Can't We Just Leave the Ponchos On? June 2013 TR

[abidale]

Cool TR. I'm hooked!

Thank you!

 

[blklotus]

"GUYS, I WAS TOLD BY A MERMAID THAT I HAVE MERMAID HAIR"

That seriously made me LOL! Best moment!!

 

[abidale]

Page 6: 6/7/13 (Disney's Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom)
Like I said, "Let's go to DHS today!" is a phrase that seriously freaks me out. I'm always torn because I don't like "chickening" out of rides (Tower of Terror), but I was seriously scared of this ride. I thought about it, though, and after stalking the Dis and various blogs and websites, I realized that the worst that could happen to me on TOT was me not liking it, in which case nothing would be different. Also, I thought about it, and I realized how awful it would feel to go home without having ridden it at least once, just to see. I would totally regret it, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. So, when we got there, since I walk the fastest, I went up ahead and got FastPasses for...get ready...the Tower of Terror. Yes. The whole time I was thinking, "Why am I here? What am I even doing? No no no!" So, I got the FPs, and we headed to Rock n Roller Coaster to use those free FastPasses they gave us on Wednesday. I was kind of nervous, because with my dad feeling breathless when we got stuck and all, I didn't want that to happen again. However, like I always do, when we got to the boarding area I was filled with adrenaline seeing the cars blast off. I seriously love that feeling of going so fast so quickly with loud rock music blaring in your ears! So, we got on and forgot all about it. The ride was great, with the exception of how much you get banged around when you sit in the back. My mom is a little more wary of roller coasters than I am, and she didn't seem too excited to sit in the back. I hadn't been in the back in a while, actually, so I said, "It's fine--I think the ride is smoother back here, anyway." Afterwards, I turned to her and said, "Results may vary." We all got kind of freaked out when the ride vehicle did actually stop for a minute before reaching the unloading dock area, the same place we were evacuated just a few days ago. Me and my mom were exchanging looks when it finally started moving. RELIEF! FREEDOM! It was good that we rode it again after getting stuck for so long, since now we won't have that bad memory of it as our most recent memory.

It still wasn't time for our TOT FPs, so we went back to the little Darth's Mall area (ha, ha, Darth's Mall) and got pictures taken by the PhotoPass photographer of us fighting Darth Vader and all that jazz. That was probably the most suspenseful time of the morning, being as scared as TOT as I was, waiting in a long line to take some pictures right behind the building and hearing the screams. Oh, I have to add, my dad's "angry face" when fighting Darth Vader is kind of priceless. FINALLY (it seemed like an eternity), the time slot for TOT had arrived. Walking through the FP line I really didn't have time to think about how scared I was, and then we moved into the library to watch the video clip. On a night like tonight, blah blah blah, e=mc squared, you get the drill. I didn't get to think about how scared I actually was until the boiler room. I was walking through, saying "Why. Am. I. Here?" My dad told me to stop so I wouldn't scare any little kids. LITTLE KIDS? Hello, I'M still terrified! Anyway. We got up to where they assign you a row and they tried to put us on the first row. No, thank you. So we stood to the side and waited for the back row to be open. The bellhop was GREAT. He came up to me, I had a very serious look on my face, and said, "Could you tone it down a bit? Your enthusiasm is overwhelming me." When my mom laughed, he imitated her! It really did lighten the mood. When it was time to go in the elevator, some Brazilian Tour Group ran ahead of us and sat in our side of the row. I was in quite the "no-funny-business" mood at the moment, I needed to get buckled up RIGHT NOW, and so I told them they were supposed to sit on the other side. They didn't speak English, so I kind of pointed, and they just giggled and moved. I was only getting on that thing if I could sit in the very back corner So, I buckled my seatbelt, and as the bellhop started to close the door and such, I was literally about to jump up and scream, "Is it too late to get off?!" But yes, it was too late. We went up and took the little tour through the halls and saw the family. In my mind, I was saying, "I don't want to do it!" and "Wait, but I literally have no choice! The only way out...is down..." So, I was kind of freaking out. I knew when the stars closed together, we would drop, so I was prepared. It dropped, and I LOVED the feeling, to my surprise! Literally, when it ended, I was upset, I wanted to fall more! It's my new favorite ride. We took a PhotoPass picture afterwards as proof that I conquered it. Sadly, it was the second to last day of the trip, and that was the only opportunity I had to ride it, so I couldn't go on again. ...Next year... (Sorry about my long little rant. I'm very proud of myself)

The tower is so photogenic. ​

We left the park with Muppet Vision 3D and Walt: One Man's Dream. Walking out, I started crying a little bit, because Disney is life and life is Disney, and the way I saw it, we weren't going back to DHS, so we were already 1/4 of the way gone. I know, not exactly an optimistic way to look at it, but hey. It was probably that combined with the perfection that is One Man's Dream. We went to OKW, I decided to buy this adorable little black and white Mickey Mouse bikini, and we went to our room. We changed to go swimming, and we stopped at a QS poolside restaurant called Good's Food to Go. It got horrible reviews online, but I loved it! A burger is a burger. I mean, it's no better or worse than Olivia's--it all comes from the same kitchen, you know. We swam around, and my mom kept missing me going down the waterslide and telling me to go again (she wanted a picture!). Finally, after 4 rounds, she got an acceptable picture. AND AND AND, my toenail finally fell off! Okay, I know, that sounds disgusting. But I am a Pointe dancer and I had been waiting for this for forever. So it was a happy moment. Okay, moving on. Sorry, guys, but this is a TR and I have to include everything. I just do. So, afterwards, we showered and went to Magic Kingdom. I was sent to Frontierland to grab Big Thunder FPs (curse my long legs) while my parents went to guest services or something to find the pictures taken on our first PhotoPass card. We lost it the first day and had to get a new one, but they have a software that lets them look up the day and location, and voila! Lost pictures: found! While I was on my way to Frontierland, realizing that the walk is a lot longer when you're by yourself in the heat of the day and convinced that the creepy man who just spit out his gum and almost had it land on you is chasing you (don't worry, I wasn't kidnapped). I got the FPs (yay!) and decided to go through Liberty Square for a change of scenery. It was too crowded, so I gave up and cut through to Adventureland. Borrring. FINALLY, I got back to Main Street and decided to wander through the shops for some much needed air conditioning. Guys, all the Disney villains merchandise is killing me. It's so perfect. I (thankfully) found my parents in the Confectionery, and since I had decided I wanted a Disney watch as my last souvenir, we went in the Timekeeper store (which has a much smaller collection than it used to!) I chose a stainless steel watch of silver and gold, with a white face, surrounded by gold and a circle of rhinestones. There is a classic Mickey silhouette in gold right below the 12, and the Disney logo right above the 6. It's precious.

And finally, the time came for my most anticipated dinner yet. TONY'S TOWN SQUARE. Can you say delicious? I don't even like Italian food, and it's my favorite dinner. I love the atmosphere, and the bread is to die for. Plus, my dog is named Tramp, and we used to have a Lady, too. I always get their little autographs when I go there. I had yet another New York Strip, some delicious seasoned potatoes that I remembered from a previous cruise, and way more of the bread than I should have. That olive oil dipping stuff is heavenly.

Then, I had...MY FIRST DOLE WHIP. I got the float with pineapple whip on top. While I was eating it, I couldn't figure out what the hype was, but as soon as I left Adventureland...I WANTED MORE. Those things are absolutely addicting. I must have a Dole whip machine. Too bad I don't live on a pineapple farm or anything

Then it was to Big Thunder, Pirates of the Caribbean, and finally, the last attraction of the MK for summer 2013, Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. I have an unexplained obsession for this show. I don't know why, but I could sit through it all day. And, listen to this: Marty Wazowski told two of my jokes! Not one, but two! Literally, I have dreamed of this day my entire life. One of them, I forgot to put my name... but it was still amazing! They were: "Why does it take pirates so long to learn the alphabet? Because they can spend years at "C"!" and "Why don't seagulls live over the bay? Then they'd be bagels!" I was kind of exploding with excitement at that point. TWO OUT OF THREE JOKES WERE MINE. I was like, Disney famous for a whole minute. For real. Then, it was time to leave the Magic Kingdom for the last time. We usually do go to MK on our last day, but the way we had set up our dinner reservations, it wasn't going to work out like that this year. I hate leaving the Magic Kingdom. You see people buying tickets, people entering the park, and here you are, exiting through the turnstile for the last time, tempted to take one last little look but fully aware that you might start sobbing at any minute. Bleh okay that little smiley face is depressing. Sorry for that.

Goodbye, my castle! ​

Anyway, around this point in the trip is when I start saying "This is the last time when...", which is not the best idea for me because every time I come up with another "last", it makes me sad all over again. Even though, at that point, I still had another full day and there are people who have never even spent one day at Disney, nonetheless a week. Ah, well. We ended with STACEY (who has the best job ever) and some delicious cookies. ("This is the last time I'll eat cookies the night before a park day!")

 

[abidale]

"GUYS, I WAS TOLD BY A MERMAID THAT I HAVE MERMAID HAIR"

That seriously made me LOL! Best moment!!

Hahaha! I was literally so happy at that!

 

[abidale]

Page 7: 6/8/13 (Animal Kingdom & EPCOT)
Today, I woke up realizing it was the last time (yes, I know, the LAST time stuff again...) to wake up and get ready to go to the parks. But I soon forgot about that, because we were going to my secret favorite: Animal Kingdom! While my mom went to get FastPasses for Kali River Rapids, my dad and I went to hop in the stand-by for the best: Expedition Everest. It was just 20 minutes, and we had such a great time that we decided to go again. We were getting in line again, and a family comes up to us and hands us two FPs for 8:50! Their mom and sister had chickened out of riding it, and they had extras. We were so excited, and guess what time it was? 8:51! Talk about a magical moment. We hopped right on with literally no wait. Then, it was time for our Kali FPs, which my dad refused to go on. He does not like to get his feathers ruffled. So my mom and I accidentally go in the stand by line, realizing it later and switching to FP. At that point, it was pointless because there was literally no wait. We hopped back in stand by (something you don't hear often) and got right on, with FastPasses to spare. We boarded the raft, and man did we choose a bad seat. Kali veterans, you know exactly what I mean. Let's just say next time I will not be wearing a poncho on that ride, because it did absolutely nothing. NOTHING. I realized this when I got that sinking feeling in my stomach when we started going up the big hill. Back. Wards. The man next to me laughs and goes, "I don't think we picked a very good place to sit." No, no we did not. I had never gone backwards down that drop, out of the countless rides I've taken on it. I had NO idea what that huge wall of water actually felt like. It's not like Splash Mountain, where if you sit in the front row you get sprayed pretty hard. You are literally slapped with a wall of water. As in, you hear it go "splat" when it hits you. I was absolutely soaked, and the way the water comes at you, it goes in every little crevasse of the poncho possible! It felt great in the heat, actually. I was laughing so hard. Usually we all have a friendly laugh at the people who get wet, but it had never been me! It was kind of hilarious. Afterwards, it was to Primeval Whirl, which only my dad and I rode. Once a trip is enough for my mom when it comes to spinning, jerking, and dropping! I was kind of hoping that Primeval Whirl would act as a sort of drying machine for my soaked little self, but not really. I never truly dried. And, can I just say, Primeval Whirl is much more thrilling when there's no one sitting next to you in that little two seated thing? Since it was just me and my dad, we each got two seats to ourself. I had to actually hold on to the shoulder bar on the spins because it would practically fling me across the car!

Then, it was to Dinosaur, for my dad to brave one more time before the trip ended. He had actually gotten us FastPasses while we were getting soaked on Kali, so we avoided a 30 minute wait. It backed up after the show room, however, because they were only loading on one side, rather than the usual two. There was the cutest little toddler in front of us, dancing on that area of the floor where it's basically a metal grate over red lighting, and jumping up and down in excitement to get on the ride. When we got off, he goes, "That scared me, daddy!" It was sad, but he was basically adorable. Following Dinosaur was lunch and MY FIRST TIME EATING A MICKEY BAR WITHOUT GETTING ANY ON MY FACE/SHIRT/HAIR/PANTS ETC. Be proud of me. Professional Mickey bar eater. Then, it was to EPCOT at about 12:30, when we managed to get Soarin' FPs! My mom had really been hoping to get some since we hadn't gotten to ride it yet, and probably weren't going to wait 90 minutes for it. My dad and I strongly doubted there would be any, but there were, for 7:20. Party. My mom and I bought my dad a new murse (man+purse) It's just one of those Disney totes they sell in gift shops for him to carry around ponchos, cameras, souvenirs, etc., but never pass up an opportunity to make fun of your dad carrying a purse. He wasn't too excited at first, I kind of think he had started to get attached to the old one, which had shrunk 3 sizes and completely faded due to all the rain it had braved. We decided to ride Spaceship Earth, and my sister (for some unknown reason) had requested me to ride with my dad and set the language to Japanese. Why? I don't know. It's really annoying to listen to, actually, for the entire 10 minute ride. She asked me to film the Your Future video at the end, so I did. Not that you can tell what was going on We went on Journey into Imagination and into Club Cool (farewell, Mezzo Mix), all the while trying to convince my dad that he did indeed need to buy himself a souvenir t-shirt.

I convinced him to at least go in Mouse Gear, and we actually all ended up getting t-shirts. My dad got a royal blue t shirt with an EPCOT logo on it, and we actually got the same one for my sister on request. They will be twinning. My mom got a tank top, and I got the vintage-looking beige-ish t shirt with the Cinderella castle, the old Walt Disney World logo, and Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and I think Donald in live character version. It's quite retro. Here, below, is a picture of the t-shirt I originally thought I wanted at the beginning of the week. I didn't get it because A) EPCOT only had mediums, B)it's a men's shirt, and C) the Small was practically a dress on me. But, I still love it, because Walt Disney and all, and my favorite quote.

Then, we went to France once again for Guerlain- my mom had more of a general idea of what makeup she wanted. She was given an eye makeover, complete with an eyeshadow palette that she ended up buying. I feel like you can't go in those stores without them forcing you to sit through a free makeover. I'm surprised people don't go ni there just for that and leave without buying anything. She bought the eyeshadow, and we would have left, but it was raining more than I'd seen it rain all week. Pouring rain, thunder, and lightning everywhere. We could have spent longer waiting it out (and we did spend about half an hour under the awning that connects Guerlain and Givenchy), but we had upcoming dinner reservations at Garden Grill, and we were pretty far away considering we had the rest of World Showcase to walk. We made it, stopping in various countries for shelter and hurrying through open areas, like Africa, in case lightning decided to strike. Yes, there are lightning rods everywhere, but NOT IN AFRICA. Once in Future World, we beelined to the Land and fought our way through the crowds to get inside. Why does everyone use that awning as a gathering place? There must have been a hundred people standing out there, not waiting to go in, and not leaving, just to avoid the rain. AT LEAST GO INSIDE AND RIDE LIVING WITH THE LAND IF YOU MUST, but don't block the entrance. Our reservation wasn't for another 45 minutes, but they let us in right away! That's the Disney magic I love The characters were fabulous. Dale posed with my dad for a picture, which was hilarious. They got all back to back and crossed their arms and such. My dad never takes pictures with characters, so thank you, Dale Here is a picture of the perfection that is Garden Grill.

After dinner, we rode Living with the Land, which always makes me hungry because, hello, lettuce. Then it was to my beloved Nemo, which I really have no explanation for my love for. I literally love that ride so much. We decided to see Turtle Talk with Crush, since we hadn't in years. It was hilarious. There was this girl that you could tell did not want to be there. It went a little bit like this...
Crush: How are you?
Girl: Ok.
Crush: What's uppppp?
Girl: Nothing.
Crush: Dude, do you know where you are? What's uppppp?
Girl: Nothing.
Like, come on, really? So, Crush asked, "Who claims this child?" The mom raised her hand and Crush talked to her. The mom was just as bored sounding, to which Crush responded, "Well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, if you know what I mean." I love things like this, it was absolutely hilarious. I was cracking up! Like the other day, in Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, they asked "What do you get when you eat too many strawberries?" The camera panned to a lady with a buzz cut died bright red, and the monsters said, "That!" It makes me appreciate these CMs. We finished up with Soarin', which I filmed on my dad's video camera. It's rumored that they're changing the movie soon, so I wasn't about to just not have it on record! Shhh. We were in the lowest row for the first time (we usually request the top), and the feet hanging above us were kind of distracting, but not as bad as I thought they'd be! On our way out, I held it together, thinking of how it wasn't a "Goodbye", it was a "See ya real soon!" and such. Then, a CM approached us and the next ten minutes were spent answering three million questions about our experience at Garden Grill. We told them that the service was excellent about twenty times on that thing, and then finally it ended. Thank you. We hopped a tram, and heard a CM saying, "I thought about skipping and calling in sick today." Look, I understand, but staying in character really does have an effect on these guests. You might be a tram assistant, but you create just as much magic as any other role does. But, it was alright, I barely noticed what with the fact that I was leaving EPCOT. It had been a great day, though, so I was loving remembering riding Expedition Everest twice, getting soaked on Kali, and singing "It's raining, it's pouring" like the girl on Tower of Terror in the rain. It didn't hit me until we drove through the Old Key West gates, and I said, "This is the last time we'll drive into this resort this trip." But, as always, chocolate helps everything, and so does being on camera, so I fixed it with some chocolate chip cookies and filming interviews of my parents on the video camera for that last little moment of Disney.

P.S.: I actually wish I had more than just one page left to write for my TR! This is so fun

 

[pixiemel]

Awesome trip report! I'm getting a little misty!

 

[abidale]

I mentioned those little chocolate apples at Goofy's Candy Co. earlier in the TR and how I wanted to make them, so I figured I'd post the results here, even though it's a bit off topic! Let me just say they were absolutely delectable. And, really cheap to make! They're currently $9.99 at WDW, and we made 3 for less than that. All it takes is apples (we used gala), Hershey's semi-sweet chocolate chips, jumbo marshmallows for the ears, red crystal sugar sprinkles, and yellow M&Ms! It's so simple and it brought a little bit of Disney magic home

 

[grumpeeduck]

Enjoying every word. Like the way you write - makes me feel like I am there!

 

[abidale]

Enjoying every word. Like the way you write - makes me feel like I am there!

Thanks!

 

[Melisa1]

Loved every minute of the trippie!!!!! Can't wait until you write one where I am there with you and you can say "my awesomely cool aunt and I did this".... LOL

 

[abidale]

Page 8: 6/9/13 (Departure)
So, there's not much more to say than that we left around 8 am and had a long but successful drive home. But, I thought I'd add a Page 8 as an excuse to give a little review of some new experiences from this trip and what I thought about them! So...

Old Key West: OKW is probably my new favorite resort. If you overlook the fact that it's the oldest DVC resort and that this will have it's consequences, it's such a great place. The theming is amazing, from the walls to the furniture to the color scheme of the buildings. The rooms are absolutely huge-OKW has the biggest rooms of all DVC villas. The downsides were seeing a cockroach in the hall, having a minor leak in the laundry room, and waking up in the middle of the night to a giant beetle crawling up my neck. That one involved a bit of screaming... However, the CMs were fabulous and responded to these issues quickly and efficiently, so I can't complain. Especially if you keep in mind that the thing literally backs up to a swamp and it's in the middle of summer in Orlando... It's expected. Olivia's had terrible service and the food wasn't worth it's pricing, however, we loved the little poolside QS place, Good's Food to Go. This is contrary to what we read online...Yay for uniqueness! We were on the complete back end of the property, as far away as you could get from the Hospitality House, pool, restaurants, etc., but this didn't bother us as it was just a minute's drive or a bus ride away. If this bothers you, request a building closer to the Hospitality House. Also, only three buildings have elevators. All in all, I would stay there again in a heartbeat and I miss my "home"! Here's a picture of the room I got all to myself... It was great! It had two beds, a TV, a table and chairs, two closets, a vanity, and a bathroom! It's actually super weird to look at pictures because it really does feel like I'm still there. I never really truly leave Disney

New Fantasyland: New Fantasyland, guys, was incredible. Disney has outdone themselves once again. It's crazy--you're in Belle's village area, and depending where you go, you completely forget about that and are re-immersed in Ariel's castle, or the Beast's castle, or Storybook Circus. Yes, I did run through the water play area in Storybook Circus. Don't judge me. I just wanted to be spit on by a giraffe, okay? Anyway, I just completely adore the way Disney doesn't just slap everything together. It's all thought out and created to really put you in a story. My only *minor* complaint is that the construction of the Seven Dwarves Mine Train is actually pretty distracting given how huge it is. I know that it's unavoidable though, and since I'm extremely excited to ride it when it opens, I didn't really care. It's coming along well!! And, don't get me started on the Tangled bathrooms. I don't think I've ever been so excited to go in a bathroom in my life, but how adorable?! They play the kingdom dance music from the movie, and minus the stroller parking, it's probably the most immersive area of the park. I was completely convinced that I had been transported to Rapunzel's kingdom. I was in awe, so what did I do? TAKE PICTURES, OF COURSE!

Notice the frying pan in the picture above...

​

So, that pretty much sums up what I thought about the newer stuff this trip! I hope you had fun following along and didn't get too frustrated with my attempt at a first TR My next trip is December/January so I will most likely do a TR for that one as well. Looking forward to it!

Please push the red safety button on your seatbelt when the vehicle comes to a complete stop. Gather all personal belongings and exit to the left.

 

[abidale]

Loved every minute of the trippie!!!!! Can't wait until you write one where I am there with you and you can say "my awesomely cool aunt and I did this".... LOL

Thanks hahaha can't wait!!

 

[pixiemel]

Awesome finale!

 

[Godot]

Oh wow, that whole situation on Rock n Rollercoaster sounds pretty crazy! I'd hate getting stuck on any ride.

And the Tower of Terror really is an experience. The first time I rode it we were with a group of people that were particularly quippy, so it was very funny!

 

[grumpeeduck]

I can see, taste, and smell everything you described. Great writing - thanks!

 

[dara00]

I took pictures of the tangled area lots of times! But why is it just a bathroom??

 

[abidale]

I took pictures of the tangled area lots of times! But why is it just a bathroom??

It's so pretty! I wish they would do more with it..there's so much they could make!

 

[Orreed]

I love all the pictures! This report is unique and fun. I can't wait for more updates!!

 

[abidale]

I love all the pictures! This report is unique and fun. I can't wait for more updates!!

Thank you!!!

 

[AVDisney]

I actually just got back a week ago and this brought me back home...thank you! I can't wait for your next trip report!!!