9/16-10/3 The trip that dreams are made of....

[jaycns]

Ohh I LOVE your TR. Your boys are adorable and I love hearing all about your adventures. I must say I think the "unbirthday" party was such a great idea! From the pictures of Stitch, it sure looks like he had a blast. What a little cutie!

So glad you also found all your stuff!!! How stressful.

I can't wait to read more!!!

Thanks for reading along! And what a cute picture in your siggie! I love the look of the all black with a black background!

 

[jaycns]

Jay- Still loving your TR Looks like you were faced w/ many stressful situations, but you handled them all so well! I am glad you were able to find your water proof case, thank goodness! Stitch's "unbirthday" was too cute. It's so great to see how considerate some CMs are

I think the CMs at WDW are second to none!! They are great!

 

[jaycns]

Just popping in to say again, great report! DH and I also love Miyuki. She's so talented and fun to watch.

I see you are tagged about the bubble tea? What is it like? We thought about getting it...but then passed when we just "weren't sure".

 

[jaycns]

WOW! I just stumbled onto your TR and I am hooked!! I've got to come back and finish as I have just read ch. 1 and 2. I admire you for getting the HECK out of that Days Inn! Yuck!!!

Jam

That was not one of my better decisions (staying there in the first place) but that was one of my finest moments (watching dh put the cockroach...still attached to the washcloth it was squashed with...it was TOO BIG to get it with anything paper... on the check in counter)!

Leaving there was the end of the nightmare and the start of our dreams coming true!

 

[jaycns]

loving your trip report. I've been reading it now for a few days and I'm hooked!!! I can't wait to read more about your magical trip!! Keep the installments coming!!!!

Thanks for reliving it with me!

 

[paigevz]

Ah, Jay, what can I say? I love your writing style. What a great, great day. You were really having a fab trip weren't you? No wonder you are "homesick" for it! I just feel like I'm right there with you the whole time....................

 

[Poohbear77]

I wonder why they don't show the Muppets or Fraggle Rock on tv anymore. With all of the networks around these days you think one of them would pick those shows up!

I love Fraggle Rock!! Oh man, now I am going to have that song stuck in my head

Down at Fraggle Rock...clap clap.....Down at Fraggle Rock..clap clap...

Thanks alot jaycns!

 

[jaycns]

I love Fraggle Rock!! Oh man, now I am going to have that song stuck in my head

Down at Fraggle Rock...clap clap.....Down at Fraggle Rock..clap clap...

Thanks alot jaycns!

Drats...now that song is running through my mind too...which wouldn't be so bad...but I am trying to write the next part of the trip report....and all I can come up with is "Down at Fraggle rock...*clap clap* down at Fraggle Rock...*clap clap*" I guess I have nobody to blame but myself...hmmm...and POOH! She sang the song...I only mentioned the Fraggles! Next part of our MGM day coming up..."Down at Fraggle Rock" *clap clap*...

 

[jaycns]

What can you follow up a 3-D Muppets show with? Well...the great movie ride of course!! As we headed over to TGMR we stopped every few feet and did some more pin trading. I think I am almost as addicted to it as the boys. We all have so much fun looking for the little hidden Mickey heads that signify cast only pins (thank you sweet CM for pointing that out to us). My boys also like to collect favorite characters. What a fun way to get to interact with lots of neat CMs!! Often times a pin trade turns into a long conversation and we find out lots of neat info, have special pixie dust sprinkled or just end up making a new "friend". My kids LOVE to visit with the CMs. Maybe they get this from me. My dh calls me the "Disney Geek". He says that I think anybody with a Disney name tag on is just a friend waiting to be made...and you know what? He is right! I think that Disney has the top employees as far as customer service. We have stayed at the Ritz Carlton many times...and for my money...the CMs at Walt Disney are just as likely (if not far more likely) to be helpful and wonderful and make you feel special! To me...Disney is the number one customer service organization in the world. I love being made to feel as if my enjoyment of my vacation is of the utmost importance (cause of course it is )...Disney does this better then anyone!! OKAY, I PROMISE...my Disney commercial is done...for the time being!!

Back to our day...we made our way over to TGMR and of course we had to stop and take pictures before entering. Here is "Aladdin" posing with a lion out front.

Next we took a few shots of our favorite stars footprints...

Then as they say in Hollywood...it was "on with the show".

This is another family favorite. The Great Movie Ride has it all, the cute stuff, action, adventure, humor and fun! Dh loves the clips at the end. He tries to name each movie that the clip comes from (to date, he has not gotten them all right yet). I love watching the boys try and figure out what is "real" and what is just part of the background. I also love the Wizard of Oz scene. That one in particular makes me feel as if I had really plopped down in the middle of the movie! The boys LOVE how the figure joins the tour. This time it was the gangster. He is always funny! We have had an outlaw a few times previously and my boys were happy that the gangster was back again. "Aladdin" calls him "Mugsy BUGS" The boys always cheer super loud when our tour guide returns! It's a great way to cool down on a hot afternoon. It has long been a "must do" ride for us.


After giving our guide a hearty round of applause we exited the ride and took the advice of one of the CMs that we had done a bit of pin trading with. We would sit on a bench in front of Sounds Dangerous to watch the parade. Watching this parade was tops on our must do list. Every year we say we will and every year we miss it...so this year...we made it a priority. So with only 25 minutes remaining before parade time it was time to head over.

While the boys and I staked out our bench, dh went to experience Sounds Dangerous. He likes it. The rest of us don't...so the tip about getting a bench in front of it for parade viewing was a great one. It let dh enjoy the attraction and gave us something "useful" to do in the meantime. The only downside to the bench in front of Sounds Dangerous? The HOT HOT HOT sun beating down. Lucky for us, we had one of those Disney (yep, they got us to plunk down $17.95 for a cheapy water bottle with a fan on it) misters. It really did come in handy and the boys and I had a lot of fun squirting each other and ourselves with it. We had also grabbed a few bottles of water on our way over to the bench and boy, were we ever so grateful for those ice cold drinks!!
As we sat waiting, many CMs with pin lanyards walked past...of course the boys and I had to "make new friends". One of these new friends gave us a priority entrance pass for any attraction like the one we had gotten at Animal Kingdom earlier in the week! Once again...a CM took that extra time to make our visit special! For the reason, he wrote "Happiest Family" That made us smile even more!! It's not every day someone says you are the happiest family at the happiest place on earth!

Soon dh had returned and the parade was just about to start. **Let me apologize in advance...I am going to share a lot of parade pictures...I cannot help myself**

We were so excited to see this...here it comes!!

Up first was Lightening McQueen...OH MY GOODNESS...I have never seen all three of my boys get so excited all at once. I didn't even realize how excited they would be...so I was quite taken aback when all three of them started jumping up and down and turning red in the face and screaming "It's Lightening McQueen....it's really Lightening McQueen!!" Maybe I should have been able to venture an educated guess that three boys would instantly be taken with a "living" car who is also a hero in their books...but honestly, I never thought I would see them looking so excited over a car rolling by!

While they were still about to explode with excited energy, Mandy rolled by and shook their hands. In this picture it is "Goofy's" hand she is shaking. This picture is worth including because of what is missing...look across the way from us...almost nobody else watching the parade in this area. Sure, the benches were all being sat on. But at no point along any of the route we could see was anybody even "two deep" and there was plenty of open space up front as well! I am sure it must have been crowded elsewhere and that the time of year had a lot to do with it...but WOW, this was Disney and this was a parade... .

Rolling along next in line was Mater! This time it didn't surprise me to see my boys jumping in place and shouting out to a vehicle!! They were equally pleased to see him!

And then it was time for "Stitch" to get even more excited...here come the characters from Toy Story!!!!! **"Stitch" thought he WAS Buzz Lightyear for at least 3.5 years of his 5 years** Jesse and Bo Peep both stopped to give a high five to our boys. They LOVED the attention they got from the girls!

When the green army men passed us by... "Stitch" grabbed his lanyard and held on tight...and then to our great surprise (and even greater delight)one of them motioned at the lanyard around "Stitch's" neck. He must have remembered playing with "Stitch" and 'stealing' his lanyard earlier in the day! Another bit of Disney magic that we felt really lucky to be able to soak up!!

Of course Woody and Buzz were a highlight for all of us. Although it was only "Stitch" who thought he was Buzz...the rest of us do consider Woody and Buzz close and personal friends of the family! We should...I bet not one of us has seen Toy Story less then 50 times!!

Up next, Mary Poppins and company! A few seconds after I snapped this photo, "Goofy" got a hug from one large and furry penguin (aren't they supposed to be feathered??! ).

This section of the parade helped me to see a glaring omission in my younger two sons' lives...they had NEVER seen Mary Poppins...but not to worry, that would be taken care of later this trip!

TO BE CONTINUED...

 

[jaycns]

Day 7...MGM continued.

And the parade rolled on. Next up was ????...I am ashamed to admit this...but I don't even know his name. He was the oh so cute and I loved watching him come "out of the show" at Muppets 3-D trying to find the runaway bunny...but I don't know his name. He is so adorable in a large messy monsterish way!! If anyone can educate me...please do!!

We were all happy to get high fives and even a one handed hug (for "Stitch") from him.

This is what they call the Muppet Show.......

Next to roll past us were some of "Aladdin's" favorite characters...R2D2 and his out of this world pals...Luke and Leia.

Of course the dark side was in attendance by way of Darth Vader. He was creepy as he walked right up to me toe toe and just stood there for a few seconds!

After he stalked by, Mulan and the sweethearts from Monster's Inc. rolled past.

Of course Prince Ali had to enter with style and he was proceeded by dancers whirling, twirling and swirling their way down the route.

Jafar was following not far behind...

Jafar brought with him a host of evil friends...otherwise known as the Disney villains.

Cruella had the nerve to ask me why I was wearing such a "blah" outfit. She told me to spruce it up with some skins and furs! Ahh...thanks Cruella...I think I'll skip the fashion advice from a puppy napper!!

To be continued...

 

[momoftriplets]

Of course the dark side was in attendance by way of Darth Vader. He was creepy as he walked right up to me toe toe and just stood there for a few seconds!
Cruella had the nerve to ask me why I was wearing such a "blah" outfit. She told me to spruce it up with some skins and furs! Ahh...thanks Cruella...I think I'll skip the fashion advice from a puppy napper

I just love when they are SO "in character", don't you? Too fun! Loving the TR!

 

[jaycns]

Day 7 continued...more MGM parade.

Doesn't Hades look evil?!

"Goofy" held dh's hand tight as he went by!!

Seeing the next float made him forget his fears! That lovable yet zany alien and his sweet best gal pal were up next! Now, I know a lot of people don't love Stitch...but I am not one of them. I L-O-V-E that little blue guy! He is just cute as all get out and naughty in the sweetest sort of way!

Up next the fellows from down under the sea surfaced to join in the parade!

Strangely, they were followed by The Power Rangers??!! That transition seemed very odd to say the least! But, this is Disney and reality is suspended and the parade was fun...so it somehow made sense at that point to us!
The Power Rangers were awesome. They took the time to greet each of the boys with a high five, a quick pose or salute!

Then came JoJo and Goliath!

And Bear in the Big Blue House! I love Bear, he is just so cute! He was nice enough to bring along some other Playhouse Disney favorites...do you see Stanley's head poking out of the window!!??

Next up everyone's favorite dwarf (or at least mine), Dopey came over to give the boys hugs!!

Of course, if you see a dwarf...Snow White is sure to be close by!

Next a bit of magic that I can in no way explain happened. If you read earlier in the trip report, you will remember that "Stitch" and Chip had a very special bond when we dined at The Garden Grill at EPCOT. Somehow (and this is the "real" magic part of the thing) Chip seemed to recognize "Stitch" as his 'special friend' and he stopped dancing and threw his arms open and skipped over to "Stitch" and gave him a huge hug AND THEN...(WOW) he grabbed his lanyard and looked at the pins! I don't know how or why this was done. I just know it was beyond priceless for a little 5 year old chipmunk lover and his awed family! It couldn't possibly be the same Chip...how did he know? Of course, "Stitch" had no trouble with that question (nor did his brothers) but for dh and myself we just had to sit there and wonder! Maybe here at WDW dreams and wishes are really real!! Because that little bit of extra magic is still talked about to this day by "Stitch". He talks about how he met Chip at dinner and got a pin from him and then he saw him a few days later and Chip remembered him and ran over to give him a hug and then checked to see his pin!! This picture is of Chip right as he stopped dancing and started to skip over to where "Stitch" was standing. I so wish I had a picture of them hugging!! But I was so in awe I forgot to hit the button on the camera (and I watched the exchange through the camera screen....I just was flat out in amazement that another Chip acted as if he knew him and grabbed for his lanyard!!).

I was so amazed that I totally missed Alice and the White Rabbit as they danced past...I did recover in time to snap a picture of Goofy, Donald, Mickey and Minnie as they drove by.

Last but not least, Pluto walked by and gave our little "Goofy" a hug ("Goofy" wore a Pluto hat all week long, he is a HUGE Pluto fan).

Sorry to have gone on and on with the parade...I just had so much fun looking through the pictures and remembering this parade. It's one of the best in all of WDW!

MGM (after the parade) to be continued...

 

[jaycns]

I just love when they are SO "in character", don't you? Too fun! Loving the TR!

Yes...it's one of my very favorite things about Disney! Everyone gets to be a kid again!

 

[Nee Nee and Biddy]

Great report! I'm pretty sure that the monster's name from the Muppets is Sweetie. I love parade pictures!

 

[Poohbear77]

Day 7...MGM continued.

And the parade rolled on. Next up was ????...I am ashamed to admit this...but I don't even know his name. He was the oh so cute and I loved watching him come "out of the show" at Muppets 3-D trying to find the runaway bunny...but I don't know his name. He is so adorable in a large messy monsterish way!! If anyone can educate me...please do!!

LOL- I didn't even know this guy had a name. I always just called him Big Harry Monster

By the way-
Down at FraggleRock..clap..clap..

 

[momoftriplets]

I L-O-V-E that Chip remembered "Stitch"!! SO SWEET!!! (But of course he would remember - There's only ONE Chip in ALL OF WDW, right?)

 

[MousekaMaddi]

Sweetums........is the cute muppet monsters name! Hes such fun too!

 

[PrincessAlways]

I am enjoying your TR soooo much! Your pictures of the MGM Parade are really great. The Chip & "Stitch" event is just magical! What a thrill for your son! Can't wait for the next chapter.

 

[Gregory]

Great TR keep it coming.

 

[jaycns]

LOL- I didn't even know this guy had a name. I always just called him Big Harry Monster

By the way-
Down at FraggleRock..clap..clap..

You just had to sing that song again...didn't you!!?? Actually, it just makes me miss that show even more! I remember thinking it was the greatest show ever and rushing over to my friends house to watch it (we didn't have cable tv in my home growing up...gasp).

Everybody now..."Down at Fraggle Rock" *Clap Clap*