Adventures of a DisneyWORLDholic! Updated1/24 I was an unofficial WDW tour guide.

[natebenma]

Great to see you posting on this report again!

YAY on Jacob riding RNR. My boys didn't ride it for the longest time. The 10 year old still refuses. But Nate tried it out in 2010 and it became his favorite ride at Disney. We call it his "threshold coaster" because now there is nothing he won't try, anywhere!

I agree, it is so tough trying to take decent pictures on the safari. I enjoy the trails. It is nice to be able to spend a little time with the animals if you want to.

I'm excited to hear about your new trip!

 

[TinksThree]

So glad to see you back!! I love Kohl's! I would be in so much trouble because I would probably turn over more than my paycheck! And how exciting a new trip is in the works! I can't wait to begin planning a new one!

I love Indiana Jones and the safari!!

 

[ChaMakay1923]

subbing to finish reading another day

 

[ScotsMinnie]

Glad to see you posting again. Missed your fab photos! Such a shame your trip will be August - will have just missed you again!

 

[jmskinner]

Great to see you posting on this report again!

YAY on Jacob riding RNR. My boys didn't ride it for the longest time. The 10 year old still refuses. But Nate tried it out in 2010 and it became his favorite ride at Disney. We call it his "threshold coaster" because now there is nothing he won't try, anywhere!

I agree, it is so tough trying to take decent pictures on the safari. I enjoy the trails. It is nice to be able to spend a little time with the animals if you want to.

I'm excited to hear about your new trip!

Jacob only rode because the other boys were riding. I don't think he rode again before we left FL.

The trails are nice and there is still one we haven't explored. It is right before the bridge to Africa. We have walked a little bit, but never the whole thing.

So glad to see you back!! I love Kohl's! I would be in so much trouble because I would probably turn over more than my paycheck! And how exciting a new trip is in the works! I can't wait to begin planning a new one!

I love Indiana Jones and the safari!!

Just got a 30% off coupon at Kohls, they are killing me. But, looks like we are getting reimbursed for the stuff the movers lost, so I can buy it at a good price at least.

subbing to finish reading another day

Hi! Thanks for joining.

Glad to see you posting again. Missed your fab photos! Such a shame your trip will be August - will have just missed you again!

I was just thinking about you today, sorry we will miss each other yet again. Maybe one day, not like we are going to stop going.

 

[jmskinner]

I'm sure we grabbed FP's on the way to the next trail. But once on this trail I was super excited to catch this guy up and moving



We normally catch him relaxing in the sun.




I always have to get pics of the bats


The Tiger was enjoying the little bit of shade he had




Jacob can spend hours in the area with the birds, this one was on the ground


We notified a CM because we weren't sure if it was ok or not. I think she said it was.

We always have to stop at the fountain so Jacob can enjoy it





We stopped to eat after this at the restaurant in the Dinosaur area that has hamburgers and chicken nuggets of course.

Then it was potty break time, I think I got this pic coming or going to the restroom by Dino-Whirl.


I'm always trying to catch pics of Jacob with something in the background and for once it worked


Time for this




We had a little bit of a wait, but the boys enjoyed looking at all of the Dinosaurs. I was surprised when Jacob rode it and not only did he ride, but he didn't hide. I have several pics of us on Dinosaur and all you can see of Jacob is his little finders on the bar.

I did buy the pic with him not riding, but won't post since Marcia and the boys are in it.

After that we did a little more shopping


After this it was time for


I love taking first timers to this show. Wish I could put a video camera on their faces, especially when the roaches leave first.

I'm sure we rode EE at this point and Marcia's boys loved it. I think Jacob rode it too. I don't have pics.

We then took the boys to the Dinoland playground and let them burn off some steam before we left.

I can't remember where they got so wet at, but they had a great time.

We headed home from there where we had to listen to Jacob complain because the other two had fallen asleep and Evan kept falling on him. They obviously weren't use to a couple of days at the parks.

 

[natebenma]

The trails are nice and there is still one we haven't explored. It is right before the bridge to Africa. We have walked a little bit, but never the whole thing.

The Secret Trail!!!

We did that for the first time on our 2010 trip. Love it! It is shaded, and beautiful and tranquil. And you get awesome closeup views of the Tree of Life.

 

[natebenma]

You are sure showing Marcia and her boys a good time. Well, except maybe for ITTBAB! My boys still won't go back since the first time we took them and didn't clue them into what was going to happen.

It has been a couple of years since we have visited the Boneyard but I bet the boys had a great time!

 

[jmskinner]

The Secret Trail!!!

We did that for the first time on our 2010 trip. Love it! It is shaded, and beautiful and tranquil. And you get awesome closeup views of the Tree of Life.

No, we've done that one a couple of times, if I am thinking of the same one as you. Along with the tree, you see the Kangaroos, right? I may be losing my mind, but there is another further down, right before you enter the bridge, it will be on your right. As you walk, the river is on your left and animals on your right. It may deadend, not sure. I know Jacob and I saw about 3 animals and then turned to go the other way for some reason.

You are sure showing Marcia and her boys a good time. Well, except maybe for ITTBAB! My boys still won't go back since the first time we took them and didn't clue them into what was going to happen.

It has been a couple of years since we have visited the Boneyard but I bet the boys had a great time!

Really, your son will ride RnRC, but not ITTBAB? It's funny how things like that don't scare Jacob, but the rollercoaster does. He doesn't like Dinosaur because of the noise.

 

[jmskinner]

Ok, I know I said I would complete this TR with the Marcia and the Boys section, but I realized I only had one more section to report on. Yes, there were some day trips I haven't posted, but figure this one might be fun.

One thing me and Jonas agree on is pins, especially the Star Wars pins. So when Star Wars Weekends come around, we both know a lot of money will be spent. The problem is the past couple of years we were always too late to get what we really wanted. Since they always start on Friday, we could never get there before 4pm because of Jacob having school. Well, not this year. This was going to be our last year to go to Star Wars Weekends, so we did what any good parents will do, yanked the boy out of school. I had told myself I wouldn't do this in middle school, but Jonas said we were doing it. I made him write the letter which went something like this "Jacob will not be in school on this day because of a family event." Well, we were going as a family and any event at Disney World is family oriented, so we were good.

If I remember correctly, DHS was to open at 7am this day. We planned on being there at opening. Yes, we were on the road at 6am. Even Jacob was ready to go. He wasn't all about the pins, he wanted to ride Star Tours. That is his favorite ride in the parks.

Per my pics, we were there at 6:36am, so we must have left earlier than I thought. We got there early and saw this stage set up:




Had no idea what was going on, but learned later a lot of morning news shows were there for Star Tours reopening...ok, it might have been because George Lucas was on property.

Each year we have been able to attend SWW, we have made a point to be there at opening at least once to see these guys


I get all excited. Something about the whole scene, all the kids getting all excited and of course the grown kids.

Turns out they opened the gates early. Not to park, but to the big merchandise tent. You can see some people were either already out of the tent or were there waiting for the park to open


The first two times we went to SWW, the weekend merchandise was set up in the building between the Backlot Tour and TSMM. We always thought this was a great area, lots of room and it was indoors. Last year it was in the store at the exit of the Backlot tour. Which would have been really cool if they have moved out the other movie stuff and put in a lot of Star Wars stuff to look at. The other problem with this location was the size of the store. Way too small. This year was a different location. Now when I first heard where the tent was going to be, I questioned it. "Over by RnRC? What are they thinking? There is no room over there? That's a terrible spot!" Jonas said the same thing. Well, it turns out, they knew exactly what they were doing.

Seems there is a gate by RnRC that opens to a large area next to ToT that I never knew existed, here is what ToT looks like from the area.


This was a very large tent, probably could setup a few hundred tables in it. The CM's were ready for us. Lots of ropes set up outside to handle the large crowds, but luckily we were there early enough to get in the line inside because it was already starting to warm up.

Here is the line we were in, and this was after being in line for an hour.


Now, if you haven't been to SWW and been through the merchandise tent you may not know that there are always two lines. One line is if you want just the regular stuff you can usually buy any time in the parks. They just have more of it, in one place. The line we were in was for the limited edition stuff. That stuff that is always gone by the time we get there at 4pm. While Jonas stood in line, reading his new Kindle (his birthday had just passed and that was his gift), Jacob and I explored. I don't consider myself a huge Star Wars geek...fan, but I do love to look at the merchandise. Especially the stuff with Mickey. I love the merging of the two, maybe it is because it is something me and my boys can enjoy together.

While standing in line, the CM's give you sheets showing all the limited edition merchandise that gives you prices so you can figure out how much you want to spend. We must have looked at that list 50 times while waiting in line, "What if they don't have this anymore, how about we get this if we can't get that."

This display was set up close to the end of the line


It was fun checking out all the merchandise people were buying. Saw a few men carrying baskets so full it was a balancing act, while also pushing a basket just as full with their feet. Yes, a few people spent well over $1000, just in this tent.

Oh, found a pic of the big tent



Now, while we were waiting to check out, a new Dis friend was texting me. I had met her back in October when I attended MNSSHP with that large group of Dis'ers. She was there for the weekend and came over to hang out with us. She wasn't too excited about seeing the tent, so she waited for us.

And what did we buy, this is the set we always try to get but it was always sold out by the time we got there:


Buying as a set you get one additional pin not offered otherwise. These are the weekend pins that the first year we went you were only able to buy the two for a specific weekend, which meant coming back each weekend. The following year they changed that so you could buy them all at once. We were excited to get the full set this year with the additional pin. See how it looks like a briefcase, getting ready for Star Tours. Each pin is a different SW characters passport.



That sliding piece flips over to show the character.

Here are the other pins we purchased, got the SWW 2011 LE pin, the Star Tours reopening pin, Annual Passholder pins (this was only the second year that they had pins for AP holders).



This was our big splurge, the one we didn't plan on buying but couldn't pass it up, the LE Star Tours pin, the $50 pin. Did we really spend $50 on a pin...of course we did. We are WDW/SW geeks.



The doors slide open and you see this


After this, we went out and met Teresa and Jonas ran our purchases out to the car so we wouldn't have to guard them all day. Wouldn't want someone to steal our "Precious". Oops, wrong movie.

Time to go see George!

 

[natebenma]

Really, your son will ride RnRC, but not ITTBAB? It's funny how things like that don't scare Jacob, but the rollercoaster does. He doesn't like Dinosaur because of the noise.

I've never thought of it like that! That IS funny!

RNR, ToT, Hulk, Manta, Kraken- no problem.

Stinging seats- problem.

No, we've done that one a couple of times, if I am thinking of the same one as you. Along with the tree, you see the Kangaroos, right? I may be losing my mind, but there is another further down, right before you enter the bridge, it will be on your right. As you walk, the river is on your left and animals on your right. It may deadend, not sure. I know Jacob and I saw about 3 animals and then turned to go the other way for some reason.

Here, right? This is from my TR. I can't remember if there were kangaroos or not. I think this trail ends by the ITTBAB exit. Or maybe by the Flame Tree. I'll have to pay better attention next time.

Animal Kingdom was getting very crowded and very hot at this point. But we had a secret destination in mind- there is a quiet unmarked trail that runs through Discovery Island. It starts here, just after the bridge from Africa to Discovery Island and ends near the exit of It’s Tough to be a Bug.

It was so peaceful, a little cooler due to the trees and there were very few people.

Note: that is a piece of bark. Not a cobra.

 

[natebenma]

Very cool start to your Star Wars Weekend visit! Thanks for posting the descriptions and posting the pictures of the merchandise area.

Cool pins!

 

[jmskinner]

I've never thought of it like that! That IS funny!

RNR, ToT, Hulk, Manta, Kraken- no problem.

Stinging seats- problem.




Here, right? This is from my TR. I can't remember if there were kangaroos or not. I think this trail ends by the ITTBAB exit. Or maybe by the Flame Tree. I'll have to pay better attention next time.

Animal Kingdom was getting very crowded and very hot at this point. But we had a secret destination in mind- there is a quiet unmarked trail that runs through Discovery Island. It starts here, just after the bridge from Africa to Discovery Island and ends near the exit of It’s Tough to be a Bug.

It was so peaceful, a little cooler due to the trees and there were very few people.

Note: that is a piece of bark. Not a cobra.

Ok, maybe we are talking about the same path. Se what being away from the parks for a few months does to me. I just didn't remember walking that far to end up on the path that dumps out in the ITTBAB qeue. It is a nice peaceful walk and I probably have 100 pics of the tree from that path because there is so much to see that you only see on the path.

That is too funny about your son, but Jacob does things like that also. Such as he loves to watch shows like Ghosthunters and go in Haunted Houses, but won't watch a scary movie.

Love your Cobra...Bark pic. That is funny!

Very cool start to your Star Wars Weekend visit! Thanks for posting the descriptions and posting the pictures of the merchandise area.

Cool pins!

I have made shadow boxes for all of our Star Wars pins, I will have to take pics...once Jonas hangs them. Been sitting on the floor since before Thanksgiving.

 

[jmskinner]

Hi everyone! Thanks for sticking around with me. I was so excited to have my new computer and had the house clean so I could spend the weekend finishing up this report and just playing the new computer. Until Friday, Friday the 13th. A storm blew in and the power shut off for maybe a minute, turns out my computer was in the process of doing an update when that occured and now I get the "BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH". Dell is sending out a tech and they have ordered a new motherboard and new wireless router.

Hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend and I hope to be up and running next weekend.

 

[natebenma]

See, now you have me wondering about the path. But I do think it is the same one. I took lots of pictures of the Tree of Life while there.

So sorry to hear about your computer! That stinks! Hope to have you posting again soon!

 

[jmskinner]

See, now you have me wondering about the path. But I do think it is the same one. I took lots of pictures of the Tree of Life while there.

So sorry to hear about your computer! That stinks! Hope to have you posting again soon!

Things are not going well for this TR. I typed the following and then the Dis did something and lot it all, but I am not giving up. Take (try) 2!

Tech came out and replaced the motherboard and wireless card on the new computer, and still we get SCREEN OF DEATH. Tech calls Dell and they say I have to call in, it is a software problem. I call in and ask for software support, the tech then asks if I paid for software support. I proceed to tell him that for a computer less than a month old, I shouldn't have to pay for support. He looks at my account, takes notice that this was the second time a tech had been out, the first time it was due to the computer being really loud, which turned out to be a piece of plastic still on one of the fans. And then the tech says something that totally shocks me..."let me see if I can get you another system." I was totally surprised. Hopefully I will have the new one here next week and until then I will use the hubby's laptop to get this report done.

Thanks for staying with me!

 

[ScotsMinnie]

What a nightmare you are having with your computer. At least getting a whole new system will give you a bit of peace of mind that it wont happen again.

Computers are great but you really miss them when they stop working!

 

[natebenma]

.

 

[jmskinner]

What a nightmare you are having with your computer. At least getting a whole new system will give you a bit of peace of mind that it wont happen again.

Computers are great but you really miss them when they stop working!

Not sure how much peace of mind I will have since it was a new system. Hopefully it was because of the rush of orders after Black Friday and ....geez what is that Monday called? My mind just went blank.

.

Ok, I promised an update and I'm going to try to get one done. Is anyone else having issues with the Dis taking forever to load?

 

[jmskinner]

We headed over to find a place to view the parade. One of my favorite parts of SWW is the parade. Love seeing the 501st march, some of these people have created some fabulous costumes. And of course there are those Disney CM's and Mickey & the gang dressed as their favorite SW characters. I always get at least 100 pics during this parade. Here is what I got this year:



That is the crowd waiting for the parade. Ok, we got there late, so I understand us not being able to find a spot but Disney really let us down this year. The parade would normally go from the front of the park to Star Tours. But see this year, they had a huge stage set up in front of the hat and a special appearance by the man himself, George Lucas. He was there because it was the grand reopening of Star Tours. So the parade route was cut in half.

Shortening the parade caused twice as many people to be along the parade route since it was cut in half and on top of that, you had even more people due to George and reopening of Star Tours. I was very disappointed.

This is the type of pic I got


We had told Jacob to head up front so he could see. Jonas had an eye on him, but when that parade was over people rushed and Jonas saw Jacob almost go down.

We tried to get close to the stage but this is as close as we were able to get



This pic is a little misleading, we were just past the spot with the waiting times, so the large area in front of the hat was full of people. If I had been by myself, I would have tried to get closer, but Jonas was grumpy and didn't want to try.

We decided to head over to the hotel, hoping it would thin out a little. Jacob was stopped on the way out


Next update will be the resort.