City, Sand, and Savanna - Link to new trip report

[scottny]

Great update and pics.

That looks like a good spot for the fireworks. Will try it next month.

 

[afwdwfan]

After a busy day of visiting the parks (I had been to 3), complete with celebrity-sightings, and Photopass pictures, and even some thrill rides like "Journey into Imagination" and "Living with the Land", we were back at Kidani for dinner.

Wow... This day has felt like weeks. But now that you put it in perspective, that really was a busy day. You got a lot done!

So how do you cook burgers for 5 people (Judy isnt a big meat-eater) and veggies on a DVC stovetop? You use every available burner and every available pan.


And when I say every available pan, I mean every available pan.

Hey, you do what you gotta do.

I'm not sure how she flipped that baby.

I'm picturing something very entertaining that requires excellent hand/eye coordination.

James wanted cheese-fries, so made his own version. This looks so redneck, doesn't it?!

I'm sure it tasted good and that's what matters.

The transportation gods smiled on us that night as we got to the bus stop at 8, had a MK bus pull up at 8:04, and we arrived at the Magic Kingdom at 8:25. And people poo-poo AKV because its "too far".

Well, it took 21 minutes! I mean, you've got to be staying pretty far out to take more than 20 minutes to get to the MK.

With the rare exception of meeting Grumpy dwarf himself, the other passengers on Disney buses are usually super-friendly.

But I'd rather share a bus with Grumpy than Sneezy.

On the way into the Magic Kingdom, James got some more Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards. He never misses an opportunity for that type of thing.

Free souvenirs are hard to come by.

And at one point, probably toward the end of the show but I don't remember, one of the castle towers is made to look like a rocket being launched into the sky. So cool! You can hardly believe your eyes.

Definitely my favorite part of the show!

Or, more likely...it was a Disney ray-gun, designed to sabotage picture-taking. Like jamming radio signals, they were interfering with my camera settings to prevent me from obtaining backstage images. An out-of-focus-inator. Hmmmm.

That is a much better explanation. I'd go with this one.

I hadn't really thought about it, but Marlene and I had accomplished another first: we'd set foot in all 4 parks in one day!

Excellent work by the 2 of you. Unlike the rest of the slackers...

 

[winkers]

Awesome pictures!

I agree that being exhausted at the end of a Disney day is a good thing. My theory is I can sleep at home. Lol

 

[Poolrat]

Now you sound like Pat...she sees Hidden Mickey's everywhere!

'Cause they are everywhere!!!!!!

 

[englishrose47]

'Cause they are everywhere!!!!!!

We found a few didn't we Pat !!!

Great Update Glenn !! As for the the blurry pix , looks normal to e whe I tae my glasses off !!!

 

[RGirl]

Love the hamburger pot!!!

The castle show and fireworks look amazing. We have a very bad track record with regard to making it to see these things.

 

[glennbo123]

that burger in the back was easy to flip it just didnt land back in the pan when she flipped it, im sure that it ended up on the floor.

We probably gave that one to James then.

Hi Glenn!

Hi Brenda!

A home cooked meal sounds very nice. You can only live on pop-tarts so long!

Exactly...that's when it's time to break out the Ho-Ho's! Whoop!

The castle projection show is so well done. I love the Rapunzel part as well with the lanterns.

You're right, that's amazing.

Too bad those back stage photos were under the spell of the out-of-focus-inator. It wasn't for a lack of trying with those 6 individual attempts.!

Yes, but...I kept doing the same thing and getting the same result!

That game was AWESOME.....even better in person....our season tickets are 8 rows from the field with the winning TD right in front of us. Let's just hope This weekend's game goes as well!

Wow, what awesome seats. After the game I went on Instagram and looked at a bunch of videos that people posted from various parts of the stadium, so I got a sense of the euphoria of the moment (and there was leaping going on right in my very own living room; heck I was standing for the last hour), but that must have been unbelievable to be there.

Yeah, this past week, not so much.

And yes, 10 days was wonderful! My mom and I are headed back in January....can't wait....I may even do a TR of my own, but I won't have any hidden Judys!

Oh, I'd love to read it. Please at least send me a pm and let me know when you've started.

"Something tells me that I took this picture at precisely 7:03pm."

Wow, that's some great memory you have there Glenn (assuming the clock was properly adjusted for Daylight Savings Time).

Some things you just remember, you know what I mean?

Honestly, transportation from AKL always concerned me, but I'm seeing more and more often that it's just not the case at all. I may stay there yet.

One difference might be that most destinations are direct from AKL, whereas other places loop through several resorts (like Beachclub, Boardwalk, Swolfin; and WL, GF, Poly (I think)). There's always a couple of occasions every trip where it seems like you get every bus but the one you're looking for, but I still think you should try it.

I so miss the "Magic, Memories, and You". As you probably know they changed to to Celebrate the Magic. I think the new projections are maybe even better, but the Magic, Memories, and You soundtrack I liked better. Both are fabulous though. I believe they project from the buildings on Main street, but are very cleverly disguised. And yup, that first fireworks shot was definitely Magic, Memories, and You finale. So Good!! Your pictures are fabulous Glenn. Just fabulous.

I had heard that they changed it, but I wasn't sure exactly what the changes were so thanks for letting me know that info. I thought the pictures were okay, but not as good as I can do...I’ll do better someday!

And I'm not sure if you heard, but I kinda like Wishes. Thanks for the photos!

Oh really? You do? Yeah, I could not compete with your story at all :thubsup2, so just went with mostly pictures!

Great pics of the Magic, Memories, and You show. Can't wait to see that one!

You're going to love it Jen.

I'm pretty sure that's where we watched Hallowishes from last fall. We love that spot - DH is convinced it's the only place to go now. So I'm guessing that's where we'll be watching the Christmas Wishes from in December!

It's a pretty good spot, but I need to get that head-on, Main St. view one of these days.

I love the idea of being able to go back to my DVC room and make dinner. I'm thinking about renting points for our trip next October (last big one with the kids for a while, as DD will be in high school with shorter breaks - and more $$ for tuition!!) and I think going back and having dinner in the room would be a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of the parks.

It makes sense to us, we just don't need to eat out every single meal. (Plus it adds up, as you know.) And if you eat a big meal at lunchtime, you may just need something, but it doesn’t have to be much.

 

[glennbo123]

Hi Glenbo, Welcome Back!

Thanks Tammie. I wasn’t technically "gone", but just didn't have a lot of extra time. I'm trying to do better!

Nice job on the burgers, Judy. It's amazing what we can do when we have to. I'll bet it drove her nuts not to have all the fancy PC tools! I know I appreciate them, and I can't cook!

You're right, it does drive her crazy. And there were a few items that she mentioned that she needed to remember to bring next time, and I'll be in trouble because I won't be able to remember what they were!

Great castle pics! I don't think I've seen anyone else get those shots - I have thought it sounded strange to put a bunch of pics up on the castle, but the way you describe it sounds great. We didn't make it back to MK either night we were there. I guess we need a do over!

Do over! Yeah, I thought the show with all of the pictures on the castle was really great. I know you'd like it.

Wow, this trip was awhile ago - must be time to start a new PTR!

It's been long, but no PTR in the works...too much is in flux!

Isn't that the truth! That's when I'd love an owners locker. But the cost for the amount of use just isn't quite there.

I'm with you. People on the DVC forums love 'em, but it seems pretty expensive to me. Maybe if we took a couple of trips a year rather than one trip every couple of years! Maybe then it would make sense for us.

I'm dreading the idea of trying to brown as much meat as we will need to do tacos for 13... but I'm NOT packing a pan!

Yikes. I see a line-up of people getting just-in-time servings, with you not eating until everybody else is ready to leave the suite. I hope that it doesn't work out that way! Maybe brown as much as you can at a time and keep it warm in the oven on a platter or something until you're all done?

and kind of tasty at the same time!

Hey, it worked for him.

I am so sad, I will have missed this show entirely! I think it was there during our F&W trip last year but I only saw Hallowishes (so really can't complain) but still I am bummed about never seeing this once. I hope the new one is good (and I can see it with the holiday crowds, yikes).

Try as you might, you can't do it all! I'm sure the new one is good too.

Great pictures...until your backstage magic fail. LOL kind of reminds me of the tunnel pictures I just posted. Tink looks...blurry.

I know, it was an epic fail. I can't believe I did that.

4 parks in one day! Congrats, I've never done that. I think maybe 3 but am honestly not sure. However, I think the E's have that on their list for December.

Well I only went to the AI auditions at DHS, but I did in fact set foot in every park that day! So I've got that going for me.

 

[glennbo123]

Now back to actually comment

Thank you Pat!

Way to go with a DVC kitchen meal. Looks yummy no matter what pan it was cooked in.

It was! I'll take it, any day.

I think I did the same test with busses when I stayed at ALK - MK was not that bad. However I did have a 20 minute wait for an AK bus.

You just never know. You always get one or two of those every trip.

The MMY show is one of my favorites and yes I am still trying to figure out
"How'd they do that?"

Okay, good. Glad I'm not the only one.

I think I have that same blur as a Tinkerbell.

Maybe she doesn't like her picture taken and they blast that out-of-focus-inator on the crowd.

The crazy backstage walk. I think we all get a little excited back there making pictures hard to get.

In hunting, that's called "buck fever"!

Haven't commented for a while Glenn, but I am still reading every post.

Aw, thanks for hanging with me Disneybuckeye.

Loved the John Stamos pix. Too cool!

Always exciting to see a celeb. (At least that’s what other people tell me. )

Congrats on four parks in one day. Did that once and never again. We did three one day last week and that was enough.

It makes for a rough day on the feet and legs, that's for sure!

Love the burgers in all the pans. We had six college girls with us for four days last week and had spaghetti for a meal. It is nice to just eat quickly in the villa and then head straight to the pool. Can't wait to hear about WW.

Wow, that's a crowd. Yeah, we really like having the kitchen and being able to have breakfasts and a few small meals there.

Great update and pics.

Thank you Scott.

That looks like a good spot for the fireworks. Will try it next month.

It's not bad. If you get there early enough you can at least lean against the post, like I did, or maybe even get a seat.

 

[glennbo123]

Wow... This day has felt like weeks.

Oh c'mon, what else did you have to do but wait for my updates to come out?

But now that you put it in perspective, that really was a busy day. You got a lot done!

See, there was a lot to report!

Hey, you do what you gotta do.

Exactly!

I'm picturing something very entertaining that requires excellent hand/eye coordination.

And it was so deftly performed, that I didn’t even see it happen.

I'm sure it tasted good and that's what matters.

Especially at that moment.

Well, it took 21 minutes! I mean, you've got to be staying pretty far out to take more than 20 minutes to get to the MK.

Yeah, but it can take 21 minutes just to hit all the stops around Coronado Springs!

But I'd rather share a bus with Grumpy than Sneezy.

You might be onto something there.

Free souvenirs are hard to come by.

The best deal in Disney.

Definitely my favorite part of the show!

It got a lot of "wow's" from the crowd.

That is a much better explanation. I'd go with this one.

Okay, good. Yeah, that's definitely what happened.

Excellent work by the 2 of you. Unlike the rest of the slackers...

Especially Gram and Poppy. Only hitting one park. Sheesh!

Awesome pictures!

Thanks Cherie!

I agree that being exhausted at the end of a Disney day is a good thing. My theory is I can sleep at home. Lol

That's exactly right. Too much fun to be had to be spending your time sleeping!

'Cause they are everywhere!!!!!!

Great Update Glenn !! As for the the blurry pix , looks normal to e whe I tae my glasses off !!!

Now that’s hilarious! Maybe for you, my pictures look clear with your glasses off...you should try it.

Love the hamburger pot!!!

Using everything we had available!

The castle show and fireworks look amazing. We have a very bad track record with regard to making it to see these things.

It can be hard to get to them, depending on what you've got going on and what your crew wants to do. It took us a couple of trips before we got there for Wishes too. I'm sure you'll see them someday Roni.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Good job on being quick, but....there is a big ol' reflection in the microwave.

Stupid reflection. My strategy is usually to jump in with an answer as fast as I can and not worry about details. Sometimes it works.

You never let me down Captain, coming through with a poo-poo joke!

Hey, somebody has to provide wit and sophistication around here. I'm not sure who it is, but somebody has to.

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.

+1

Good, you've been paying attention!

Huh? What'd you say?

By the way, not sure if you saw it, but a reader was asking about lodging in Hawaii on my TR and I posted a deal I got in an email offering savings at the Outrigger family of resorts in Hawaii. Not sure if you're still looking for accommodations, but it's the same deal I used to book a place on the Big Island.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

of course you always give the ones that land on the floor to the kids that is without question. if they didnt want floor food they should help make dinner more often right.


and on the win.

 

[marvali]

Man I miss so much when I'm not around! Not only a Where's Judy-do game, but also the opportunity to point out that this round was incorrectly scored and of course Marv has to show up to point out the failure of the Rules Committee. (yes I know, we've all heard THAT before)

The correct answer is:

First update - 4 Judy's
Second update - 0 Judy's
Final count - 4 Judy's

Now I know the non-believers will jump in quickly here and try to defame the Judy-do hunting skills of the far and away leader Marv, so I will quickly send Glenn a PM with the missing Judy that nobody else found so when others finally find it, they can't say I was just guessing and didn't specify, so they found it before me.

first part 3 judys one of her by the stove, and her reflection in the micro...
then the one of her on the bench.

the second part there is 0 judys

Nice try, but wrong answer!

I am going with 4 The kitchen plus reflection, one in the pot on the next one and the other obvious one.

0 in the second post unless that is her back during the fireworks.

Right answer, wrong references.

Good job on being quick, but....there is a big ol' reflection in the microwave.

Yes, yes there is! But don't worry Mark, you aren't the only one missing obvious Judy's!!!

This is the answer the Rules Committee was looking for. Congrats!

And once again a Rules Committee epic fail!!!

A logical try , but if there is a reflection of something in the pot, the Rules Committee couldn't make out that it was Judy.

Well, at least Pat got the correct answer, even if a little misguided......

Updated scores:
Marvin - 20 Judy-sighting wins, 8 Eagle Eye points
Pat - 6 Judy-sighting wins, 2 Eagle Eye points
Mark - 6 Judy-sighting wins, 2 Eagle Eye points
Dan - 5 Judy-sighting wins, 4 Eagle Eye points
Dee - 4 Judy-sighting wins, 1 Eagle Eye point
Rosie - 4 Judy-sighting wins, 4 Eagle Eye points
Magdalene - 3 Judy-sighting wins, 1 Eagle Eye point
Kelly - 3 Judy-sighting wins
Katharina - 3 Judy-sighting wins
Mary Ellen - 2 Judy-sighting wins
Jenn (elphie101) - 1 Judy-sighting win, First Subscriber Honors!
Tanya - 1 Judy-sighting win
Molly - 1 Judy-sighting win
Kathy - 1 Judy-sighting win
MissLiz - 1 Judy-sighting win
Andy - 1 Judy-sighting win
sesame_123 - 1 Eagle Eye point

and on the win.

Seems you, AND the Rules Committee, need to have your eyes checked........

 

[glennbo123]

Stupid reflection. My strategy is usually to jump in with an answer as fast as I can and not worry about details. Sometimes it works.

True, it does sometimes.

Hey, somebody has to provide wit and sophistication around here.

Hey, one out of two ain't bad.

By the way, not sure if you saw it, but a reader was asking about lodging in Hawaii on my TR and I posted a deal I got in an email offering savings at the Outrigger family of resorts in Hawaii. Not sure if you're still looking for accommodations, but it's the same deal I used to book a place on the Big Island.

I saw it today, thanks. Not sure about that trip though, but that's another story.

of course you always give the ones that land on the floor to the kids that is without question. if they didnt want floor food they should help make dinner more often right.

Their palate is not as sophisticated as an adult's, so they don't mind floor food.

Man I miss so much when I'm not around! Not only a Where's Judy-do game, but also the opportunity to point out that this round was incorrectly scored and of course Marv has to show up to point out the failure of the Rules Committee. (yes I know, we've all heard THAT before)

The correct answer is:

First update - 4 Judy's
Second update - 0 Judy's
Final count - 4 Judy's

Now I know the non-believers will jump in quickly here and try to defame the Judy-do hunting skills of the far and away leader Marv, so I will quickly send Glenn a PM with the missing Judy that nobody else found so when others finally find it, they can't say I was just guessing and didn't specify, so they found it before me.

Okay, okay. Like I said in my pm, the Rules Committee will give you an Eagle Eye point in the next posted results. Good catch.

 

[marvali]

My Judy-do contest work is done. Now to comment on the update.

Interesting rendition of cheese fries by James, and yes, those could certainly qualify as a redneck version!

Nice job on the MK bus. I know a lot of people think that AKL is too far away, but one of the things I love about it (besides the animals and decor and restaurants and..........) is that it is at least a little distance away. When you get there you feel like you are in another world where you can relax and escape the hustle and bustle of the parks! A true opportunity to unwind and recharge before heading back to the parks.

Love the Magic, Memories and You castle show, and you did a great job of catching some super pictures! I can't remember but I don't think they do it....., but wouldn't it be cool if when those balloons go up the side of the castle they actually released some from the roof to coincide with it?

I've anticipated Tink many times, and even prepared to take pictures I haven't had them come out any less blurry than yours. I guess it is like those backstage pics..........there has to be some unseen force preventing you from getting a clear shot of some things Disney!

Major kudos on making it to all four parks in one day! You and Pat are the only ones I think I have ever heard say they did that! I know I have never tried it, much less pulled it off. More likely two of them, possibly three at most.

Hey, one out of two ain't bad.

Hmmm, you actually gave him credit for ONE of those two???

Their palate is not as sophisticated as an adult's, so they don't mind floor food.

You do realize it was adults who came up with the five-second rule????

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

glenn i saw what marv was reffereing to, but i count the microwave and stove as a continual unit so a continual judy.



but it was good of you to give marv an eagle eye point to keep him happy atop the leader board.

 

[Poolrat]

Something tells me that I took this picture at precisely 7:03pm.

Are you telling me you DON'T see Judy in that pot????

The one with the lid on it....

 

[marvali]

Are you telling me you DON'T see Judy in that pot????

The one with the lid on it....

You know, normally I would be the one seeing reflections in the pots. But in this case all I see is the frying pan with the burgers in it.

There IS, however, a reflection in the back of the stove between the dial and the display that could be argued as a reflection of Judy's shirt (and possibly shorts), but let's don't get carried away here. We'll just leave that one as Dan's continuation of the oven and the stove in this case........

 

[glennbo123]

Interesting rendition of cheese fries by James, and yes, those could certainly qualify as a redneck version!

It looks like something you'd see on the internet. Which, in thinking about it, I guess you did.

Nice job on the MK bus. I know a lot of people think that AKL is too far away, but one of the things I love about it (besides the animals and decor and restaurants and..........) is that it is at least a little distance away. When you get there you feel like you are in another world where you can relax and escape the hustle and bustle of the parks! A true opportunity to unwind and recharge before heading back to the parks.

You'll get no argument from me! I love AKL! It doesn't bother me a bit that people are put off by the so-called distance; that'll just fewer people competing for my reservation dates.

Love the Magic, Memories and You castle show, and you did a great job of catching some super pictures! I can't remember but I don't think they do it....., but wouldn't it be cool if when those balloons go up the side of the castle they actually released some from the roof to coincide with it?

I can't remember either, and it's getting too long-ago to remember, but i don't think they did that. You're right, that would be cool.

I've anticipated Tink many times, and even prepared to take pictures I haven't had them come out any less blurry than yours. I guess it is like those backstage pics..........there has to be some unseen force preventing you from getting a clear shot of some things Disney!

She's a tough picture to get. I wonder if anybody has a good one. Not a professional Disney photo, but one by a park guest.

Major kudos on making it to all four parks in one day!

Like I said, I don't think it even dawned on me at the time. I was probably too exhausted to think about it!

You and Pat are the only ones I think I have ever heard say they did that! I know I have never tried it, much less pulled it off. More likely two of them, possibly three at most.

Go for the gusto: all 4 parks, and the 2 waterparks.

Hmmm, you actually gave him credit for ONE of those two???

Well, you know...sometimes I have to humor people around here.

You do realize it was adults who came up with the five-second rule????

Well of course, who wants to have to re-make dinner just because of one little mishap?

 

[glennbo123]

glenn i saw what marv was reffereing to, but i count the microwave and stove as a continual unit so a continual judy.

That's a new one. Kinda sounds like the "tuck rule" in football!

but it was good of you to give marv an eagle eye point to keep him happy atop the leader board.

Are you telling me you DON'T see Judy in that pot????

The one with the lid on it....

As much as I hate to say that I agree with Marv...the Rules Committee (before they read his post) made the same determination as Marv gave: those are the burgers and the pan on the front burner, refelcting in that pot. But how 'bout an Eagle Eye point for the effort? Soon you'll be seeing Judy's almost as often as Hidden Mickeys.

You know, normally I would be the one seeing reflections in the pots. But in this case all I see is the frying pan with the burgers in it.

I believe you're right on this one.

There IS, however, a reflection in the back of the stove between the dial and the display that could be argued as a reflection of Judy's shirt (and possibly shorts), but let's don't get carried away here. We'll just leave that one as Dan's continuation of the oven and the stove in this case........

Yes, let's not get carried away. Oh wait, too late!