"Are you done with that?!" A photo heavy, gluttonous, Jan 2012 Trip Report! NEW PG32

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I was told it has to do with how your back balances itself, and aligns with your hips, and therefore your legs and ankles. I bet you money it will help. It may take a round of visits, but sometimes it's covered by insurance as just a co-pay.

And my mom has a pet-sitting business too. You people have to walk lots!

That's so cool! I LOVE my business, it's fun and gives me so much freedom (well, except for vacationing! LOL...but daily freedom)

What a great TR! The photos are just wonderful and I needed this "fix" right about now. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us!

Thanks!

Looks like the monorail was pretty convenient...glad you got back to MK!! I'm having the same problem with our trip: making sure we give everything enough time. I really like your idea of having at least 2 MK and Epcot days.

NO last days!!

Our first couple visits we just did not get enough time, especially at Epcot, so I really enjoyed scheduling 2 full days there and at MK! Made me feel like I didn't miss anything!

Stupid photobucket! I think your bandwith also has to do with how many people are viewing your pics or copying them in quotes- that's my understanding from some of the DISigners anyway. Stinks that you had to pay but I'd have done the same thing!

The curry looks great and so do those desserts! If that mousse is anything like the mousse that comes with the slipper then Dallas is right- PERFECTION!

He was ranting and raving about it, so I'm pretty sure it was excellent! Can you believe I didn't ask for a bite?!?!

I your shot of Main Street with the clock, the balloons and the castle! You always say you don't have an eye for unique shots but you so do! You are so much better at the "big picture" unique shots- I like the close up, details. Which means our TR is going to be insane with pics!

This is why you are my BFF, b/c you know just how to flatter me! I think you are a wee bit bias!

Subbing!! Love our intro. Going back to read now. I was there around the same time!

Thank you! I hope you enjoy (and have lots of time!) You'll have to tell me all about your experiences! I love hearing about people's trips who were there at the same time! I wonder if we hit any of the same parks on the same days?!?!

Ugh, it really does get frustrating when you are stuck at an ADR and you just want to get going! That happened to us on our last day too...

Lesson learned, maybe a lunch ADR on the last day and then just CS for dinner!

But your curry does look good! And I'm glad you were able to enjoy the meal a bit at least!

It was really good, so I'm sure I would have adored it if my mind weren't stuck on MK at the time!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Sorry Photobucket was being such a pain!
Dinner sounded good food wise, but now I'm reminded why I'm always scared to order salads at modern, hoity toity places. At least Savannah wasn't starving. Those desserts look really good.
At least you guys made it back by 7! I can't wait to see MK at night through your lens.

I hope you aren't disappointed! I did not get a ton of shots b/c I was having so much fun enjoying our last evening, but there are a few!

Well, apparently you're pretty much done, but I can't wait to read about it! No worries, I'll drag it out...and then for those of you that just love me so much you can't let go, you can always join me in my pre-trip-report for my next trip coming up!
I saw you were at disney on Hope's facebook status, and I was so excited that you finally got there...I remember when you were going at the same time as us (we didn't end up going then either) way back in 2010! I was so happy for you, and I'm very excited to read about it!!!

Christa

YES! It seemed almost like the ultimate goal to GET there after 2010! When we finally arrived, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was a big deal to me that we actually got there after telling my kids we were going and having to postpone and cancel so many times!

This happened to me as well. Once I paid for the upgrade, I have never had a problem.

BTW - I love the Mickey design on the back of Rey's shirt in that Main Street photo. Is that an iron-on ?? It is soooo cool !! Going back to read your latest update now.

Yes, it's an iron-on that I made, what is funny is that he wanted it on the back (I ALWAYS put them on front) and I kind of made fun of him for wanting it on the back b/c I thought it looked goofy...but then it produced this shot, so he'll always be able to say "I told you so!" about it being the right choice to put it on the back!

 

[monkey30]

HOW cool! I love that! So I guess you saw the tour groups on that day as well?!! Were you at DHS on Wednesday? Did you see the flashmob?!?! [/QUOTE]


We were there the Sunday (that and wednesday were the only different days from you!) and they did it, we came out of a store and were like WHOA whats going on! It was pretty cool!

Yes on the tour groups, we were talking to a CM in Epcot, and they had said most girls when they turn 15 in the Argentina area get a trip to WDW, and then she told me how much each girl typically spends to go(well their parents!).. $6000, no wonder why disney does not mind it!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

We had that PB bandwidth problem in the joint PTR/TR I had not so much too many pictures but too many people viewing them

I guess I should consider myself lucky then if that means lots of people are viewing my pics!

Yuck on the crowds...I do think the weekend days in Jan just pa k them especially the locals...too bad for your last day. I was smiling imagining you trying to figure out how to find the Wave at CR...it is a bit confusing in there...I now know that place quite well w/ BLT being our home resort...

It was funny, I'm sure we looked like total dorks, but sometimes even getting lost can be a fun memory for us!

Glad you had a good meal overall, despite the itching to get back to MK

Looking forward to the end

I think I'm almost ready, but it is a little like ending the actual TRIP when you finish the report!

HOW cool! I love that! So I guess you saw the tour groups on that day as well?!! Were you at DHS on Wednesday? Did you see the flashmob?!?!

We were there the Sunday (that and wednesday were the only different days from you!) and they did it, we came out of a store and were like WHOA whats going on! It was pretty cool!

That's cool, it must be something new they are doing before the parade now, I had never heard of it before!

Yes on the tour groups, we were talking to a CM in Epcot, and they had said most girls when they turn 15 in the Argentina area get a trip to WDW, and then she told me how much each girl typically spends to go(well their parents!).. $6000, no wonder why disney does not mind it![/QUOTE]

Yep, I was telling Rey one day when we were eating at Pop and there were some large groups of girls there, that they paid a hefty penny to go to WDW and that these were most likely pretty wealthy girls. Wealthier than me, that's for sure!

 

[DrMomof3]

I've never had breakfast at 'Ohana. I have a hard time paying a lot for breakfast when my family doesn't eat breakfast meat. It sounds like you really enjoyed it!
Love your balloon pics!!!
Sorry the crowds were such an issue. We've been to Disney at the very end of August 2 years in a row. This is a low crowd time BUT we've consistently found that if we miss rope drop and sleep in, the crowds become a big issue.
Sorry you didn't enjoy the Wave more. We've never had dinner there but did both breakfast and lunch there during our August trip (we were staying at BLT). They had a decent breakfast buffet and I thought lunch was pretty good but I just got soup and sandwich. I also think that because we live in the NY metropolitan area many restaurants here at home tend to be hoity-toity compared to most parts of the country so we don't notice it so much at Disney.

Amanda

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I've never had breakfast at 'Ohana. I have a hard time paying a lot for breakfast when my family doesn't eat breakfast meat. It sounds like you really enjoyed it!

I thought there was plenty to choose from for Savannah & I, who don't eat meat either, and was really pleased with the character interaction and atmosphere...which, let's face it, is part of what you have to pay for with these meals, so I consider that part of the cost. That being said, we had free dining, so we didn't pay for it. If I had to choose though, I would pick CP over Ohana breakfast. More choices and perks (getting into the park early!)

Love your balloon pics!!! Thanks!
Sorry the crowds were such an issue. We've been to Disney at the very end of August 2 years in a row. This is a low crowd time BUT we've consistently found that if we miss rope drop and sleep in, the crowds become a big issue. I was pretty surprised how quickly the parks filled after RD, more than on the September and October trips that we took in the past, but luckily we collected our FPs and didn't have too much trouble until that last day (and we showed up late that day!)
Sorry you didn't enjoy the Wave more. We've never had dinner there but did both breakfast and lunch there during our August trip (we were staying at BLT). They had a decent breakfast buffet and I thought lunch was pretty good but I just got soup and sandwich. I also think that because we live in the NY metropolitan area many restaurants here at home tend to be hoity-toity compared to most parts of the country so we don't notice it so much at Disney.

Amanda

 

[neonatalicurn]

I laughed out loud when I saw that you take pictures of the food! Glad to know that I'm not the only one. I'll have to tell my husband; he thinks I'm nuts! (You're "cast of characters" is gorgeous! LOVE the chin dimples!)

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I laughed out loud when I saw that you take pictures of the food! Glad to know that I'm not the only one. I'll have to tell my husband; he thinks I'm nuts! (You're "cast of characters" is gorgeous! LOVE the chin dimples!)

Thanks! How funny you noticed the chin dimples! Rey's got a strong gene pool there! Oh yes, pictures of the food! I told everyone if they saw anyone else on the trip taking food pictures, they were surely DISers!

 

[Tink-erin-belle]

I'm still in shock over the crowds! I'm glad they didn't affect the lines too much, though. The food at The Wave looked wonderful! I also loved the balloon pictures with the castle in the background. So pretty!

 

[JanetMom]

Great trip report!

I've spent the past few days reading through it and I love your pictures and your family seems wonderful.

I too love this picture.

One of my favourite pictures of our first trip is a balloon shot on Main street.

We are headed to WDW in 14 days, and while that sounds like only two short weeks away, I know everyone here appreciates how long 14 days is. So thank you for sharing your trip report and giving me something to focus on while I count the days ahead.

 

[Meloramelora]

Love all of the balloon pics

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

I'm still in shock over the crowds! I'm glad they didn't affect the lines too much, though. The food at The Wave looked wonderful! I also loved the balloon pictures with the castle in the background. So pretty!

Thanks Erin!!

Great trip report!

I've spent the past few days reading through it and I love your pictures and your family seems wonderful.

I too love this picture.

Thanks!

One of my favourite pictures of our first trip is a balloon shot on Main street.

We are headed to WDW in 14 days, and while that sounds like only two short weeks away, I know everyone here appreciates how long 14 days is. So thank you for sharing your trip report and giving me something to focus on while I count the days ahead.

Oh yes, I know how long it can seem! I hope you have a magical trip!!!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

*~*Our last night! Magic Kingdom*~*

So we had arrived back at MK at 7pm and people were already starting to save spots for Wishes.

We grabbed a photopass shot pretty quickly, but the girls were drooling over one of the lightup carts, trying to decide on something to buy, so NATURALLY it ended up being one of my favorite shots and we weren't all in it! Ah well, a picture of just me and my guys is nice too!

Leslee bought some lightup mickey ears, this was the first time I had come across these (and the mohawk ones) and they were cute! Rey and the boys were not planning on going to Pooh with us, but I needed to save my trashcan! I had not brought my tripod this trip, but I had used a trashcan right between the bridge and the hub on my previous trip and it worked perfectly, so I directed the guys towards it. The girls and I then headed towards pooh...and fast! We did stop very quickly to snap a picture in front of the castle, Savannah was in a great mood, but the picture was kind of rushed, probably why she looks not-in-a-great mood.

We weren't sure if that crazy FP return line had gotten smaller and didn't want to miss Wishes! It wasn't too bad and before you knew it we were ready to ride!

When the ride was over, we booked it out of there and back to the trashcan! I needed to get some test shots!

They were doing an extra show, I believe, and so I caught the end of it:

It's funny, I have this exact shot during the day from our last trip. Wanna see?

and folks, I'm showing you this b/c I seem to have a strange bad mojo with Wishes...
So on my first trip with Savannah (and a friend that took us) I had just a point and shoot. I took tons and tons of photos of Wishes and when I look at them, I was pretty disgusted. They were all blurry and just not how I wanted to capture it. Wishes actually turned me into a photographer in a roundabout way b/c when I got home from that trip, I was determined to get another camera and that lead me down the road of photography!

When we came back in 2009, I lugged my tripod, I had waited a year to get that shot of Wishes and I was going to get it!...until the battery on my camera died at the last minute. I got a gem of a picture though, my last shot before it died, of Savannah & Rey, that I cherish, so I let go of it. (this is from 2009)

I did get pictures of Hallowishes on the 2009 trip and was really pleased with them! Here's one:

WHY am I showing you all my previous shots you ask?? I'm showing them to you b/c I didn't get any of Wishes this trip either!!

I won't get into too many details b/c at the time I briefly got upset but it was our last night and I wasn't going to let something like getting a shot of Wishes ruin it! Basically, they kept making people move for the hour we stood near that trashcan and never asked me to move until the last minute. I had been there for the Memories show, but right before Wishes they pushed for me to move into the hub...without my trashcan!

I pleaded, but no dice, they made me move (b/c I was on the sidewalk side of the trashcan) and Rey said once I moved (we were separated at that point) more people ended up standing right where I had been. In any case, my camera was on manual, it was dark, and I had no tripod or time. So, I tried to get a couple shots, gave up when they were blurry and just let Wishes take me away. I cried a few tears, but not b/c I didn't get the shot but b/c I LOVE Wishes and it had been a very long hard few years trying to get back to just THAT MOMENT, so they were happy tears and it just didn't matter that I didn't get the shot, I have the memory!

Ok, and I have a BFF girls trip in one year and I WILL have the tripod and I WILL get that shot!

After Wishes it was Frogger time!! Have you ever tried to CROSS the sea of people leaving the park after Wishes? Well we did and it was insane! We were trying to head to tomorrowland and everyone else and their stroller were headed out! I knew in the end this would be a good thing, but I grabbed the girls and we all knew where to meet when we headed through the masses. I really thought we might not make it, it was crazy!

Once in Tomorrowland, it was time to get my ride on! Savannah & Leslee wanted to go on Asto-Orbiter, which had a 25 minute wait, so we got in line. It was the last wait we would have! We got up there and I went with Leslee and BEGGED her (screaming as we were starting to spin) not to go up! You should have heard me, it was hilarious! "Don't go up Leslee! Don't dooooo it!!!" It's a good thing Leslee listens! Savannah took Rey all the way up and got stuck up there! After almost losing my dinner (I really don't like AO if I haven't mentioned that before) we headed back down and found the boys at a table. The guys were ready to go to the bakery and cash in all their saved up snack credits, but they didn't realize that the night had just begun for us! We decided they could go and we would meet them back in this area. A whirlwind of rides began for us girls!!

We went on the peoplemover first, I knew the longer we went into the night, the less busy everything would be, and we were right there.

We were all so excited, it's something about that last night. They RAN to the teacups after that!

I wish I could have gotten a shot of them running to and from rides, but I was so caught up in the moment and enjoying, sadly for the TR, I didn't get that many shots! It was the Speedway after that, naturally!

they went alone, which was perfect, it allowed me to get a picture!

We met up with the guys and walked right onto Buzz.

Dallas was giving the camera the evil eye! He was mad b/c the first time we rode Buzz he blew us all away but this time said his gun didn't work. Rey, however, got lucky and redeemed his score (remember? It was something like 6000 the first day! LOL) and had the high score of us all this time!

(gah, out of room for more images...continued in next post!)

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

MK-Last night completed


Unfortunately, it was about time for our evening to end. It was 10pm and we decided to head towards the exit.

I wasn't too terribly upset, we had just had a great evening and the last trip when I left MK I cried, I didn't want to do that this time. One last shot of Walt and Mickey!

The girls and I grabbed a photopass shot since they hadn't been in the one earlier.

and I got one with just my girl.

OF COURSE, Savannah didn't want to leave now! Isn't that how it goes?!? In fact, all she keeps talking about it going back...after all that homesick/crabby/complaining!

We moseyed out of the park. I wasn't sad, I actually felt really satisfied, like we had finally made it back and had the trip of a lifetime! The buses/line, which we thought would be crazy, were not! We even got seats! Back to PoP we went for the last time, we had plans to get up in the morning, eat breakfast, and head out on our long drive home. (I'll do a little update on THAT insanity when I do my souvenir's tomorrow!)

There were things on our trip, like any trip, that were not expected, but this was exactly the trip I had spent years envisioning! It was everything and more that I had dreamed of, something I will never forget! My kids are older and although I missed being able to bring them when they were little, going with them as teens and having such great memories is priceless to me.

Please come back tomorrow to hear the final conclusion and souvenir pics and if you are really not wanting to end, you can always follow me on my adventure to run the Princess 1/2 next year in February at WDW! Hope, my BFF, is going with me on an all-girls-photo-extravaganza (she's a photographer as well!) and we plan celebrating my upcoming 40th birthday with tons of pictures and booze, naturally!!

Here's the new PTR link!
Our BFF-Birthday-Bash PTR! Photos, cocktails, and 1/2 marathons, oh my!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Ugh, that stinks that you had to leave your trashcan/tripod! But at least you did get to enjoy Wishes on your last night!

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Ugh, that stinks that you had to leave your trashcan/tripod! But at least you did get to enjoy Wishes on your last night!

My trashcan tripod! That sounds so funny too!

 

[DrMomof3]

Your last night sounds magical, despite not getting the pictures you wanted. I know you're a photographer so you're used to viewing the world thru a camera lens but I sometimes think it's nice to enjoy the moment, even if it means NO pictures! I love the last few Photopass pics, too!
I think many kids are the same as Savannah. WDW is an exhausting experience, especially for kids (although my DH would argue mostly for adults!). It's easy for them to get overstimulated and overwhelmed. But that doesn't mean that they don't love being there. My Zachary asks me almost daily if we can go back!

Amanda

 

[-Hope-]

I got a little teary eyed reading about how satisfied you felt when leaving MK. I know how much this trip meant to you and am SO happy you finally got it!

 

[Bethislucy]

Sounds like a nice last day.

 

[danimaroo]

Noooo, say it isn't so. Your MK night is over... The trip is over... WAH!

BUT it looks like you guys ended the best way possible!! What a blast.

I'm sorry that you lost your trash can. What a bummer. But maybe it was a blessing in disguise, so that you could enjoy Wishes in-person instead of paying attention to your camera. That's what I tell myself when my camera decides to die or whatever... Sometimes I'm so focused on getting the right shot that I'm not just allowing myself to be in the moment! Either way, your other photos are wonderful. I LOVE the one of Walt and Mickey. So perfect.

I know you said you shoot with a 35mm. Is it the f/1.8 or f/1.4?

That's a really cute photo of you with the boys and also you with Savannah! It's making me really excited to get my PP CD from Rachel! So many photos I want to share!

Your trip was wonderful though, and I'm glad you guys had as much fun as you did. Looking forward to the souvies and travel updates!!