasn’t impressed. The car needed a major realignment job….no matter how straight I tried to steer, we were just bouncing all over the place……I should have passed on this ride. Between the fumes and the bumping…..so we finish it and try and catch the Twas the Night Before Christmas Show in TL. But it is standing room only, so we pass. No standing for us!
We then do Buzz really quickly and Wendy scores like 300,000 points right off the bat. She must have hit one of the secret targets! I, on the other hand, had a pathetic score, I swear my gun was broken, it really was!! Believe me? Well we had a ball on that. Now we were noticing the crowds, or maybe it was just Tomorrowland, or the parade crowds were finally dispersing. We shopped around a bit and suddenly we hear the fireworks going off! Oh crap, is it that time already? So we head with the masses already on the TL bridge. We actually walked right on and got good viewing spots- of course we couldn’t sit down, but still had good views. Tink flew right over us. The holiday WISHES was amazing. And the ending…..well I won’t spoil it for those that have yet to see it. We were really amazed how good it was. I didn’t think it would be as good as the regular wishes, which we had already seen twice on this trip. Auntie and my mom decided to go find a seat. The rest of us finished watching WISHES.
After WISHES, we were all pretty beat. I mean we had done all of Frontierland and Fantasyland and some of TL. We never did Space Mtn that night, the line was posted at like 30 minutes most of the night, so we passed. We would get another chance later in the week. So we sat a while and got some refreshments. I got a yummy pretzel filled with jalapeno cheese in the middle! We all just sat and relaxed and took in the atmosphere. Then we remembered that we needed to get our free holiday photos. We headed to Timekeeper where they were doing them. Waited about 2 minutes. The CM said the line was monstrous earlier. Good thing we waited until 10:45 or so! We were able to take a group family photo, as well as a photo of just Wendy/Mike and Ally. As we were getting ready and getting our coats off, Wendy asks the CM if we can take multiple pictures- trying to explain that she wanted one of her, Mike and Ally, but also wanted a family one with the rest of us……Wendy told her “I know, I make things harder than they are”…..and the CM responded loudly with a rude smirk on her face….” I BET you do!”……well geez, did she really have to do so rude. I know it was late and she had fought some crowds, but really…… That was only our second rude/bad CM experience of the trip (the other being our waitress at Liberty Tree earlier).
After the rude CM, we actually had a great photographer CM. He acted like he was going to get in the photo and asked me to take it! He let us take two different photos and the lady doing the paperwork marked that she would send enough photos for all of us (6 different ones for 8 people!). We didn’t expect that, so that was nice. I had been prepared that we would only get one photo. Can’t wait to see how they turned out.
It was just about time for the second parade and our group is fading fast….I mean it is 11pm and we’ve been here since 5pm going non stop. We get Auntie and my mom a nice table outside of the ice cream shop area, across from the Plaza restaurant, where they can somewhat see the parade. They didn’t want to stand to watch the whole thing. The rest of us grabbed yet another free hot chocolate and found a great spot right on the corner near the ice cream shop. There was a guy and stroller in front of us, so we had a perfect view. We really enjoyed this parade. Everything was very well done and I am glad we didn’t miss it. I can’t wait to watch it on Christmas Day now.
We then did some more quick shopping on the way out. We like to shop, can you tell? Then by 11:30, we are done. Everyone is pooped, but very pleased by how much we got to see and do. We accomplished all the things I wanted to do that night- the parade, WISHES, photo, hot chocolate and rode tons of rides with no wait. It was a great night overall and we all felt it was well worth the money. We’d do it again in a heartbeat!
oh and i forgot to mention mousekeeping today- we came in for our break and the CM had built 'people' laying in our beds with sheets and towels. They were pretty cute!
Well another edition of 8 Texans has wrapped, stay tuned.....Will our 'break day' really give us a break? where we will eat since Beaches and cream is closed? Will we knock down the gingerbread house? Will we drink too much sangria at Hoop Dee Doo? stay tuned to find out!
Me- Michelle, 32, marketing manager, married to a non-disney guy, no kids (but trying now!), former cast member (wdwcp in 1996), the pefectionist/organizer/trip NAZI
Mom- "MawMaw", 50s, married 35 years, recently retired, the generous one! Had brain surgery (pitutary gland)last year that might slow her down a bit this trip as she gets tired more
Dad- "PawPaw", 50s, along for the ride, our driver and constantly pulling out his wallet to pay for stuff!
Great Aunt- Marion or "Auntie", 60s, first time ever to WDW! recently retired as well!
Sister- Mandy, "NeNe", 28, special ed teacher, not big into disney, but loves to go with us, calls her "schmoopy" (boyfriend for those that don't get the Seinfeld reference) every night
Sister- Wendy, 30, paralegal, married with 2 year old, huge Disney NUT and the comedian of the family
Bro in Law- Mike, turned 30 on the trip, married to Wendy, and another comedian and great dad to little Ally
Ally- Mike and Wendy's little angel, 2.4 years old (terrible twos!!!), the first grandkid in our family and completely SPOILED ROTTEN (we love it!)
Well today was the big day, we had all been waiting with baited breath for the all too famous MVMCP. A year ago, no one in my family could tell you what MVMCP stood for, but I educated them all- now they even know what an ADR is! So we slept in a bit today- getting up at about 8am. Epcot opened at 9am today and we arrived just about 9:30. We had scheduled an ADR (see there we go again!) for the Princess Breakfast in Norway. Only my sister Wendy had done this before with Mike.
We actually all decided to head to Mission Space first and get it out of the way. We had already tackled Soarin earlier in the week, so this was the other one to knock out early to avoid lines. There was absolutely no wait, even at 9:45am. Not all of our party was on board with trying this ride. Auntie and Mike sat it out with Ally. Wendy, Mandy and I rode together and my parents rode together. I had prepared everyone for all the warnings they give you, I swear the really scare people. The ride didn’t bother me at all the first time, in fact, I didn’t really think it was that intense. It was more intense this second time around. Mandy gets a little carsick sometimes but Wendy and I are always fine. We lifted off into space and on the way out, Mandy was grabbing a barf bag to go, just in case. My mom also got a little lightheaded afterwards. Mandy joked that she was hoping that we didn’t have to do a return flight to earth, because she wasn’t sure she could make it there and BACK lol! My dad loved this ride too, I knew he would. I thought it was great and better this time around....and around.....and around....oh wait, i am getting dizzy here, Mandy, pass me the barf bag!
After our space mission, half of us went on to the World Showcase and Mike, Mandy and I decided to do Test Track again. This would be our 2nd ride on it of the week. Mike claims he must ride it at least 5 times every trip! Little wait on this one too. We caught up with the rest of the group near Norway, of course the world showcase doesn’t open until 11am, so only those having breakfast were over there. We had some time to kill, so we took some pics and wondered around a bit. At 10:15am, our time had come- we were greeted with a photo with Belle. Then off to our table where fresh fruit and cinnamon buns awaited us. Before the waitress even made it over, we had emptied all those plates! We were served the yummy skillet which had cheesy potatoes, eggs, sausage, bacon and biscuits.
Ally wore her Snow White dress today, which was also her Halloween costume. It is simply adorable on her.
Isn't she an adorable princess!?
I swear every little girl there had on a princess dress, I felt kind of left out! Maybe next time I’ll wear mine! Just kidding, I don’t own one…..yet!
We were able to see all of the princesses- starting with Aurora/Sleeping Beauty…..oh wait, I mean Seeping Booty! Next was Jasmine, and we forced my dad to take a pic with her. Okay, there wasn’t much forcing involved, he does like Jasmine everytime we go. His only complaint was she was wrapped up in her winter gear……sorry Dad!
After Jasmine was Snow White…..she was so great. She gave Ally a kiss on the forehead and left her lipstick mark there all day long! I love this picture of Ally and Snow White. Ally really just stared in awe the whole time.
Next was Mulan who was very gracious and beautiful. Got some great pics with her too. We heard some commotion from another large table and it turned out that Sleeping Beauty was trying to embarrass a pre-teen boy. He wanted nothing to do with her, but the whole family and parents kept egging her on. She finally got his ball cap off to kiss him on the forehead or cheek. He was beet red and everyone laughed and clapped. But about 5 seconds later the poor boy was crying. He was so embarrassed and mad that everyone had been watching. Poor kid. Give him a few more years, he’ll appreciate that kiss!
check out Snow White's kiss on her head!
After our great breakfast, Wendy, Mike and Mandy took Ally on their own to try and do Crush. The rest of us did the Norway boat ride and skipped the movie. It was so quick, we decided to head towards Crush too, but the line was already 2 shows (40 minutes long). Wendy, Mike and Mandy were up near the front with Ally. We all wanted to see it, but didn’t want to cut. I figured we would try and do it later. There was no way we could all wait for 40 minutes in line due to bad backs and other stuff. So I snuck into line (only me!) with Wendy and them and we saw Crush. My parents and Auntie took a much deserved break on a bench outside Living Seas after they went to do the Journey into Imagination ride. The show was quick and cute. Ally sat up front, but kept getting up. The kids really loved this show, as well as the adults, really a great new attraction for the kids to check out. This is the only reason I will come back to the Living Seas.
Mandy also ran into Hook near the Character Connection and she wore her "Hookin Up" shirt I got her at Walmart for $8! It is super cute though. So she had to get a pic with him- he was embarrassed that she had his pic on her um chest......l
After Crush- it was nearing 1pm or later, and Mike and Wendy took Ally to get started on her nap. The rest of us tried the Coca Cola station! We did this a few years ago before the renovation. And we got a classic pic of my dad trying Beverly last time. This year, it was Auntie’s turn. The result was the same…..the classic bitter beer face you see on the Keystone commercials. WE chatted with other families, telling them “if there is someone you want to play a prank on, have them taste the Beverly and tell them it is good”…….then we watched. It was greatness. The watermelon one was pretty good actually. We did some quick shopping after that and decided to take our daily break. Tonight was going to be a busy and long night afterall at the MVMCP….ABCDEFG….whatever it is!
We did take a bit of a nap today, knowing that MVMCP runs until midnight. Mike and Wendy got some laundry done during our break too.
(TIP- pack or bring your own laundry detergent and don’t forget the quarters!).
We had originally planned to eat dinner at the Port Orleans food court, but due to POP Warner being in town, the food court was starting to become very crowded and overwhelmed with cheerleaders. We just decided we would head to MK earlier than we had planned and eat fast food there.
Wendy, Mike and Ally on Main Street
So we arrive at the Magic Kingdom by 5pm, get our cool MVMCP wristbands and head to Tomorrowland. Main Street really is beautiful at Christmas! We decide on the old standby, Cosmic Ray’s. Wendy and I had great soup there last visit, but it turns out the counter that served soup and sandwiches was closed, so our selection was hot dogs, burgers or chicken. I settled for chicken strips which were okay. But Ally absolutely loved my cheese sauce. The topping bars here are great. I had some cheese sauce for my fries and Ally started dipping too. I went to dip another fry and Ally had about 10 fries just sitting in the little cheese container…..she was dipping one and licking off the sauce and putting it back in……ooh! So I ended up giving her my cheese sauce to say the least!
After our quick meal, it was nearing 6pm. As we exited the restaurant, we were waiting on Mike to find the stroller. There was already a CM stationed in front of the doors asking people for wristbands- even if they wanted to go in an use the bathroom! They were being pretty strict. We could see them directing the non-parties towards Main Street when possible. We tried to figure out what to do next. With all my crazy planning, this was a first for us and we didn’t have a plan other than to skip the first parade.
We decided we wanted to get some rides done and see the second parade. So we asked where rides would be open between 6-7 for the party-goers and were told Frontierland only. So we headed that way and see the people already grabbing spots for the first parade. I just didn’t want to waste an hour and a half just sitting on a curb waiting to keep a parade spot. So we were in frontierland and walked on Splash Mountain twice, no line at all! We even did a cute pose for the photo---Mandy and I were doing “vogue” Madonna type poses…..but alas, our picture didn’t come out- technical difficulties…….
Ally loved the little playground there too. We had to drag her away crying “payground, payground!”……too cute! Next, we headed to Big Thunder- just me, my sisters, dad and Mike. Had a great time on it with no wait too. By now, it was getting close to 7. And yes, they were checking our wristbands each time we went on a ride in that time frame. They even were checking to let you through into Frontierland in general.
We decided now to head to Haunted Mansion. We all loved it and I pointed out the hidden mickey on the table to everyone. We still haven’t found the ring at the end though. Ally did fine on this- we were concerned about the dark room first- but she had her little flashlight keychain we brought her and she used that and was perfect. There was a big spider scene that we were afraid would freak her out after her Sci Fi restaurant experience……but she did fine. Next we conquered Fantasyland and I mean conquered……but first, a quick pitstop for hot chocolate. I read posts on here about people not being able to find the hot chocolate stations or the lines being crazy. We didn’t experience that at all. Waited a few minutes and got hot chocolate with marshmallows and cookies. It hit the spot. It was chilly this night, probably one of the coldest nights of our trip.
All warmed up, we tackled fantasyland….first was snow white, then peter pan, philharmagic…….rode them all with no line. Ally loved Philharmagic and was trying to grab everything. Our entire party rated this a great attraction. Next it was Dumbo’s turn. There was about a 5-10 minute wait here, but not bad. We watched the Holiday Hop in Ariel’s Grotto while we waited in line. It was very cute seeing the characters dance with guests. And…there was another hot chocolate station back there too. So we had our second one. Then we were riding Dumbo and taking pics. I can’t say I remember riding this ride ever. I must have been too young to remember or something. Ally had a great time though.
We headed towards Pooh, but it was a 20 minute wait, so we passed. We never waited longer than 20 minutes for anything. We would either fastpass it or adjust our plans and come back later. So we passed on Pooh and the playground for now too. The teacups were calling my name. I am a huge Alice fan, so I loved these. “A very merry unbirthday!!!!”…..my dad and I got our own teacup. Mom and Auntie got one and Wendy, Mandy and Ally in another. Mike got in his own. Ally absolutely giggled the whole time- she loved spinning and really liked this ride!
My dad and I in the teacup, going fast as can be!
Afterwards, we got some pictures with the Mad Hatter. He saw Ally’s kiss on her head from Snow White and asked her if Snow White had kissed her earlier! Too cute! I guess that is her trademark thing. We had a great time in Fantasyland with no waits. We did all that in under an hour. The parade was going on at the same time, which is why it was so empty back there.
Next, another ride we usually skip that usually has a tremendous line…..the indy race cars……is it just me, or are these things slower than I remember? We all rode. I drove Auntie and let’s just say she wasn’t impressed. The car needed a major realignment job….no matter how straight I tried to steer, we were just bouncing all over the place……I should have passed on this ride. Between the fumes and the bumping…..so we finish it and try and catch the Twas the Night Before Christmas Show in TL. But it is standing room only, so we pass. No standing for us!
We then do Buzz really quickly and Wendy scores like 300,000 points right off the bat. She must have hit one of the secret targets! I, on the other hand, had a pathetic score, I swear my gun was broken, it really was!! Believe me? Well we had a ball on that. Now we were noticing the crowds, or maybe it was just Tomorrowland, or the parade crowds were finally dispersing. We shopped around a bit and suddenly we hear the fireworks going off! Oh crap, is it that time already? So we head with the masses already on the TL bridge. We actually walked right on and got good viewing spots- of course we couldn’t sit down, but still had good views. Tink flew right over us. The holiday WISHES was amazing. And the ending…..well I won’t spoil it for those that have yet to see it. We were really amazed how good it was. I didn’t think it would be as good as the regular wishes, which we had already seen twice on this trip. Auntie and my mom decided to go find a seat. The rest of us finished watching WISHES.
After WISHES, we were all pretty beat. I mean we had done all of Frontierland and Fantasyland and some of TL. We never did Space Mtn that night, the line was posted at like 30 minutes most of the night, so we passed. We would get another chance later in the week. So we sat a while and got some refreshments. I got a yummy pretzel filled with jalapeno cheese in the middle! We all just sat and relaxed and took in the atmosphere. Then we remembered that we needed to get our free holiday photos. We headed to Timekeeper where they were doing them. Waited about 2 minutes. The CM said the line was monstrous earlier. Good thing we waited until 10:45 or so! We were able to take a group family photo, as well as a photo of just Wendy/Mike and Ally. As we were getting ready and getting our coats off, Wendy asks the CM if we can take multiple pictures- trying to explain that she wanted one of her, Mike and Ally, but also wanted a family one with the rest of us……Wendy told her “I know, I make things harder than they are”…..and the CM responded loudly with a rude smirk on her face….” I BET you do!”……well geez, did she really have to do so rude. I know it was late and she had fought some crowds, but really…… That was only our second rude/bad CM experience of the trip (the other being our waitress at Liberty Tree earlier).
After the rude CM, we actually had a great photographer CM. He acted like he was going to get in the photo and asked me to take it! He let us take two different photos and the lady doing the paperwork marked that she would send enough photos for all of us (6 different ones for 8 people!). We didn’t expect that, so that was nice. I had been prepared that we would only get one photo. Can’t wait to see how they turned out.
It was just about time for the second parade and our group is fading fast….I mean it is 11pm and we’ve been here since 5pm going non stop. We get Auntie and my mom a nice table outside of the ice cream shop area, across from the Plaza restaurant, where they can somewhat see the parade. They didn’t want to stand to watch the whole thing. The rest of us grabbed yet another free hot chocolate and found a great spot right on the corner near the ice cream shop. There was a guy and stroller in front of us, so we had a perfect view. We really enjoyed this parade. Everything was very well done and I am glad we didn’t miss it. I can’t wait to watch it on Christmas Day now.
We then did some more quick shopping on the way out. We like to shop, can you tell? Then by 11:30, we are done. Everyone is pooped, but very pleased by how much we got to see and do. We accomplished all the things I wanted to do that night- the parade, WISHES, photo, hot chocolate and rode tons of rides with no wait. It was a great night overall and we all felt it was well worth the money. We’d do it again in a heartbeat!
oh and i forgot to mention mousekeeping today- we came in for our break and the CM had built 'people' laying in our beds with sheets and towels. They were pretty cute!
Well another edition of 8 Texans has wrapped, stay tuned.....Will our 'break day' really give us a break? where we will eat since Beaches and cream is closed? Will we knock down the gingerbread house? Will we drink too much sangria at Hoop Dee Doo? stay tuned to find out!
That Ally sure is a cutie!
