A Not So Scary Trip Report! Sept 2009-WL!!! Update 2/14

[praisehisname]

We saw this ultimate pin guy in one of the stores! Talk about a collector!!!

Cool! Was he a CM or a guest?

That looks like a great meal!

Denise

 

[MeLaNie9]

Wow - what a great (and busy) Disney birthday day!

I have never seen that boat in Mexico and we have spent a lot of time in WS (more since Kim Possible) - I will have to look out for it! Isn't it so cool how you can go to WDW multiple times and never see EVERYTHING?

Thanks for the great pics of SpectroMagic - we missed it last May (actually I think it was cancelled to to all of the rain) and I just love that parade!

That is one HUGE bowl of mac-n-cheese!

 

[Smile4Me]

was Spectro only shown on a select number of nights during your visit? Did you think that the 2 hr wait was a good gauge for how early you should show up before the parade during Sept. if they keep the limited schedule?

 

[jnjusoioa]

Hey Karen, another great update!!! As always, love the pictures, it looks and sounds like you all had a pretty packed day, with lots and lots of fun. LTT food looks yummy, as always. It has been a few years since I have ate there, I loved their food. I ate there a few times when it was still a character meal. You are so right about the work that goes into Mickey and Minnie's homes, it is amazing, truly, if you take the time to look around, will hate to see it all be gone, but at least there is still Disneyland. Can't wait to read and see more of your trippie. As always, a bright spot in my day.

 

[kmab00]

Sounds like a magical day. You did a lot in one day!

Thanks! It was a great day!! :0)

Great updates Karen!!!

I love your verse-by-verse playback of Spectro. I think you did that for Wishes too on another TR, didn't you? I love that. Takes you right back to the Parks!

Great shots of Spectro and the fireworks!

lol I did do that for Wishes and for the fireworks at DL! :0) Thank you so much!!!!

I can't decide which one looks yummier!

Denise

Oh yes they were both really good!

What a great view!

Yum! California Grill is on my must-do list!

Denise

You should have Cali Grill on your must do list! It's a great place and the food is really good!

That looks really good!

What is on the bottom? Is it a crust?

Denise

The pie at CRT is a mashed potato beef dish all inside of a fluffy pastry. It's so good!

Cool! Was he a CM or a guest?




That looks like a great meal!

Denise

I think that pin guy was a guest! He likes his pins, huh? lol

Wow - what a great (and busy) Disney birthday day!

I have never seen that boat in Mexico and we have spent a lot of time in WS (more since Kim Possible) - I will have to look out for it! Isn't it so cool how you can go to WDW multiple times and never see EVERYTHING?

Thanks for the great pics of SpectroMagic - we missed it last May (actually I think it was cancelled to to all of the rain) and I just love that parade!

That is one HUGE bowl of mac-n-cheese!

I need to do the KP thing now since so many people here recommended it! It sounds like fun! I agree...I love how you can go over and over and over again and still not see it all!

was Spectro only shown on a select number of nights during your visit? Did you think that the 2 hr wait was a good gauge for how early you should show up before the parade during Sept. if they keep the limited schedule?

Yeah it was only on a few nights! Man...the people lined up for the parade really amazed me. 2 hours before, the line was packed all the way down Main Street and to the castle where we were. I'm sure you could get in line at a later time but we didn't have anything else to do and we wanted front row seating. Good luck!

Hey Karen, another great update!!! As always, love the pictures, it looks and sounds like you all had a pretty packed day, with lots and lots of fun. LTT food looks yummy, as always. It has been a few years since I have ate there, I loved their food. I ate there a few times when it was still a character meal. You are so right about the work that goes into Mickey and Minnie's homes, it is amazing, truly, if you take the time to look around, will hate to see it all be gone, but at least there is still Disneyland. Can't wait to read and see more of your trippie. As always, a bright spot in my day.

Thanks girl! It was a fun day!!! I wish they hadn't taken away the character meal at LTT! The food is good but the characters were fun, too! I agree, at least toon town is still in Disneyland...it's so much cuter over there anyway! lol Thanks again! :0)

 

[kmab00]

Friday, September 18, 2009 - My mom's Birthday Celebration!

I woke up Friday morning and went for a trail run. I was kind of nervous cause I wasn't really sure about the trail but I had scoped out the map before and looked around the resort so I thought I may have had it down!

This run was one of my FAVORITE memories of the trip by far!

All ready to go!

Sunrise

Bye bye WL! I crossed over the street to a path that lead me to FW.

This run was peaceful and so beautiful! The path to FL was surrounded on each side by trees and overgrowth. It was so serene!

I made it to FW!

Wildlife! Haha!

I think in trying to follow the map, I ended up in a CM only area where the horses are! Whoops! Oh well!

I saw a lot of FW then headed back to the trail to the WL.

I wondered on both my way out and my way in on the path if these things used to be creatures shaped out of bushes and were just left neglected? Hmmm...what do you think? There were SEVERAL of them!

This is probably the best shot of one that I got. It looks like it may have been shaped into something at one point in time!

As I was running, I saw something big cross my path. I had to look close...it wasn't that far ahead of me! When I got closer, I saw that it was a DEER!!!

In two steps, I could have touched it! I was in awe! Never have I been this close to a real life deer before without a fence in between us!

I got a picture and as I started to walk quietly again, I heard a rustle from the other side of the path. I looked over my shoulder and I saw...

...the deer's friend! Wow...TWO of them! I was absolutely amazed.

I didn't linger long I didn't want to scare them away so I continued on my journey back to the WL.

See these are the guys I was comparing the ones in the woods to...hmmm...??

Hello WL! Now off to shower and change...we gotta make opening at the MK today! Breakfast at the CP!!! :0)

 

[kmab00]

...Double post.....

 

[kmab00]

Friday, September 18, 2009 - My mom's Birthday Celebration!

I took a shower and got dressed and still had time to walk over to Roaring Fork for some tea before everyone was dressed and ready to go. This was one of my favorite things to do in the morning and at night before going to bed...just sit outside on the balcony and enjoy the moment!

On our way to the MK...we were trying to make park opening this time!

We made it!!!

Breakfast wasn't until 9 a.m. so we walked slowly through Main St. before walking over to the CP

My mom's birthday! There was confetti on the table to celebrate! This place is one of our favorites...it's definitely a trip tradition!

After eating, we walked to Guest Services because I needed a button for a friend of mine who was coming with me in January for the race. (I put together a Baggallini for her first trip for her).

After breakfast, we made our way to HS. We hadn't been there yet this trip and we had pretty much finished everything else at the parks that we had wanted to do.

If I were 12 years old, I would have jumped all over this! lol I did think it was cool that a Hannah Montana star was in the park that day!! lol

Kids lined up waiting on Mitchel....and of course, my favorite radio station!! lol

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[kmab00]

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We saw Beauty and the Beast, then we rode Rock N Roller Coaster.

I was totally not excited about riding ToT so I tried to convince my dad and Jason to ride it by themselves but they refused! Oh well!

I of course had to take a photo here! It's a trip tradition!!! lol We were in the Walt:One Man's Dream attraction

I loved this!

Outside of the Magic of Disney Animation room, they have this little circle area with Walt's 9 men's handprints in the ground! I had NEVER seen this before or even knew it was there so I got really excited! I just finished reading a book about Walt's life and I loved it and I think it's cool that these guys have a legacy at WDW!!

Our intial intention on going inside the Magic of Disney Animation was to draw...my parent's hadn't done this before. However, a new show had just started and the line was long for the next one and we'd be waiting for an hour so we decided to skip it and come back later if we could.

So we continued onto the Great Movie Ride!

After riding the GMR, we left for our dinner reservations at Ohana! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!! I dream about this dessert!! Yummm!

My mom got another birthday cake!

MY FAVORITE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! YUMMO!!

See? lol I asked for two bowls of it again...lol Actually, I asked for dessert BEFORE dinner but she didn't listen to me! lol

We finished eating and my mom was feeling bad so her and my dad left and went back to the hotel, leaving us to go back to HS on our own for Fantasmic. We lucked out on seats...we had to squeeze and we ended up ALL the way to the left of the stadium but that's ok at least we got to see it!

We had a game plan for after Fantasmic was over. We still had an hour before the park closed so we thought we'd get in line for TSM no matter how long the line and ride it and then leave. So, after Fantasmic, we RAN out of there as soon as it was over and headed straight for TSM!

We waited a little while but it wasn't too bad. Jason was really excited about riding it cause he hadn't been on it before!

Hidden Mickey! lol

This guy is funny!

Another HM!

Jason beat me but barely! lol

HS was desserted when we were done with TSM!

We took our time leaving...we only had one full day left in the parks! :0(

 

[Queenofallthings]

I am finally all caught up!!! Great posts!! I cannot believe people who think they can just walk out right before a parade or fireworks and think they are entitled to front row. This happens to us on every trip, and this last one was no different....block party bash for us.

Love the pictures from your run, it looks so peaceful.

 

[Spartangirl]

Another great update, Karen! Your run looked so peaceful..........Chris and I stayed at WL a few years back and talked about taking the trail to FW. We never made the time to walk it, and now I'm wishing we had after seeing your pics........the sunset, the deer......wow! Next time...

We haven't done TSM yet.........can't wait to try it this summer!

 

[jnjusoioa]

Karen, as always a great update!!! What a way to start the day, your run looks beautiful, then being at MK for opening and having breakfast at CP, that is totally one of my favorites, I was really hoping I could get there this last trip, but they were all booked up, but thats ok. Sorry to hear that your Mom wasn't feeling to good towards the end of the day. How very sweet of you to put together a bagallini for your friends trip, that is way cool. The end of your night at HS looks great, you rode my favorite ride, TSM. I just love that ride. Can't wait to read and see more of your trip, sounds like your last full day is coming up, that is never fun. As always a bright spot in my day.

 

[PopArtGal]

I have never seen the prints!!

The leaves you think might have been animals, could have been. There were a lot more tree scupltures back then.

 

[Jennifer48]

I still can't get over the fact that you get up early and run before you start your day at WDW. Big to you!

MMmm CP for breakfast, I love any breakfasts at WDW!

Great photos...again!

 

[MeLaNie9]

Another nice update Karen!
I am going to have to check out the running trails at CBR - I hope that they are as nice as the one you were on!

 

[kmab00]

I am finally all caught up!!! Great posts!! I cannot believe people who think they can just walk out right before a parade or fireworks and think they are entitled to front row. This happens to us on every trip, and this last one was no different....block party bash for us.

Love the pictures from your run, it looks so peaceful.

Thank you! lol I know some people are so rude!!! Sorry that happened for Block Party Bash for you guys! I hope it didn't ruin all the fun!

Another great update, Karen! Your run looked so peaceful..........Chris and I stayed at WL a few years back and talked about taking the trail to FW. We never made the time to walk it, and now I'm wishing we had after seeing your pics........the sunset, the deer......wow! Next time...

Thanks girl! It was a great run!!! You need to stay at the WL again so you can walk the trail! It's amazing!!!

Karen, as always a great update!!! What a way to start the day, your run looks beautiful, then being at MK for opening and having breakfast at CP, that is totally one of my favorites, I was really hoping I could get there this last trip, but they were all booked up, but thats ok. Sorry to hear that your Mom wasn't feeling to good towards the end of the day. How very sweet of you to put together a bagallini for your friends trip, that is way cool. The end of your night at HS looks great, you rode my favorite ride, TSM. I just love that ride. Can't wait to read and see more of your trip, sounds like your last full day is coming up, that is never fun. As always a bright spot in my day.

Thank you! We love CP! It's a must do!!! I hate last days! They are the worst!!

I have never seen the prints!!

The leaves you think might have been animals, could have been. There were a lot more tree scupltures back then.

I hadn't seen them either! I didn't even know they were there!!! I think it's sad that if those were animal sculptures, they are just going to waste now. :0(

I still can't get over the fact that you get up early and run before you start your day at WDW. Big to you!

MMmm CP for breakfast, I love any breakfasts at WDW!

Great photos...again!

lol I had to...I was on a schedule and if I missed a whole week, I'd be so messed up! I still didn't even run as much as I needed to!! lol Thank you!

Another nice update Karen!
I am going to have to check out the running trails at CBR - I hope that they are as nice as the one you were on!

Thanks! You'll have to let me know how they are over there! I've never run at any other Disney resort! I know for Marathon weekend, I saw people running through Pop but they weren't on any trails! lol

 

[kmab00]

Since I'm home sick, I decided to finish this thing off!

Saturday, September 19, 2009 - Our last full day!

Whe we woke up this morning, we had our ME tags on our doors! BUMMER! It was our last full day!

Before we left for HS, I took a few pictures in our hotel. We had been leaving tips all week but hadn't gotten any towel animals, so I decided to leave a note on our Mousekeeping envelope! :0)

I also had to get the hidden mickey in our comforter!

On to HS! We went straight for TSM. My mom stayed back at the hotel for a little while cause she was still feeling sick but me, my dad, and Jason got her a fast pass from TSM anyway!

My dad made fun of me for this...I saluted with the wrong hand but I didn't want to cover the face of the soldier!! lol

We rode TSM and then went over to the Backlot tour.

It had been FOREVER since I had ridden this! Not much has changed except....

OMG I totally freaked when I saw this!!!! I knew exactly what it was when I saw it!

Yes Yes I'm like a 12 year old. Whatever...lol At least I have fun!!!!

Jason just rolled his eyes at me and took my picture!

Us on the BLT!

After getting off the BLT, we walked towards RnRC.

Where my silly husband found this...lol I don't share his same love! I'm not a carbonated beverage drinker at ALL! lol

We were trying to make Mickey ears but mine didn't quite reach!!! lol My dad!

lol!

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[kmab00]

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So in the meantime, we met up with my mom after RnRC. She was feeling much better at this point and was ready to go! We used our FP for TSM (she got to ride). As we were in line for TSM, I realized that I had totally messed up our lunch times! We were supposed to eat at 11 a.m. and I thought our time was noon. At this point, it was almost noon...about 11:40 a.m. I freaked out...we were in line at TSM. My dad told me it was ok if we missed lunch, we'd get it next time...no worries. So we rode, we had a good time, then we BOOKED it over to the Sci Fi diner!

They were busy and by the time we got there, the computer had wiped out our reservation. The CM working it was SO NICE and she really helped us out! She told us that we wouldn't be in a "real" car but we'd be in a pseudo car which was fine with me! As long as we got in! We really didn't wait long at all! Maybe 15 minutes or so and then we were IN! Thank you VERY KIND CM!!!

We had never eaten here, just gotten ice cream before where we sat in the very back under the umbrellas so this was fun!

The food was good! I really didn't know what to expect because I had heard this is like a glorified burger joint but I really liked it! It thought the food was good!

I did get a burger! lol

We had a lot of fun! I would eat here again!!

My drink inside was a water so when we left, I was able to get a "shake" to go!! Woohoo!

After eating, we decided to finish up Epcot cause we didn't have anything else to do at HS!

We took the boat over to Epcot. This is a place where so many of my friends have gotten married! :0)

We didn't get to see Italy on our last tour so we started there!

It's so pretty back here!

I couldn't find an italian hat...lol So Mickey was wearing a hat instead!

I thought these were GORGEOUS! Reminds me of Mardi Gras!

After Italy, we walked over to the American Adventure to watch the voices of liberty!

I've never really explored this area...they have an entire museum back here!

No time to waste! The VoL were there before we knew it!

They are totally amazing! That lady in coral was the one who dedicated a song to us on our Honeymoon so after it was all over, we decided to talk to her!

I told her how awesome I thought they were and how they dedicated a song to us on our Honeymoon and how magical of a moment that was for us! She was SO nice and beyond delighted!!

Too bad we were missing the F&WF by like a week!

Time to go! We had dinner reservations at Narcoossees that night!

Last time in the parks!

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[kmab00]

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Back in our rooms, we had PLENTY of towel animals to choose from!!! lol

Yay!

We got dressed, took the boat to the contemporary, then took the monorail to the Grand.

This guy saw me taking a picture so he waved!! lol

Piano in the lobby

We got a table by the window! It was so pretty in here!

Most of us got the surf and turf! It was really good too!

As the sun set, we watched the MK light up!

Dessert was the Almond crusted cheese cake! Yum!

By the time we left, it was dark everywhere and parks were closing. Our last night in the happiest place on earth was over! :0( We went back to the hotel and Jason and I got in the hot tub!

 

[kmab00]

Sunday, September 20, 2009 - Our last day!

We had breakfast planned at Ohana! We had never done breakfast here before but we LOVED IT! I just love this place!

Pre breakfast foods!

All you can eat!

Mickey waffles!

The characters do a dance party with the kids

SO CUTE!

Stitch

Mickey!!

Lilo

Pluto!

Breakfast was SO GOOD! I definitely recommend it!!

After breakfast, we decided to shop around at the Poly stores!

Trying to make our vacation last longer....

It is SO pretty here!

I found a hidden mickey on the monorail on the way back to the Contemporary!

I got a Mickey bar while waiting on ME!

We got to the airport without any problems and arrived back home safe and sound! Another fun trip was over!! :0( I had a blast though and would do it again in a heartbeat! I loved the crowds in September! Not bad at all!! Can't wait for the next one! :0)

Up next: A few Photo Pass pictures!