A DISer’s Trip of Firsts! [Updated 8/4, Post #95]

[RachelNinja]

I love the HM! It still crreps me out even as an Adult. The rehab was great IMO but I still love the feel of the one at Disneyland more. Its just creepier to me.

-Becca-

I've never been to the one at Disneyland before! I think it's funny that I'm so creeped out by it, but I'm the one who always insists that we need to do it! If the doombuggies weren't so close together, I think it would be even scarier!

Great post--you included so much detail about the HM that I'd forgotten about in even the hmm three weeks that I've been back home. Thanks for helping to rekindle my memory!

You're welcome! I know a lot of people avoid putting in details in their TRs because they don't want to spoil the fun ... but I like recording all those details for myself!

Congrats on making it though HM with your eyes open!!

In the stretching room, I'm always torn between clinging to someone for dear life and trying to act like I'm not scared out of my mind because the CM's in there usually scare the people who look scared!

All your pics of VMK make me kind of sad I never tried it and won't get to now.

Thanks! I feel that keeping my eyes open was one of my biggest accomplishments! I'm surprised I went on that ride as a kid ... getting on the ride is okay because you can close your eyes. But in that stretching room, you have to physically walk and I don't know how I did that when I was so much smaller.

Yeah, VMK was great. There was such a wonderful community of DISers who played, and now many of them have found other games. I haven't found anything that has the same effect as VMK so I haven't moved on. That's why flat Weird and Ninja are still around!

If you're interested, here's a link to a site that one of the players made: VMK Revisited. He recreated what VMK looked like. It doesn't have any people in it but it has all the rooms and it has the sounds and a lot of the animation! It's really amazing how detailed the game was and how much it really reminded you of the park! For example, on the main map page, if you go to "Guest Rooms" then click the "Own Rooms" tab, you can scroll down to find the room called "Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor." It looks EXACTLY like the show room!

 

[RachelNinja]

The next thing we were going to do was up in the air. The FP for Thunder Mountain was at 6:05-7:05pm. It was weird that we were still in the park at that time because Dad normally has us leave because it's hot and we're tired and feeling gross. The weather helped us last a lot longer. We haven't stayed until closing in a while though so we haven't seen Spectromagic or Wishes in ages.

Dad thought that we should walk back to Thunder Mountain but I wasn't feeling well so we actually went inside Columbia Harbour House to take a break. I took Tylenol while we were in there and then used the bathroom. I really wish we had eaten there for lunch. Well not we, I. Oh well. Dad wanted to go to TM at that point but I had already decided that I wasn't going to ride it because of my headache. The rattling would make it worse, which sucked, because TM is one of my favorite rides at MK (haha you know, more twists and turns than drops ... my kind of rollercoaster). I wasn't into walking all the way over there either especially since there was 50 minutes to wait.

First we got a picture of Piglet where he belongs. He’s so small, Dad had to carry him!

So the two guys headed on over to TM while Mom and I took our time to walk to Adventureland for … Aloha Isle for Dole Whips! Ahhh! So excited. I had read a lot about that on DIS and it's supposedly a really good treat. I really wanted to try one this time. We found Aloha Isle (and I got some pictures along the way as well as stopped by Tinkerbell's Treasures because I wanted to see Tinkerbell ... but I didn't) but went to the bathroom first so we could just sit and enjoy. The pineapple float was $4.25 total including tax. It's pineapple juice at the bottom and then pineapple soft serve on top. I got some pictures of it before devouring it with Mom. She liked it but let me have more because she's my mom. Hehe. I really enjoyed it and I especially enjoyed just sitting there in some secluded area resting my feet and talking with my best friend. That's how people survive an entire day at a Disney park, taking snack breaks and resting! After that, I really was so much more energized.

On the way to get the yumminess, I grabbed another picture of the wishing well and the castle.

Close-up of Gus-gus!

Bad picture of the Walt/Mickey statue and the castle. I was rushed in doing this. I would so love to get a better picture next time.

Also found Cinderella’s fountain! I didn’t know that you can align the background so that it looks like the crown is above her head! Next time!

Now for the absolutely best snack at WDW! And yes, it was another FIRST!

MmMm, enjoying it! It was even better to just sit down, get off my feet, and relax with it!

We had planned to meet up with Dad and Piglet in Tomorrowland. We went there and I had to go on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Yes, I HAD to because it’s my favorite ride. I wanted to go on it at least three times because it is absolutely awesome. Mom and I went on it once. It was slightly annoying because there were girls constantly screaming anytime we went into a dark tunnel. It was already getting dark and they started lighting the castle so it was so pretty being there!

Afterwards we were trying to figure out what to do. I got some pictures. Then we stopped by the stores and got some more pictures!

Stitch teleporter! I was so excited to see this.

It was because they had the Stitch teleporters on VMK! The teleporters came in pairs and you could transport from one to the other. Awww, I miss it.

And the ever popular Stitch hat! I felt rich because on VMK, it’s one of the rarest things to have and it traded for quite a high amount!

In VMK, to get this hat you had to book a vacation online for DLR for a limited time period. That’s why it was unbelievably rare. It was never sold in the game.

Then Dad called and said they were finished. Because I didn't go on and neither did Mom, of course, there were 2 extra FP tickets so they were able to go on twice. Dad said that we were going to meet at the bathroom on Main Street where we were in the morning. I was upset because I thought we were all going to ride on the TTA together. I thought we were going to have the chance to go on thrice! Mom said that they would just have to wait so she told them we were going on in again because I really wanted to. Yay for Mom! My husband will totally understand my need for going on TTA (I know everyone still calls it the Wedway People Mover, but I know it as the TTA) many, many times in a day.

This is LOVE. I am the happiest on this ride! The best proposal would be on this ride … not in front of the wishing well, not in front of the castle … on the People Mover. Haha.

My momsicle.

It was a good thing that we went on it again. There was a problem with Space Mountain and they had to shut it down. As we were entering the tunnel, I saw that it was bright and I was like ... cool! I had read that when they have to shut down Space Mountain, they turn on all the lights and that's when people on the TTA can see the tracks. As we entered SM, we saw that there was a stopped car in the middle of the steep hill and a CM was helping a man take out his daughter. We went inside the main part and saw all the tracks. I've seen pictures before but nothing compares to seeing the ride with your own eyes. You realize how fragile it all looks and how intertwined both tracks are. I joked with my mom and said that since she saw the tracks, she could go on it now since she knew what it looked like and what to expect. Haha. My mom was like, "Oh, too bad it's down for the night and we have to go!" Haha. Silly mommy.

Here’s a video of the inside. It came out better than the pictures did because of the movement.


Alrighty! The next installment (when I have a chance to write it …) will actually be the final MK post. Yes, it’s taking me that long~

 

[willwriteforears]

Ahh, Dole Whips. I will have their yumminess again, some day.

Didn't make it on the TTA last time, but how cool it must've been to see Space Mountain like that! Even if the people on it themselves weren't thrilled.

 

[disneyhockeymad]

I can't believe I haven't commented in so long, sorry I'll make up for it now!!

I wasn't feeling well so we actually went inside Columbia Harbour House to take a break. I took Tylenol while we were in there and then used the bathroom. I really wish we had eaten there for lunch. Well not we, I. Oh well. Dad wanted to go to TM at that point but I had already decided that I wasn't going to ride it because of my headache. The rattling would make it worse, which sucked, because TM is one of my favorite rides at MK (haha you know, more twists and turns than drops ... my kind of rollercoaster). I wasn't into walking all the way over there either especially since there was 50 minutes to wait.

sorry to hear you weren't feeling well, feeling sick at WDW is always the worst, hope you felt better!

Dole Whips! Ahhh! So excited. I had read a lot about that on DIS and it's supposedly a really good treat. I really wanted to try one this time. We found Aloha Isle (and I got some pictures along the way as well as stopped by Tinkerbell's Treasures because I wanted to see Tinkerbell ... but I didn't) but went to the bathroom first so we could just sit and enjoy. The pineapple float was $4.25 total including tax. It's pineapple juice at the bottom and then pineapple soft serve on top.

I can't wait to try one of these!! :thumsbup2:

I got some pictures of it before devouring it with Mom. She liked it but let me have more because she's my mom.

I love it when parents do that!

We went there and I had to go on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Yes, I HAD to because it’s my favorite ride. I wanted to go on it at least three times because it is absolutely awesome. Mom and I went on it once. It was slightly annoying because there were girls constantly screaming anytime we went into a dark tunnel. It was already getting dark and they started lighting the castle so it was so pretty being there!

It's one of my favourite rides too, can't wait to go on it again, in 3 days :, shame about the girls though!

Afterwards we were trying to figure out what to do. I got some pictures. Then we stopped by the stores and got some more pictures!

I miss these too

It was a good thing that we went on it again. There was a problem with Space Mountain and they had to shut it down. As we were entering the tunnel, I saw that it was bright and I was like ... cool! I had read that when they have to shut down Space Mountain, they turn on all the lights and that's when people on the TTA can see the tracks. As we entered SM, we saw that there was a stopped car in the middle of the steep hill and a CM was helping a man take out his daughter. We went inside the main part and saw all the tracks. I've seen pictures before but nothing compares to seeing the ride with your own eyes. You realize how fragile it all looks and how intertwined both tracks are. I joked with my mom and said that since she saw the tracks, she could go on it now since she knew what it looked like and what to expect. Haha. My mom was like, "Oh, too bad it's down for the night and we have to go!" Haha. Silly mommy.

Oooh cool you got to see SM with the lights on, I loved the video, looks so odd in the light though!! Wonder what happened!

 

[thesupersmartguy]

Lots of fun reading Ninja, I remember those VMK items.

 

[irky416]

I hope you started feeling better soon!

I'm glad you enjoyed the float. I haven't tried one of those yet.

I would love to see Space Mountain with the lights on.

I don't think I ever saw that Wishing Well before. I love the mice underneath it!

 

[RachelNinja]

Ahh, Dole Whips. I will have their yumminess again, some day.

A friend recently went to Hawaii and visited the Dole plantation. They had the pineapple soft serve there. Oh man ... oh man! Haha, although it might be weird that I'd still rather get it at WDW instead of Hawaii because I still think WDW is a better vacation spot!

sorry to hear you weren't feeling well, feeling sick at WDW is always the worst, hope you felt better!

I love it when parents do that!

Oooh cool you got to see SM with the lights on, I loved the video, looks so odd in the light though!! Wonder what happened!

I'm so glad that the Tylenol (and the Dole Whip!) worked in helping me feel better. I absolutely hate feeling sick there! I mean, no one likes being sick at all, but on vacation? At WDW?!? Oh the horror!

I don't know if I can do that when I'm a parent. I may have to buy one for me and one for my kids ... haha.

The pictures don't do it justice. It's something to see with your own eyes because I've seen pictures before, but it's not the same. That's why I quickly switched to video because it's a little easier to see than just pictures.

Lots of fun reading Ninja, I remember those VMK items.

I'm STILL missing it SO MUCH. Especially since it's the summer, I could have had so much fun!

I don't think I ever saw that Wishing Well before. I love the mice underneath it!

It makes that little path so sweet! It was such a nice discovery because I didn't know exactly where it was. That's also when I saw the Storytime with Belle (?) section. There's still so much of MK that I have yet to explore!

 

[RachelNinja]

I know I am terrible at keeping up with this TR! Ahhh, I’m so ashamed! My last update was a month ago!

After that, we walked to the front of the park. Mom and I were looking for a family of 4 so that we could give away our Buzz Lightyear fastpasses for 8:30-9:30pm. We finally found a family on Main Street who looked like they were waiting for the parade. It was fun to give something to someone! They were grateful for it and even if they didn't use it, it's okay because we definitely weren't going to use it. Maybe it was like a mini-Dream for them. I was hoping all day that we would win Dream Ears or something but alas, nothing. That's okay though because literally, all day I had so much fun! Minus the feeling sick part, of course.

It was really crowded on Main Street. I never had a chance to really enjoy it before so that’s definitely something I’ll be doing on my next trip. I was really excited to see the Emporium though!

I wanted to go inside and get 20 credits from Esmeralda and check out the shop specials!

We met up with Dad and Piglet and they were all excited about Thunder Mountain and we were all excited about seeing inside Space Mountain. Great way to end the night. Too bad it had to end!

Before we left, I did see a few of the Disney movie scene windows and took a few pictures!

Then we stopped by the store right outside because I had seen a flattened penny machine. I got Cinderella, yayyy! I didn’t buy that flattened penny book when I was there; I should make sure I get it next time! Inside Piglet and I had a fun time with the hats.

For the Pirate and Princess party!

These aren’t exactly the Tigger ears that I want. Besides, it’s for a kid and it so didn’t fit on my head! And my face was extremely funky looking at this point so I need a smiley face! (Sidenote: Disneyhockeymad said she got hers at DLP! Awww … does this mean I won’t be able to find Tigger ears?!?)

We waited in line for the monorail and again, twas too busy to ask to sit in the front. We got to the tram part and waited for the tram. Twas really cold on that. It was really cold again at night. Again, extremely weird being at MK in jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie! We got to our car parked in Pluto and then got in and thus was our day at MK!

We stopped by Publix on the way back to pick up soup so we could have that with all of our leftovers. I enjoyed seeing these two things there …

Mallomars!

My kind of “alcoholic beverage.”

I had chicken and corn chowder but after eating that, I was full. Mom cooked a steak for Dad. Since I was full, I left the dining room to go into my room. I turned on the TV and was watching part of some Hallmark movie that starred Kimberly Williams Paisley who I always think is absolutely gorgeous. I had changed and taken my contacts out so I was actually in my bed (you know, not my own bed so who cares that I wasn't showered and in PJs!). I ended up falling asleep. Dad thought that I was feeling sick again, but I was just really exhausted.

I ended up sleeping until about 11:30pm when Mom woke me up and asked if I was going to shower. She said I should at least get up to go to the bathroom and brush my teeth, but I felt gross so I ended up showering too. I was awake at night after all that so I got the laptop and watched some Gilmore Girls while typing up part of this MK recap. Ahh, what a day. Definitely one of my all-time favorite visits to MK with my newfound love and knowledge of Disney! Oh Walt. Oh Mickey. How happy you make me!

There are always so many things to do at the Disney parks that it's impossible to do everything in one day. The things we didn't do this trip are:

- Eat at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe: It's not a particularly fantastic counter service restaurant, it's like any other of them, probably one of the not so good ones. It's normally where we always eat so it was weird not being there. We like the AC there but there was definitely no need for it this year!

- Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress: We normally go there to take a break from the heat and to give our feet a break too. We didn't have a chance to go on it because we were saving it for when we needed it.

- Pinocchio Village Haus: I normally eat fries at Disney with lunch. No fries! It would have been the perfect opportunity to get Figaro Fries from this restaurant and snack on them while we watched everyone load the "it's a small world" ride. Although I returned home and read somewhere on DIS that they don’t have this anymore? Like, they changed the original to not have ranch or something?

- "it's a small world": Didn't have a chance to go on this. Again, we didn't find it extremely important to wait on line for this earlier in the day since it's never crazy long (it's constantly loading and it moves fast). Plus, early in the morning, the ride was closed for some time so it was an impossibility.

- Mickey's Toontown Fair: I really wanted to see Mickey and Minnie's house. Plus, I think there were flattened penny machines in there that had that baby Disney characters on them. Oh well, always next time!

- The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm: I wanted Piglet to ride this first because it's a kid-friendly coaster. I thought it would help break him in for the bigger rides. We didn't have a chance to head in there but it worked out fine anyway since Piglet rode TM. I would have liked to ride it too because I love kid-friendly, family-friendly coasters! But of course, the wait probably would have been long for only a 30-second ride.

- Tomorrowland Indy Speedway: This is something that Piglet normally loves doing because he's a boy and ... likes cars? Haha. But the line is always long and we didn't see the need to wait on that line until later on in the day since it never really gets longer or shorter by much. We ended up not having time and it was okay because Piglet's probably really into the better rides at this point now that there's no need for these "easier" rides!

- Space Mountain: I said I wouldn't ride Space Mountain again because it's not really smooth. Dad can't ride it anymore either because it gets him dizzy as well. We weren't planning on going on it, but who knows, maybe in the future, someday I will again!

- Snow White's Scary Adventures: Another Fantasyland ride we didn't go on. We don't have any particular love for Snow White so it was okay that we bypassed that crazy long line and went on the stuff we liked over and over again instead.

- Columbia Harbour House: As stated above, I really wanted to eat here for lunch. The fish and chips are supposedly really good and it's the same price as the other meals elsewhere. Might as well get something good, right? Normally we're so unaware of the other restaurants. I think this one is a bit more hidden or people just don't want to go to a restaurant with seafood (although it has the usual fare as well).

- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: I didn't get a chance to do this one as I said before but this ride isn't going anywhere so ... to next year!

- Tom Sawyer Island: I really wanted to go on the first raft over to find a paintbrush so that we could win something (Fast Passes to any ride or something like that). I also wanted to explore Injun Joe's Caves. I love Tom Sawyer ... loved it since I read it in 5th grade. Mark Twain rocks.

- Pecos Bill: This is the other restaurant that I was willing to eat at but the line was unbelievably long so that didn't happen. Again, in the future!

- Jungle Cruise: It's not really a great ride because it's just seeing the fake animals (and I don't really quite like animals at all~). The good part of the ride is if you get a good CM to be your jungle cruise skipper to crack those really corny jokes.

Yep, there’s always more things to do at MK!

 

[RachelNinja]

Despite the really long day at MK, we unfortunately had to wake up this morning to go to the owners' update. That meant being at the Founders' Club at 8:30am! I didn't want to go but we had to go to get a deposit back. That's how they sucker you into these things. There was the regular deposit of $20 and then another chunk of money because of the Disney ticket that was bought for me. Arg. I really wasn't feeling it, but I got up anyway and got ready in 10 minutes.

We got to the building and parked and it was so crowded! My parents got some food and juice (just donuts and muffins), but I couldn't eat yet since I took my Aciphex literally right before I left the condo. I was in such a stinky mood because those things are so boring. They call them updates but they're basically just sales pitches. Oh man, they're boring. None of them interest us either. My parents have had this place for 21 years or so. We're not into changes or any other programs that let you go elsewhere. We like it here. Let us be!

Anyway, Dad's impatience worked out well because he asked the guy at the counter how much longer it would be and complained that they scheduled us for 8:30am and no one was there to receive us. The man showed us the stack of people ahead of us (so many!) and Dad complained more. The man said that we could cancel and reschedule because if we didn't, we wouldn't get our $50+ money back. What?! Seriously?!? My dad put up a good argument though because seriously, you get the whole family up to waste a day that we could be spending doing other things and then make us wait? They said they were short a few reps that morning so they were behind and so long story short, they gave my dad the ticket thing to get our money back without having to sit and listen to the stupid sales pitch. Awesome.

We came back to the condo and I did some math. Then we went out to breakfast at Legacy Grille, a sports bar on the property. We had buy one get one free coupons for a particular breakfast (got them when we checked in). I was able to sit with Mom. The Early Riser Breakfast was just eggs cooked in any style, potatoes, and toast. Nothing fantastic. I think EVERYTHING was cooked with butter though. That's why people in America have weight problems and health issues. Normally I would think that it’s good, but after all those gallbladder attacks, too much butter of fat makes me feel sick because I remember what it used to do to me.

Oh right, when we got there, there was a person in a crocodile costume outside the building. Umm ... I was frightened. Haha. It was because there were people from Gatorland to give a presentation about alligators and crocodiles and then you'd be able to touch one. It was a $5 thing, but because of the weird timing of the morning, we had forgotten about it. Dad was going to take Piglet to it.

We came back to the condo and I was in a bad mood so I just changed into my "home" clothes and went back to bed. The family went out to Costco and went shopping. I just slept for how many hours! I had to get up at one point to get my new hoodie because I was really cold but off and on, it was about 4 hours or so. Yeah, you can tell that I haven't been getting sleep because of work (and other things~ haha). I'm trying to catch up as much as I can ... you know, on those non-Disney days, of course!

They finally came back and we ate leftovers for lunch and I got back to work on math and such. Then I turned on some Alias to watch Vaughn and Will and then typed up the Magic Kingdom entry.

Dinner was steak, baked potatoes, and corn. Oh right, and some more Fuzzy Navel! I really wish we could have gotten a different flavor, but Dad always goes for the same thing. I think that's dumb though since he has his beer too so I should choose something new! My husband will let me choose. That'll be a good thing about marriage. You know, besides that whole romantic notion of "til death do us part," he'll also let me choose my own Seagram's choice of beverage. Now that's true love.

I finished reading Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (the next 6th grade book … although at this point, the school year is over … haha) and I was deeply disturbed by it. It's part of a series called Shadow Children. This is the first out of ... I believe seven? So it ended like ... awpoeifjao ... I need to know what happens so that means I have to continue reading too! Haha, I wonder if it will create that same feeling in my kids.

Right now, obviously, I'm typing and kind of watching American Idol. My family's in the living room area watching and eating popcorn so I can see from the dining room area. I think it's about time to take a shower and get some sleep to rest for tomorrow even though I kind of slept an awful lot today! Signing off~ good night!

 

[willwriteforears]

Ahh, Gilmore Girls! One of my favorite shows ever.

Hope that all the sleeping you were able to do got you nice and rested up and ready for the next day!

 

[kathleen27]

I was excited to see an update on your tr, then I realized I had missed several updates!!!
I am caught up now!

I had read about the crown at the Cinderella fountain, but until your photo I had no idea what it meant. Now I understand.

The Dole Whip looks so good!!! I still haven’t tried one. Glad it made you feel better!
Your mom sounds great!!!
Glad you got to go on the TTA 3 times!!!
We missed it last trip. And space mountain was down that night too, and I had read the same tip and didn’t think of it until the next day!

My family calls those non-Disney days “rest days”. No matter what they're called, I always miss being in the parks. Glad you got some sleep though.

I love all your VMK pictures. I always planned to check it out at some point, but never did. Now I really wish I had. I will check out that site you posted the link to. I bookmarked it to look at later.

 

[RachelNinja]

Ahh, Gilmore Girls! One of my favorite shows ever.

Haha, it seems very appropriate that you would also appreciate Gilmore Girls! The fast-paced dialogue and witty banter between Lorelai and Rory ... I miss it! Of course, I have all 7 seasons on DVD so I can have a taste whenever I want, but it was always so much fun to watch an episode "live" and vainly attempt to catch all their words!

I was excited to see an update on your tr, then I realized I had missed several updates!!!
I am caught up now!

I had read about the crown at the Cinderella fountain, but until your photo I had no idea what it meant. Now I understand.

My family calls those non-Disney days “rest days”. No matter what they're called, I always miss being in the parks. Glad you got some sleep though.

I love all your VMK pictures. I always planned to check it out at some point, but never did. Now I really wish I had. I will check out that site you posted the link to. I bookmarked it to look at later.

Haha, I was so bad that I got so far behind in my TR! That's for being a loyal reader

Same with me! I didn't know what they were talking about when it came to the crown. Only after I had examined the photo at home did I learn! So now I need to go back and take the picture the "right" way.

I definitely think it would be so much fun to get more parks in during our Florida visits, but we physically can't. Well, I physically can't. I don't have the energy for it. And funny thing is, we don't even stay in the park for the entire day (I don't remember the last time I saw a fireworks show!). I do need those rest days though to fully enjoy the next park! I was actually really surprised that I was able to make it through those two park days without getting REALLY sick because of my health issues. I guess if I want to make it through all the parks in one visit, I'll just have to stay in Florida longer to take into account those rest days~

I'm STILL majorly missing VMK! Haha, people probably think I'm a little crazy, but it was a bit of WDW at home! That's why I still go around with flat Weird and Ninja! Maybe they don't always have Disney adventures, but they still like exploring the world around them.

 

[RachelNinja]

FRIDAY! The day to go to Epcot! I wasn't as excited for this park as I was for Magic Kingdom since the latter is my all-time favorite. However, I ended up seeing so much more of Epcot this time that now I have a newfound appreciation for it!

I initially didn't feel so hot in the morning and we were going to postpone the trip until the next day. Thankfully that didn't have to happen since we like having a day to recover and just do nothing the day after a Disney visit.

On the way to WDW again, I made sure to get the obligatory shots from the car!

I remember seeing this ALL the time as a kid, but never felt the excitement like I do now!

I had to take this because I still can’t believe it’s not MGM, so weird!

The Tower of Terror sign! The last time I went on this was … ages ago. I remember being terrified of the ghost part when they beckon you forward … more so than the actual drop!

Here we are at our destination! It doesn’t give me the same giddiness of the MK sign. Probably because the latter is pink!

We made it to the park fairly late (around 9:30am) but Epcot really isn't one of the crowded parks (at least not early in the morning ... I would think a lot more people park hop to Epcot for the rides and then again at night for IllumiNations?). We were able to walk from our parking spot to the front. No need for a tram or a monorail. That's pretty cool because at the end of the day, we don't have to wait around to get to our car. The weather was warmer than Tuesday's MK trip and of course, Epcot was the day that Dad decided to bring his hoodie. Haha, we had to carry it around in the backpacks (along with Piglet's) for most of the day because it was too warm for them to wear it (Mom and I still wore ours).

Our first stop within Epcot was Guest Relations. I went to ask for a list for the pressed pennies and I got the master list for all the parks, DTD, and the hotels for all the pressed coins (pennies and quarters). That was pretty cool to have. Of course, Mom was bummed that she missed the opportunity to get Eeyore at Briar Patch at MK when she was there for so long! She didn't see the machine, I guess. I was upset that I didn't have a chance to go to Toontown to get those Baby Disney characters, but of course, there's always next trip! Gotta use up my remaining 7 days on my ticket anyway, haha.

Then we headed on to The Land. We first went to get FP for Soarin' and then we jumped on the standby line to ride it. It wasn't that long, but for me, it ended up being the longest line of the day.

Here’s one of the warning signs posted on the walls. I took a picture of it because it used the word “prone”! Only a handful of my 6th graders understood how to use prone (one of their vocabulary words) in a sentence, despite how many examples I gave them!

Piglet really didn't want to go on it because he says he's afraid of heights. We sat in the second row this time. Some parts of the movie actually get me a little dizzy so I had to close my eyes at one point (for example, the part where we're flying over the city scene, the cars and lights are moving way too fast and my eyeballs get a little confused). My favorite part of the ride is when we fly over the beach and we get lower and lower and it feels like our feet are going to get wet. Piglet was clutching Mom the entire time and Dad put his arm over his eyes that were already closed. The ride finished and I found out that Piglet was crying. Haha, that kid is weird. He can go on Thunder Mountain with no problem but he can't take a ride that even my mom likes. Haha, but I kind of understood him a little later ...

Okay, that’ll be it for now! The next section will have tons of Living with the Land pictures because it’s my mom’s all-time favorite ride! However, there are parts that frighten me …

 

[willwriteforears]

Haha, it seems very appropriate that you would also appreciate Gilmore Girls! The fast-paced dialogue and witty banter between Lorelai and Rory ... I miss it! Of course, I have all 7 seasons on DVD so I can have a taste whenever I want, but it was always so much fun to watch an episode "live" and vainly attempt to catch all their words!

Ooh, I still have to get the last two seasons on DVD. I generally ask for them at Christmas so I don't have to buy them myself.

But there are a few episodes in the last season that I still haven't seen because at the time I was on over-the-air-reception only and my apartment didn't get the CW clearly. I got too frustrated watching a blob that had to be Lorelai converse with a blob that had to be Rory.

Then we headed on to The Land. We first went to get FP for Soarin' and then we jumped on the standby line to ride it. It wasn't that long, but for me, it ended up being the longest line of the day.

Here’s one of the warning signs posted on the walls. I took a picture of it because it used the word “prone”! Only a handful of my 6th graders understood how to use prone (one of their vocabulary words) in a sentence, despite how many examples I gave them!

Maybe if you use that picture in your lessons it'll finally click for them!

Piglet really didn't want to go on it because he says he's afraid of heights. We sat in the second row this time. Some parts of the movie actually get me a little dizzy so I had to close my eyes at one point (for example, the part where we're flying over the city scene, the cars and lights are moving way too fast and my eyeballs get a little confused). My favorite part of the ride is when we fly over the beach and we get lower and lower and it feels like our feet are going to get wet. Piglet was clutching Mom the entire time and Dad put his arm over his eyes that were already closed. The ride finished and I found out that Piglet was crying. Haha, that kid is weird. He can go on Thunder Mountain with no problem but he can't take a ride that even my mom likes. Haha, but I kind of understood him a little later ...

You should tell Piglet it could've been much worse... he might've been sitting below me and my stinky feet!

 

[RachelNinja]

Ooh, I still have to get the last two seasons on DVD. I generally ask for them at Christmas so I don't have to buy them myself.

But there are a few episodes in the last season that I still haven't seen because at the time I was on over-the-air-reception only and my apartment didn't get the CW clearly. I got too frustrated watching a blob that had to be Lorelai converse with a blob that had to be Rory.

Maybe if you use that picture in your lessons it'll finally click for them!

You should tell Piglet it could've been much worse... he might've been sitting below me and my stinky feet!

Costco is the BEST with the Gilmore Girls DVDs! Then Target sometimes has TV on DVD for sale so I get mine for only $20. I actually started going through them again. I just stick them in the player in my room while I tidy up or organize because you don't really need to always look at what's happening. Just gotta listen! Haha, blob Lorelai and Rory.

I get excited when I read about how other teachers use Disney references in their lessons. I think if I start doing that, I'll really enjoy my job!

HAHA My family actually wondered what would happen if someone in front of us had malodorous feet. Now we know

 

[RachelNinja]

We then headed to Living with the Land. Mom really likes this ride because it takes you inside the Disney greenhouse and growing place. We get to learn about all the innovative ways they're trying to grow veggies. It's fun to see how some of my favorite foods are grown, like eggplant and pineapple. Haha, I was like, "I didn't know they grew that way!" Haha, learn something new everyday ... even at Disney!

However, I hate the beginning of the ride. I thought it was just the visit to the different climates of the earth until BAM ... there were buffalo. Staring at me. About to charge towards me to stare at me even closer because who was sitting all the way to the right? Me. Yep. I kind of freaked and I closed my eyes and moved closer to my mom. Ahhh, I hate 'em. Why must they be there? The thing is, the boat only has a narrow pathway to go through so the left and right sides are right next to the platforms. That means that the buffalo could actually walk onto our boat if they so chose! Creepy.

MmMmm, pineapple! I like fresh pineapple so much! Since we returned from WDW, my mom actually bought 2 pineapples. So yummy! So fresh! I never knew they grew this way!

That could make an itty-bitty Dole Whip!

Taro! I think Living with the Land is even more interesting for us because we’re Chinese so we’ve actually eaten most of the things there. Haha, nothing really that unusual!

As a kid, learning that bananas don’t grow on trees like apples do is one of the most shocking things to discover. Along with tomatoes really being a fruit!

We eat tilapia quite often. Helps with lowering the LDL! Once my cardiologist told me to lower my LDL (not because it was high, just to be extra healthy), I started eating more fish, and BAM, it worked.

Baby alligators? Or crocodiles? STILL haven’t learned the difference and I didn’t get the sign in the picture.

I don’t get why so many people don’t like beets. Or maybe I should say, I don’t know why I actually like beets. And it’s not a recent thing. I liked beets since I was a kid. It has such an odd taste, but I like it. At salad bars, I always have to get it. My grandpa gets it too because it’s healthy, and I think he likes it as well. So does my mom. I guess it passed down in the genes!

Radish in the front and winter melon in the back. I saw those huge melons and thought about how much soup it could make! Chinese make a lot of soup out of different sorts of melons. A lot of “gwah tong” (melon soup)!

This is one of the things in the greenhouse that I haven’t tried yet. I know it’s like, the veggie that kids supposedly don’t like, but I’ve always wanted to try it. I have a feeling I’ll actually really like it. I always like the heart of like, romaine lettuce, or the center of other veggies. This is like … a ball of it! Haha.

Cinderella coach in the making!

I also haven’t tried pummelo before, but I took a picture of this because I remember seeing pictures of a mom putting the outer part of the pummelo on her baby’s head like a helmet. Haha.

Yummy! Eggplant is so good! Well, if it’s cooked properly! It’s even better when it’s not battered and stuff.

I think this area really interested my mom. She grows tomatoes almost every year. This section was interesting because they showcased a lot of different growing techniques. Not that I paid attention to a lot of it since I was snapping pictures and making comments to my mom … haha, oh yeah, but there was something about hydroponics. Hydroponics!

As cute as these are, for some reason I always feel bad that they’re stuffed in the plastic case.

Rosemary. Yuck. I think this is one of the herbs that I don’t like because I once had rosemary potatoes and it was more rosemary-y than potato-y!

MmMm, this always reminds me of this restaurant that used to be in Poconos called Beaver House. Sour cream and chive baked potatoes!

Haha, had enough of the Living with the Land photos? Well … too bad … because we went on it again later on the day so I’ll be posting more in the future!

 

[willwriteforears]

Costco is the BEST with the Gilmore Girls DVDs! Then Target sometimes has TV on DVD for sale so I get mine for only $20. I actually started going through them again. I just stick them in the player in my room while I tidy up or organize because you don't really need to always look at what's happening. Just gotta listen! Haha, blob Lorelai and Rory.

Hmm, I don't have a Costco membership, but I can get a discounted Sam's Club membership through my work. I've just never felt the urge since I live alone and haven't really seen the point of buying in bulk because of that. But I may look into it!

I know amazon.com has discounted the DVD sets on occasion. Maybe I should keep an eye on it, and Target as well! Thanks for the tips!

HAHA My family actually wondered what would happen if someone in front of us had malodorous feet. Now we know

Again, none of the other guests said anything, but I don't know how they could've missed the smell.

That could make an itty-bitty Dole Whip!

We eat tilapia quite often. Helps with lowering the LDL! Once my cardiologist told me to lower my LDL (not because it was high, just to be extra healthy), I started eating more fish, and BAM, it worked.

I've been working eating more fish. I need to find some decent recipes, though, since I don't particularly like the taste of fish. But it's one of the best things you can eat, so...

This is one of the things in the greenhouse that I haven’t tried yet. I know it’s like, the veggie that kids supposedly don’t like, but I’ve always wanted to try it. I have a feeling I’ll actually really like it. I always like the heart of like, romaine lettuce, or the center of other veggies. This is like … a ball of it! Haha.

They have to be prepared right, or else they're very bitter. I haven't yet mastered this. 'Course, might help if I'd tried it more than once!

Yummy! Eggplant is so good! Well, if it’s cooked properly! It’s even better when it’s not battered and stuff.

Yum, eggplant! Reminds me of the moussaka I'm making for my small group tonight. I'm a little concerned that I didn't let it sit with salt long enough to draw out the bitter juices (sampled a bit of the eggplant after I roasted it) but I'm hoping it'll taste okay with all the other flavors.

As cute as these are, for some reason I always feel bad that they’re stuffed in the plastic case.

Me too. Poor little pumpkins!

I'm glad you took a lot of photos on Livin with the Land since I was in no-picture mode that day at Epcot. So now I can remember things through you!

 

[irky416]

I go away for a week and I miss 4 updates!

I love the store window movie scenes. Where exactly are they, I'm assuming MK, but I never noticed them. That's something else that will be added to the list to look for next time!

We have the same taste in alcoholic beverages!

I'm glad you got out of the presentation.

I hope you remember to print out that picture with the word prone on it and use it this year! Maybe your kids can see that their vocab words are really used out there in the "real world"!

I can't wait for another update.

 

[RachelNinja]

Hmm, I don't have a Costco membership, but I can get a discounted Sam's Club membership through my work. I've just never felt the urge since I live alone and haven't really seen the point of buying in bulk because of that. But I may look into it!

I've been working eating more fish. I need to find some decent recipes, though, since I don't particularly like the taste of fish. But it's one of the best things you can eat, so...

They have to be prepared right, or else they're very bitter. I haven't yet mastered this. 'Course, might help if I'd tried it more than once!

Yum, eggplant! Reminds me of the moussaka I'm making for my small group tonight. I'm a little concerned that I didn't let it sit with salt long enough to draw out the bitter juices (sampled a bit of the eggplant after I roasted it) but I'm hoping it'll taste okay with all the other flavors.

Me too. Poor little pumpkins!

I'm glad you took a lot of photos on Livin with the Land since I was in no-picture mode that day at Epcot. So now I can remember things through you!

Yeah, buying in bulk really only works well for a family (and even then we still sometimes split things with my aunt). It comes in handy when getting things we use all the time (cereals, canned goods, spices) that have a longer shelf life. Plus, the Costco bakery makes really good chocolate chip cookies ... no need to share those ...

Fish on its own isn't one of my favorite things to eat. That's why I don't like when restaurants have fish in just a lemon sauce. I mean, hello? It still tastes like fish! Haha. Where are the spices and the yummy sauces? Oh, and the huge dollop of mashed potatoes! Because I have found that if I eat a bite of anything (particularly steak, because I'm not really into slabs of cow) that's covered in mashed potatoes, it goes down really well.

Do you like the Chinese fish sauce? They sell that in bottles. When we have fish Chinese-style at home, my mom mixes that with other Chinese sauces. That's one thing I like about Chinese food ... lots of different flavor profiles! Other than that I don't really like Chinese food.

Haha, now I'm even more interested in trying those sprouts! I'm curious to know just how bitter they can be!

MmmM, I had to look up what moussaka was. Sounds yummy! I hope yours turned out well!

It's interesting that you also feel bad for those "Earning My Ears" pumpkins! I thought I would be the only one who couldn't quite get into the Disney-ing of it. I know it's not as severe, but it reminds me of like ... bound feet. Or ... baby cows that are bred for veal!

Haha, more Living with the Land photos will be coming up in the next installment!

I go away for a week and I miss 4 updates!

I love the store window movie scenes. Where exactly are they, I'm assuming MK, but I never noticed them. That's something else that will be added to the list to look for next time!

We have the same taste in alcoholic beverages!

I hope you remember to print out that picture with the word prone on it and use it this year! Maybe your kids can see that their vocab words are really used out there in the "real world"!

Haha, I didn't realize how bad I've been with the TR ... I had to make up for lost time! Thanks for still reading

I don't remember where the store movie scenes were in terms of the store name. But if you're walking into MK on Main Street and facing the castle, they were in the windows of the first store on the left (the windows were actually perpendicular to Main Street). So I guess they're ... to the right of the barbershop? I think that's where the barbershop is ... I still haven't gone to MK and fully appreciated Main Street yet so I've got to do that! Didn't know there was still so much to see! BTW, the movie scenes moved too ... like Cinderella was dancing with Prince Charming.

I took 2 pictures of the Cinderella scene so you can see that the middle figures are in a different position (I was trying to get both of their faces and that was my first attempt, waiting for them to spin around again):

Haha, awesome taste in alcoholic beverages! Besides, I think it's a lot more to say, "I had a Fuzzy Navel" out loud than it is to say, "I had beer/wine/champagne/martini ... uhhhh" (I apparently don't know my alcoholic beverages!). Oh, Cosmopolitan! There we go.

I'm definitely going to Disney-fy my lessons! Haha, then if my students go to WDW, they'll read those warning messages and jump up and down in excitement and say, "Mom! Dad! PRONE! It says PRONE!" Okay ... maybe that's just in my imagination, but at least they'll understand what the word means!

 

[RachelNinja]

Since Piglet wasn't about to go on Soarin' again, I ended up riding on the FP line with Mom. Then we met up with Dad and Piglet and decided to get some food to eat first at Sunshine Seasons. We just got one chicken meal so that they could split it and I got tomato bisque. My soup was … okay. I think it was a little bit more tart than I would have liked. But lunch was fun because there was a nice family sitting next to us. The son was in a wheelchair and didn’t seem to have much mobility at all. The dad was there with his son and his daughter, and they just seemed very happy. Then they were commenting on Piglet’s shirt (it was one of those t-shirts that says something about video games or like, homework stinks … you know, what those 9 years olds like !). So it was nice to have friendly chit-chat with them and we wished each other a great Disney day!

Afterwards Dad and I went on Soarin' again. So basically because Piglet didn't want to go on, I got to go on twice instead of just once (just like Piglet went twice on Thunder Mountain the other day when I didn't go). It's nice how that works.

We ended up going on Living with the Land one more time since we wouldn't be returning to that building and Mom just really likes it. The first time we sat at the back of the boat (so that the buffalo could follow us). The second time we sat all the way at the front so that the buffalo had more room to board. Haha. Never protected. Of course, this time I didn't sit all the way to the right. I sat in the middle on the left so I had Mom on my left and Piglet on my right. However, I decided to be brave and capture a picture of those creepy animals so that I could show everyone how ugly they are so that everyone can agree with me that they should remove the buffalo from that ride! Haha.

SO CREEPY! I realized recently that the reason why I probably don’t like buffalo is because of Country Bear Jamboree! AHHHHH!

I really liked this house, especially with the porch and swing but … it was across from the buffalo!

More ride pictures! Haha, I didn’t realize that I had taken so many until I was flipping through them afterwards!

This is the view from the front of the boat. It was fun to not have to worry about people’s heads getting in the way of pictures!

The front has so much space because it has the wheelchair ramp. So at first I was like, “Hey, I can stretch out my legs!” Then I realized … oh wait, the buffalo can climb on board …

Ginger is used in a lot of Chinese dishes, particularly in fish because it’s the best thing to get rid of fishiness. Plus, it’s the BEST thing for nausea. Well, it works for everyone else when they’re nauseous or car sick or anything like that (just nibbling on a piece of like, dried ginger or candied ginger), but it doesn’t work for me because I just don’t like the taste and refuse to let it in my mouth at all (although the time I have had it … most of the time it works … haha, just don’t tell my mom I said that!).

Haha, I learned what swiss chard was. Actually we eat it all the time, I just never knew the English name for it!

More eggplant! Get in my belly!

Chinese use scallion (or “choong”!) in everything too.

Don’t know what 5 Luck Fruit was, but it said “Happy Chinese New Year” on the bottom so I had to take a picture of it!

Anyway, I hope all these Living with the Land pictures didn’t bore you. I find the ride interesting. I like learning new things! But I understand not everyone does. You know … like my dad …

Haha, I know the LGMH is over his face, but yes, he is sleeping. For some reason, whenever we step foot into any of the WDW parks, he gets exhausted! And he’ll sleep on these kinds of rides … “it’s a small world” or Carousel of Progress. If he were at a tennis court, he’d be wide awake! Haha, oh well …

Okay, now we’ll move away from The Land … haha, don’t worry, no more Land pictures in this TR!