An Unforgettable Finish- Oct 2011 TR **Happily Ever After (Completed 5/3)

[nebo]

I had no idea there even was a rebel spy, I guess that's how observant I am. But we rode it and maybe Smidgy or myself was one and never even noticed, geesh. Fine!
But I can't go anywhere even near Monster's Inc. without those bright lights coming on in my face telling me to dance, or pretend I'm Sully,,,,,but at least I have never been, "that guy." Great report still,, kate, the kids are adorable.

 

[Thadine]

Very cool that they choose you to be the rebel spy!!!

 

[All7OfUs]

What a wonderful morning... and you're right, and great sequence on ToT is simply the bomb! Hope I can be around a whole lot more than I have been in the last months, Kate!!

 

[dramaqueenemj22]

Hi! Sorry I'm a little late but I really enjoyed your last TR! So, I thought I'd sub in for this one! Your little boys are so good!

 

[*Seanaci*]

Ya know...the rider swap was the one thing we looked forward to the most and used only once. Test track...first ride of the day. I had read in books and online before our trip that you simply ask the CM manning the FP entrance for a rider swap with your whole party present; then the ones riding go ride while the ones NOT riding hang on to the rider swap (and child of course). But, this CM was too busy counting his red lanyards and told us everyone in the party had to be in line (ummmm...doesn't that negate the reason for a rider swap?). And then wouldn't look up when we told him that half our party was in line that we were the ones not riding at the moment which is why we needed the swap so when our party came out we could SWAP and go ride while they watched the baby. >_< So frustrating.

Anywho! I actually kind of want to ride Star Tours the next time we go to World...it sounds kind of fun. Heck, I may even ride Star Tours in land next Christmas. We'll see.

 

[oOJulieOo]

Joining in and I'm super late to this party.

I'm all caught up now though.

I can not believe how big your adorable boys are! I don't think Landon's eyes could possibly be more gorgeous.

Once again, I am amazed by the way you handle 2 toddlers at Disney World. We just have one and I think traveling is a challenge!

Looking at the DIS has become a way for me to torture myself. I see all the delicious American food and practically start drooling on my keyboard. The liberty tree tavern pics were particularly torturous for me.

The townhouse sounds like a great option. Especially with the pool, even it was a bit chilly.

What a fun morning you've had so far at DHS!

 

[PirateKate]

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

[amandaw]

Merry Christmas, everyone!

So cute! Hope you & your family (especially those cute little boys) had a wonderful Christmas!

 

[PirateKate]

I love that you were the Rebel Spy! Isn't that such a fun and neat addition to the ride, especially if you don't know about it going in?!

I thought it was really cool to be the Rebel Spy! It's a very interesting addition to the ride. I wonder if they do that every time.

Man, I want to be the rebel spy! My brother was. Unfortunately, not me.

It's fun to be the rebel spy! It's kind of nice that your brother got to be the rebel spy, better than a complete stranger, anyway.

What a fun day! I'm so glad to hear that Star Tours isn't as jerky anymore. I love that you got to be a rebel spy - that's awesome!!! I can't wait to ride it next December. Reid loves Darth Vader so I'm hoping he'll enjoy the ride.

I may have to look for those light up drum sticks when we go next year. Santa is bringing Reid a Lightning McQueen drum set for Christmas this year. I guess every little boy wants to be a drummer when they grow up!

Sounds like y'all had a great ride on ToT! Can't wait to hear how the rest of the day went.

The new Star Wars is so much better than the old one! The 3D is cool and it's so much smoother and being different every time is a nice touch. I hope you all get Darth Vadar when you ride it in December.

I never did buy those light up drum sticks for the boys. Maybe next year. Where did you find the Lightning McQueen drum set? Is it like a real drum set? I couldn't find any drums that were made for little kids that weren't just toys.

Christmas got me side tracked, but hopefully, I'll find time to get back to this trip report soon. It's been so long since I've updated it!

So glad yall got to enjoy the two monsters of DHS!
I'm not gonna lie I skipped ahead a little when you were describing Star Tours because I'm gonna ride it really soon and I don't want to know what's gonna happen! Hahaha but very cool that you were on it! I guess I'll see what you wer talking about soon enough!

I loved getting to go on ToT and RnRC! It was just like old times, before we had kids. DHS used to be one of our favorite parks.
I hope I didn't spoil any of Star Tours for you. I didn't really think about people who hadn't been on it yet not wanting to know about it. Your December trip is over now, right? Did you get to go on Star Tours?

Awwww.. My Blake is wearing Carter's Buzz shirt today!

I'm way behind, but I'll catch up here. How awesome that you were the rebel spy!! My older son got picked once and it was too fun. I'd love to be picked, and I am not a fan of having my pic taken at all! The new Star Tours is definitely a huge improvement on the old.

Hope the boys will get to meet their Toy Story friends!

Carter loves wearing his Buzz shirt!

December has been so busy for us lately. It's probably a lot easier to stay caught up lately. I think having your son get picked to be the rebel spy would be even cooler! Your picture's up there so fast, that there's really not much time to think about whether or not it's a good picture, so I bet it would be okay. I agree, the new Star Tours is much better.

Yay for being the rebel spy, you daring, rebellious spy, you! ToT is fab-u-lous, and getting a great ride sequence just takes the fabulosity to the next level! Carter is so cute pushing the stroller while Landon and Tigger ride in style.

I was a great rebel spy, too! It was so much fun to be chosen. Our ride sequence on ToT was the best. Carter loves helping, and he loves to be just like Pappy, so he was having fun pushing the stroller. Landon looks very relaxed there, doesn't he?

That's hilarious that Carter wanted to go to pirate toes and the up escalator. I have to admit, when I rode POTC, I was thinking about the pirate toes after reading about it.

DHS is a great choice. I hate the stampede to Toy Story though. It is a fun ride, but it is just insane. They really need more family friendly rides in that park. Before DS, I always headed straight down Sunset Boulevard. I could spend the better part of a day in that area of the park... at least until lines get too long.

I'm glad you enjoyed the new Star Tours. I tend to get a little bit of motion sickness from motion simulator type rides. I was glad that it is smoother now and really didn't make me feel the least bit motion sick.

Carter talks about Disney World all the time now! We just went last weekend, because I couldn't stand to let Christmas go by without seeing all the Disney decorations and he had the best time. Pirate toes, up escalator, teacups...

I've never participated in the stampede to TSM. We never seem to get there early enough. I do wish they had more family rides in DHS. It would take the pressure off TSM. Sunset Boulevard was so much fun before we had kids. Sometimes I worry that by the time the boys are old enough to like those rides, Jeremy and I will be too old for them.

I thought the new Star Tours was a very nice simulator ride. They aren't usually my favorite sorts of rides, either, but I liked it pretty well. Very improved, I thought.

 

[marDgreen88]

I loved getting to go on ToT and RnRC! It was just like old times, before we had kids. DHS used to be one of our favorite parks.
I hope I didn't spoil any of Star Tours for you. I didn't really think about people who hadn't been on it yet not wanting to know about it. Your December trip is over now, right? Did you get to go on Star Tours?

Oh no don't worry, you didn't spoil it! I'm just weird, I guess. I did ride Star Tours and I loved it! Oddly enough... I was the rebel spy too! It's a pretty funny story, actually... oh goodness.

 

[creativeamanda]

Joined in and all caught up! I was supposed to be there that weekend. Instead, I was at work.

I love the path that ya'll took for the race. I will have to do it someday!

 

[amandaw]

Where did you find the Lightning McQueen drum set? Is it like a real drum set? I couldn't find any drums that were made for little kids that weren't just toys.

I got it from Toys R Us. It is a real drum set. What I like about it is that there are stickers you can put on each drum (each is a different shape) & it gives you a little guide to help them learn beginner beats. Although, Reid just likes to drum away! The only thing I didn't like is that it doesn't come with a stool. But, Reid has a piano that has a stool, so he just uses it. I've posted a picture of Reid with the drums below to show you what they look like:

 

[afwdwfan]

Carter talks about Disney World all the time now! We just went last weekend, because I couldn't stand to let Christmas go by without seeing all the Disney decorations and he had the best time. Pirate toes, up escalator, teacups...

You got to go again???? I'm jealous, but happy for you. I absolutely loved being there for the Christmas decorations and festivities. Watching the Christmas Day parade made me miss it all.

 

[PirateKate]

I am so happy to hear that your morning was better than the night before!!

It couldn't hardly have been any worse! I was glad things were better, too.

So glad to hear you guys were having a great morning

We went on Star Tours a couple of times and I loved that they picked someone from the audience as the rebel spy...that is SO cool you were chosen

That was one of our best times at DHS in a long time. I loved being able to go on all the rides.

Having a rebel spy from the audience is pretty cool and it's even better when it's me! The new Star Tours turned out really good, I thought.

Ah, being picked as the rebel spy on Star Tours must have been awesome. Talk about making a Disney morning even more magical. Plus, what better way to remember your first trip on the revamped ride...

In the picture of you holding Carter up to see Woody and Buzz, I can see the side of your singlasses, and those Mickey heads look very cool.

I'm glad you and Jeremy were able to ride both RNRC and ToT. I bet it was a nice little getaway for the two of you, and any time you can go on thrill rides is a good time.

Sounds like your bad night at MK was trumped by a wonderful DHS morning.

It really was awesome. It was one of those cool Disney things that we'll be talking about for years. It was perfect, happening on our first ride on Star Tours.

I love those Mickey heads on the side of the sunglasses. They're subtle, but very magical.

I can't wait until Carter is tall enough to ride on some of the thrill rides, but until then, it's very nice to get a chance to get away and go on the big rides.

I think the bad night was trumped by DHS. It was an unusually good morning, so that helped make up for the unusually bad night.

You got to be the rebel spy, how cool! Man, a morning at DHS without the Toy Story Mania, er, mania really sounds wonderful. Makes me think about skipping TSM at some point on our next trip.

We've never been to the HIStK playground, is there stuff to do for little, little kids? I was thinking of taking our nephew (he'll be one on the trip).

I loved being the rebel spy! I like TSM, but it's so much hassle to get on it. I hope DHS gets some more kid-friendly rides sometime to take the pressure off TSM.

Can your nephew walk yet? If he can, then he'd definitely find things to do at HIStK. Even crawlers can have fun, but it's more difficult for the adults to keep older kids from running over them. There's a little leave slide that's good for little kids.

How cool that you were the rebel spy! I'm sure that made the attraction even more awesome!

I love the pictures of Carter "helping" push the stroller. He is getting to be such a big boy!

Too bad that they were giving you a hard time with baby swap, you must have gotten a real stickler. We've had good luck getting the swaps without having Everett directly nearby for "proof", but I guess I'm glad that they aren't just giving them out to everyone. We work hard to earn the right to baby swap.

I was all set to be ambivalent toward the new Star Tours, but being the rebel spy was really cool.

Carter is getting to be a very big boy. I love how many new skills and abilities he's getting these days.

At least we ended up getting the baby swap pass. I can see how it's important not to hand them out to just anyone, but after all, I did have pictures on my cell phone, so that should have counted. I'm sure that any benefit baby swap offers is more than made up for by the difficulties in touring with a little kid.

 

[PirateKate]

I had no idea there even was a rebel spy, I guess that's how observant I am. But we rode it and maybe Smidgy or myself was one and never even noticed, geesh. Fine!
But I can't go anywhere even near Monster's Inc. without those bright lights coming on in my face telling me to dance, or pretend I'm Sully,,,,,but at least I have never been, "that guy." Great report still,, kate, the kids are adorable.

I suppose there may not be a rebel spy every time...I don't think I've ridden it enough to know. They say each adventure is different, so who knows?
I always find Monster's Inc more enjoyable when I watch it and none of us are picked for anything. I've heard that only people sitting in front of the lamps are chosen, but that may be mere internet rumor. Thanks!

Very cool that they choose you to be the rebel spy!!!

I thought it was pretty fun to be the rebel spy. It made the whole ride a lot cooler.

What a wonderful morning... and you're right, and great sequence on ToT is simply the bomb! Hope I can be around a whole lot more than I have been in the last months, Kate!!

Hi, Liesa! Glad you had time to drop in! I've been a lot busier lately myself, but hopefully with Christmas over things will settle down. I do love a good ToT sequence. It might be my imagination, but I feel like the sequences keep getting better and better.

Hi! Sorry I'm a little late but I really enjoyed your last TR! So, I thought I'd sub in for this one! Your little boys are so good!

Hi! Welcome, this one's just getting started really. My boys are really good and they always seem to be just a tad bit better when they're at Disney.

Ya know...the rider swap was the one thing we looked forward to the most and used only once. Test track...first ride of the day. I had read in books and online before our trip that you simply ask the CM manning the FP entrance for a rider swap with your whole party present; then the ones riding go ride while the ones NOT riding hang on to the rider swap (and child of course). But, this CM was too busy counting his red lanyards and told us everyone in the party had to be in line (ummmm...doesn't that negate the reason for a rider swap?). And then wouldn't look up when we told him that half our party was in line that we were the ones not riding at the moment which is why we needed the swap so when our party came out we could SWAP and go ride while they watched the baby. >_< So frustrating.

Anywho! I actually kind of want to ride Star Tours the next time we go to World...it sounds kind of fun. Heck, I may even ride Star Tours in land next Christmas. We'll see.

We always just ask a CM at the FP entrance for a rider swap pass and it usually works out just fine. That's weird, that that CM seemed too busy to give you a rider swap pass. We've only ever had trouble when we try to get a pass without having proof of baby with us. Most of the time, it's pretty easy.

Has the Disneyland Star Tours been redone, too? I never know as much about Disneyland. I'd definitely give the new Star Tours a try. It's a lot better than the old version.

Joining in and I'm super late to this party.

I'm all caught up now though.

I can not believe how big your adorable boys are! I don't think Landon's eyes could possibly be more gorgeous.

Once again, I am amazed by the way you handle 2 toddlers at Disney World. We just have one and I think traveling is a challenge!

Looking at the DIS has become a way for me to torture myself. I see all the delicious American food and practically start drooling on my keyboard. The liberty tree tavern pics were particularly torturous for me.

The townhouse sounds like a great option. Especially with the pool, even it was a bit chilly.

What a fun morning you've had so far at DHS!

Welcome! I'm glad you made it over here! There's still plenty coming up, so you're not that late.

The boys are growing up a bit faster these days. I love Landon's eyes, too.

I guess I just have a lot of practice going places with two toddlers. It's really not so bad, once you get used to it.

I'd have thought there would be tons of delicious food over in Europe. But I guess I can see how after awhile you'd miss American food. Liberty Tree is very American, isn't it?

The townhouse did end up working out really well. I'm trying to decide now whether to go to CSR for our next trip or back to Windsor Hills. It's a tough choice.

It was a great morning at DHS!

So cute! Hope you & your family (especially those cute little boys) had a wonderful Christmas!

Thanks! We had a great Christmas with the boys. This was the first year they both really seemed to understand Christmas.

Oh no don't worry, you didn't spoil it! I'm just weird, I guess. I did ride Star Tours and I loved it! Oddly enough... I was the rebel spy too! It's a pretty funny story, actually... oh goodness.

I'd love to hear the story. It's cool that you were the rebel spy, too! Doesn't that add a lot of excitement to the ride? I'm glad I didn't spoil it for you.

 

[KatMark]

I've finished my TR, my PTR for my trip in 27 days is well underway and I am catching up on all of my subscribed threads.

We have a busy weekend, but I wanted to wish you a

 

[PirateKate]

Joined in and all caught up! I was supposed to be there that weekend. Instead, I was at work.

I love the path that ya'll took for the race. I will have to do it someday!

I'm glad you're here! Too bad you had to work that weekend instead of being at Disney. The 40th anniversary stuff wasn't much fun, but other than that, it was a great weekend to be there.

I can't wait to do another race someday. I'm toying with the ToT race during the next Wine and Dine weekend.

I got it from Toys R Us. It is a real drum set. What I like about it is that there are stickers you can put on each drum (each is a different shape) & it gives you a little guide to help them learn beginner beats. Although, Reid just likes to drum away! The only thing I didn't like is that it doesn't come with a stool. But, Reid has a piano that has a stool, so he just uses it. I've posted a picture of Reid with the drums below to show you what they look like:

That drum set is perfect! I wish I had found it for Christmas, but I guess I know what to get for Landon's birthday. He's constantly bringing chopsticks everywhere he goes and drumming on everything.

You got to go again???? I'm jealous, but happy for you. I absolutely loved being there for the Christmas decorations and festivities. Watching the Christmas Day parade made me miss it all.

We did get to go again. It was only for one day, but we did all four parks that day and tried to get as much Disney Christmas stuff in as possible. It was actually a pretty fun day. I actually forgot to watch the Christmas parade this year.

I've finished my TR, my PTR for my trip in 27 days is well underway and I am catching up on all of my subscribed threads.

We have a busy weekend, but I wanted to wish you a

I've been missing from everyone's TRs and PTRs lately, so I'll be catching up soon myself, hopefully. I hope I get a chance to join your PTR before it turns into a TR.

Thank you! Happy New Year to you all, too!

 

[PirateKate]

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[creativeamanda]

I've been known to have cupcakes from Starring rolls for breakfast. I have always been disappointed with the QS food at Hollywood Studios, though, other than the stuff from Starring Rolls.

 

[amazingact21]

I had the peanut butter cupcake at Starring Rolls and it was good, but very rich. I don't think I could ever eat one on my own.

I've never been impressed with DHS's quick service food. I feel like it's something they should work towards improving in the future.