Adventures at 40"! May 2014 TR *COMPLETE* 9/10 **NEW** Italy ABD TR link posted 9/29

[khertz]

Day 3 Continued: Saturday May 3rd

Finally, about 20 minutes after when it was supposed to start, Fantasmic! got under way! And thank goodness, because DS had been asking and asking when we were going to see the big Mickey show with the dragon. This update is going to be kind of quick and not a lot of words, because there's not too much to be said, and the pics do the talking just fine!

03-176 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-177 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-178 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-181 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-183 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-184 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-185 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-187 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-188 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Just when it seemed like nothing could be better than a huge, fire-breathing dragon being overcome by Mickey Mouse, a huge boatload of characters came around the bend! That was definitely a highlight for DS.

03-190 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-191 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-192 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-193 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

Did y'all know that before the final fireworks go off, all of the characters go inside the boat to be protected and poor Ariel is just stuck there because of her fin, so Prince Eric just throws a huge blanket over her?! I had read about that awhile ago, but this was the first time actually getting to see it in action since we were on the left side of the theater where the boat exits.

The show was over, and so began the mass exodus. DS was walking because he was still wearing his wet rain jacket. I was holding on tight, of course, since we were smack in the middle of a huge crowd doing the shuffle out of the theater. But he was still intimidated by being surrounded by people larger than him, and he kept saying, "I'm freakin' out!" I couldn't help but laugh because it sounded so funny to hear him say that, and a few people around us got a chuckle out of it too.

We ended up able to walk out backstage, which DH was not thrilled with at the time because he wanted to use the tripod for some night shots. But DS and I were wet and tired, and there was a shorter way out, so we took it. After a quick drive, we were back at the Wilderness Lodge.

I missed most of it because I was in the shower for the first half, but we found out there was a small benefit to our service view room very close to MK...Not only could we hear Wishes, but we could also SEE Wishes!!!

03-194 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-195 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-197 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


03-198 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Despite all of the rain, we'd had a pretty successful day in DHS, and we were able to do pretty much everything we wanted to do! Originally, we had planned on skipping EMH parks to avoid the crowds, which would have meant doing MK on Saturday and DHS on Sunday. After all the rain, and with the promise of sunny skies the next day, I was sure glad we had decided to swap those around! A rained out MK would have been terrible!!

Sorry so short, but hopefully I can get started on MK day soon! I want to try to get this TR done before we leave for Italy!!

UP NEXT: Ready for some Magic!

 

[marDgreen88]

Hey Kristy!! I apologize for being so absent lately, I've been sadly neglecting the DIS and I miss it! Anyways, I'm all caught up now and it's so funny to read that we were in the same place a lot of the time on Saturday. We could've walked past each other and not known it!

It's funny thinking back on that night now knowing that y'all were at Fantasmic, because I was at AoA packing to switch resorts and I could actually hear it from my room and see some 'flashes' of fireworks. So funny!

HOORAY for the beautiful day that Sunday was!

 

[Dugette]

Wow, great pictures of Fantasmic! I think it actually looks better there than it does in my memory of seeing it in person. I had no idea about the Ariel thing - crazy.

What a cool surprise to actually be able to see Wishes from your room!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

YAY you saw Fantasmic!!!! I so love that show, but that finale is what really makes it for me. Steamboat Willie, all the amazing characters, and then Sorcerer Mickey!!!!! Just chills.

Just FYI, I would carry Ariel to safety and not just merely throw a blanket on her. But that's just me

Wow, you even had a fireworks view and didn't even know it. Good deal.

 

[KelleyK75]

Beautiful pictures of Fantasmic!

I didn't know that about Ariel. Something to look for in the future.

That's awesome you could see Wishes from your balcony!

 

[courtneybelle]

SO glad you guys got to see Fantasmic! The pictures are absolutely gorgeous, not that I'd expect anything else at this point

Now I want to look for Ariel and her blanket!!

AHH WISHES VIEW!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Great Fantasmic! pictures - especially love the one with the snake's eyes shining on Mickey. The Steamboat Willie part is so great - just so much Disney feelings crammed in one spot!

I did not know that about Ariel and the blanket - guess being a princess isn't all glamour.

That is so great that you found that added benefit to your room location

 

[hokieinpa]

Great Fantasmic pictures!! Can't wait for that show! Was DS scared by the dragon at all? That's my only worry!

Poor Ariel - left out there all alone! You would think they would have come up with a way to wheel her inside or something!

Great Wishes view from your room too! Can't wait to hear about MK!

 

[tiggerfan77]

So glad you didn't get rained out for Fanatasmic! Love that show and my DS loves the dragon part as well

 

[khertz]

Hey Kristy!! I apologize for being so absent lately, I've been sadly neglecting the DIS and I miss it! Anyways, I'm all caught up now and it's so funny to read that we were in the same place a lot of the time on Saturday. We could've walked past each other and not known it!

It's funny thinking back on that night now knowing that y'all were at Fantasmic, because I was at AoA packing to switch resorts and I could actually hear it from my room and see some 'flashes' of fireworks. So funny!

HOORAY for the beautiful day that Sunday was!

No worries, Marissa, I have been struggling to keep up with the DIS myself!

That's so funny! Just goes to show you how big the parks really are. Yet how close everything is together.

I know!! I'm so ready to leave that rainy day behind and get to the gorgeous day that was Sunday.

Wow, great pictures of Fantasmic! I think it actually looks better there than it does in my memory of seeing it in person. I had no idea about the Ariel thing - crazy.

What a cool surprise to actually be able to see Wishes from your room!

Thanks! Luckily, it wasn't even misting, so DH was able to keep the camera out for pictures. I don't remember where I read or saw about the Ariel thing, but I made sure to watch for it this time, and it's true!!

It was a VERY cool surprise! Made that service view just a tad worth the inconvenience of hearing delivery trucks in the middle of the night.

YAY you saw Fantasmic!!!! I so love that show, but that finale is what really makes it for me. Steamboat Willie, all the amazing characters, and then Sorcerer Mickey!!!!! Just chills.

Just FYI, I would carry Ariel to safety and not just merely throw a blanket on her. But that's just me

Wow, you even had a fireworks view and didn't even know it. Good deal.

We were SO happy to finally see the show, DS most of all, of course. I'm not crazy about the show in general, but the music is great and the finale is definitely the very best part!

You should write to Disney and let them know that.

Definitely a good deal, considering our "view" the rest of the time. And the fact that we didn't pay any extra for that!

Beautiful pictures of Fantasmic!

I didn't know that about Ariel. Something to look for in the future.

That's awesome you could see Wishes from your balcony!

Thank you!

This was the first time we have seen the show since I read that online, so I made sure to watch for it. So weird!!

It was a GREAT surprise! DH couldn't get to the camera and tripod quick enough.

SO glad you guys got to see Fantasmic! The pictures are absolutely gorgeous, not that I'd expect anything else at this point

Now I want to look for Ariel and her blanket!!

AHH WISHES VIEW!

I'm so glad it finally worked out. Because I love the music and we listen to it all the time, so I had really been wanting to see it in October so when it didn't happen, I was even more determined this time!

You have to really watch because the lights on the boat go out, but you can still see it if you are close enough!

It was AWESOME!

Great Fantasmic! pictures - especially love the one with the snake's eyes shining on Mickey. The Steamboat Willie part is so great - just so much Disney feelings crammed in one spot!

I did not know that about Ariel and the blanket - guess being a princess isn't all glamour.

That is so great that you found that added benefit to your room location

Those were some of my favorites too. The Steamboat Willie part and the very ending are the best parts of the show for me too! DS definitely loved it.

I suppose it isn't. Seems like they could just have her in her human form so she could join the rest of the characters in the SAFETY of the inside of the boat.

It was a great surprise at the end of a long and wet day.

Great Fantasmic pictures!! Can't wait for that show! Was DS scared by the dragon at all? That's my only worry!

Poor Ariel - left out there all alone! You would think they would have come up with a way to wheel her inside or something!

Great Wishes view from your room too! Can't wait to hear about MK!

DS wasn't scared in the least, but we did prepare him for the dragon ahead of time just in case. He might have been more upset about it had it been a total surprise.

Or just put her in her human form?? I really don't get it!!!

The view was such an awesome surprise! Ready to get started on MK asap.

So glad you didn't get rained out for Fanatasmic! Love that show and my DS loves the dragon part as well

I was SO relieved the rain finally let up! That would have been a gigantic letdown. DS definitely loved the show, and now he is even more crazy about the music. He loves the opening music the most and loves to wave his hands like Mickey.

 

[khertz]

Day 4: Sunday May 4th

We were up bright and early at 6:30 am thanks to DS, but it's always just a little easier to get up so early when you know you have a day in Disney World ahead of you, isn't it?

Immediately, I went over to the window to see what kind of weather was waiting for us, and was greeted by a bright, gorgeous sun! I took a picture to post on Instagram with the caption, "It's a new day, leaving behind all the rain and yuck of yesterday. The sun is shining, the tank is clean!"

04 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We quickly got dressed and headed downstairs, taking breakfast with us on the go. We decided since we were heading to MK and we were literally inside the MK gates (SQUEE!) that instead of driving we would take the bus. We passed these guys out on the way to the bus stop, and they seemed pretty happy for us that the weather was going to be nicer today.

04-001 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Someone wasn't too happy about having his picture taken this early in the morning...

04-002 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

But he certainly perked up when he realized we were getting on a Disney bus! He had only excitedly been pointing out to us every single one he saw since we had made it onto Disney property, so it was only fitting that he finally get to ride on one. After waiting about 20 minutes, we were boarded on a motor coach headed to our favorite place in all of WDW.

04-005 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We arrived a little before 8 am and made our way through the turnstiles (although are they really called that now?) to find a spot for the opening show. People were already crammed in as far as they could get to be first for Anna & Elsa, I assume, but we wanted to see the show. We did position ourselves a little to the left though since that's the entrance we planned to use when the park opened.

04-006 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Hello, gorgeous!


04-011 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-012 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-014 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

Someone noticed DH taking photos of me & DS and offered to take one of the three of us. Although it was nice to get a picture of the whole family in front of the train station, they did what DH hates and got our feet in the shot but not the top of the building! Oh, well, it was still a nice gesture.

04-015 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Even after our little mini photo session, we still had PLENTY of time to kill before the park opened, and it was pretty toasty already. DS entertained himself by making "monsters" with his shadow.

04-016 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

At some point around this time, my uncle called me. Their family had just gotten in to WDW for their first trip the night before, and today was their first park day. I was hoping he was calling me to say they had arrived so we could meet up and spend some time together before the park opened, but he was calling to ask me directions!! He was telling me the name of the street he was on and trying to describe what he saw around him, but I still don't have a clue where he actually was. I asked him why he didn't just take the bus from Pop since it would be quicker than parking and taking the monorail to MK. So they decided to go back to the resort and do just that, only they didn't end up getting to the park until like 11 am! Unfortunately this meant we didn't really get to spend any time together, but they learned their lesson and knew where they were going from then on so they didn't have any more mishaps.

As it got closer and closer to park opening, the people began pressing in all around us.

04-017 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

And apparently, DS decided again that he didn't want his picture taken.

04-018 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

DH joined in and helped him hide behind both of their hats. Thanks, DH!

04-022 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

But attitudes changed and it was smiles all around when the opening show started!!!

04-023 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-024 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-025 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-026 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-027 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-028 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-029 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-031 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

At this point, DS was just losing his mind over Pluto and didn't seem to care about all of the other characters waving and saying good morning. It was pretty funny!

04-032 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-033 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-034 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-035 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

Continued in next post...

 

[Buntington]

Enjoying this TR! Your ride/Fantasmic pictures are great and your DS is too adorable. Can't wait to read more!

 

[khertz]

Day 4 Continued: Sunday May 4th

We shuffled in with the masses under the train station and let all the people clamoring for the Princesses of Arendelle have at it while we entered the park at a much more leisurely pace, taking it all in! DS was so exited to finally be reunited with HIS Castle!

04-037 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-038 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

There is just no other feeling in the world like the feeling I get when I turn the corner and finally see this stretched out ahead of me!

04-039 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Well, not all of those people...Let's try this again.

04-040 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

Much better!!

Our first stop for the morning was Frontierland, but we had to get there by way of another land since you can't get there directly from the Hub, and we chose to walk through our favorite of the MK lands, Adventureland.

04-041 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Here we encountered a rope, but it wasn't long before that came down and we were able to make our way through Adventureland and over to Frontierland...where we came to ANOTHER rope! There was a line of CM's there who showed us how to "mosey" on over to either Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain. Basically, they were telling us not to run! lol We knew we were riding one of them first thing, but we left the decision up to DS who told us he wanted to ride the log ride. Splash Mountain it is, then!

04-042 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-043 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

We decided that in order to keep DS from completely freaking out if we got a good splash at the end, that we would put a poncho on him. Just getting him on the ride was good enough for me! And after our miserably wet experience in the rain the day before, I was a little less reserved about putting one on myself. I do realize this is the second TR in a row that I have worn a poncho on Splash Mountain, but I have no shame now! It will not become a regular thing, though, I promise!

04-044 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Splash Selfie!​

Now, you can kick back in your seat a little and scroll through these pictures and feel like you are on the ride. DH has been happy to sit this ride out while DS was too short, but now that we had gotten him on, I had him held captive to get some pictures for me.

04-045 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-046 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-047 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-048 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-049 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-050 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-051 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-052 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-053 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-054 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-055 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-056 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-057 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-058 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


04-059 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
​

As for how DS did on the ride...surprisingly well! He did ask to get off a few times, but once he realized he was in for the long haul, he did okay. The big drop didn't scare him too much, but I made sure to hold on tight! It wasn't his favorite, but he wasn't crying or losing his mind either. I wanted DH to get a quick pic of him in the log when we were getting off, but as you can see in this picture, DS was eager to get out of that thing!

04-060 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We snapped a pic of our ride photo to commemorate DS's very first ride on Splash! Maybe the first time he goes on it and actually enjoys it, we will buy the pic instead! lol

04-064 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We asked if he wanted to ride Big Thunder, but I think that was enough thrills for him first thing in the morning, so we wandered over towards Fantasyland to see what more low-key things we could find to do.

UP NEXT: Fantasyland!

And now, for a little bit of news...We're going back to Disneyland!!!! Our Italy trip is 3 weeks away, and after that, we are planning to expand our family. We wanted to take one more vacation before the second baby comes (and no I am really NOT pregnant yet!) and before DS starts school in the fall. We considered a few places...WDW was of course high on the list but I don't want to go and miss out on the Harry Potter stuff, so we are saving that for the fall. Our two top choices were Washington D.C. first, but then Dave warned us it would be pretty cold in March when we were planning to go. So we started looking at Vegas. I know, I know, seems a weird choice for a family vacation, but I found lots of stuff to do, and was really excited because the weather would be really nice there. Until I was reminded of all the porn slappers handing out cards on the streets and the billboards with little left to the imagination. So we scrapped that and went back to Washington D.C.

I don't remember how or why it came up, but one of us suggested Disneyland. We checked out the Wyndham website, thinking it probably wouldn't be available or even if it was, it would be too many points for us to still be able to stay at Bonnet Creek in the fall. But it was available! And well under the point limit we needed to stick to! It was pretty much like fate was pushing us there, am I right? So, we booked the resort last night! We will be there Feb 28th-March 7th! The weather is supposed to be great, and we should be getting in right before the spring break crowds. We couldn't NOT do it!! The only thing I am disappointed about will be not getting to ride Radiator Springs Racers with DS, but I think just seeing his excitement when he walks into Carsland for the first time will be good enough for me! Ahhh, I can't wait! I'm so excited to get back there again, AND get my Disney fix! We have decided to surprise DS with this trip, which is going to be torture for me, but I think we can pull it off...So don't say anything to DS!!! lol

Yikes, sorry my news turned out so long! I'm just SO EXCITED!​

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Whether or not you have a great view, I bet seeing the sun that morning was all the view you needed.

That Train Station shot is a tough one to get without others in there somewhere. Good stuff.

Still so glad this morning show still exists. It really makes it extra special now.

Goodness those Splash pictures are fantastic... ESPECIALLY right before the drop. That's tough to get coming out of the dark.

YAY for Disneyland. Those dates are almost exactly the ones I did in 2012 and the weather was spectacular. Not a drop of rain and it cooled off nicely (but not too cold) at night. Plus, crowds were great.

 

[saintstickets]

Great TR, great pics and even better news about the DL trip!

I need to take pic takin' lessons from y'all! Those from Fantasmic and Splash Mtn can't be beat. Maybe I could do okay at Fantasmic but never at Spash Mtn...I'm too busy holding on!!!

 

[marDgreen88]

It'll be interesting to read about this day and see how often we were at the same place at the same time. I was at the Welcome Show too, but probably waaaay behind y'all. Heading straight to Splash is a genius idea. And the pictures are amazing! So glad Paxton enjoyed it enough!

OH! And so excited for y'all on your Disneyland trip! I so wish I could go. Sounds absolutely amazing.

 

[RachelNinja]

When you said you were on the left part of the audience for Fantasmic, I was going to mention the Ariel thing, but then you said you were able to see it! Isn't it the funniest thing? I think because of that, I'd like to sit in the front rows of the right and left side of the stage again. I think it's fun to see more of the "behind-the-scenes" things. Plus, the photo opportunities are great! Howard and I sat all the way to the left this past January and LOVED IT. I hope you don't mind my hijacking your TR for a bit since I'm SO FAR from getting up to our DHS day in my current TR right now, but I was taking video of Fantasmic as we were watching it. I was able to catch all the fun things like the evil queen turning into the old hag (she pops out of the rock formation behind the cauldron) and such because of our angle. Ariel was one of them! I just watched that part of the video right now and paused it to get a screen capture of those moments.

In this picture, you can see the blanket to Ariel's right.

As the lights go out and everyone's attention goes back to the center of the stage, all the characters start walking down to the lower level of the boat. As you said, Ariel can't move down because of her costume, so she turns to the side and Eric throws the blanket over her. It got pretty dark when I was recording, so I switched over to Mickey, but then the crazy bright fireworks meant that I could focus the camera back on the boat!

And there she is! Ariel under the blanket! The picture quality isn't fantastic, but I'll eventually post the video when I get to it, haha.

We haven't ridden Splash since Howard started focusing more on photography (we got a LITTLE chicken, haha), so it was definitely a treat seeing your pics!

YAY DISNEYLANDDDDDDDD!

 

[KelleyK75]

I'm glad you were done with the rain and had a sunny day ahead of you!

Yay for the welcome show and Splash. My nephews weren't quite ready for Splash yet so I can't wait to get them on it.

That's so exciting you are going to get to do a Disneyland trip!! And congratulations early on adding to your family.

 

[DDuck4Life]

Day 4 Continued: Sunday May 4th

We decided that in order to keep DS from completely freaking out if we got a good splash at the end, that we would put a poncho on him. Just getting him on the ride was good enough for me! And after our miserably wet experience in the rain the day before, I was a little less reserved about putting one on myself. I do realize this is the second TR in a row that I have worn a poncho on Splash Mountain, but I have no shame now! It will not become a regular thing, though, I promise!

04-044 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Splash Selfie!​

[/CENTER]

Next time no ponchos!

 

[courtneybelle]

If we ever have a DISmeet and I take a picture of your family, I will make a special note to include all of the building in the picture

I LOVE the "monster" shadow picture!

Oh geez, giving directions in Disney just never works out well. Just follow the purple signs, that's what I tell people.

Love that picture of the fireworks going off during the Welcome show!

Thank you for helping my Splash homesickness such great pictures! I never take pictures because I'm always paranoid about my camera getting wet but one day I'll be brave enough to do so.

Italy is so soon! I'm SO excited to hear about it. And you guys will have a blast in Disneyland! Like I told you, you'll have to drag DS out of Radiator Springs if you want to do anything else there