Disney Dining,DIS Meets,and WAIT-Why is that lady holding..... FINAL THOUGHTS 11/27

[MHTeacher]

Hello from a slacker DIS friend!! I got soooo far behind and I'm so sorry!

I have really enjoyed catching up. You guys had some great fun! We're going with family next summer so I am hoping there will be enough of us to get a kitchen sink!

I did not know that info about the F! dinner package seating so thanks for the tip. I have a hard time picking favorites at Disney but that show ranks really, really high on my list.

I hope to do better at keeping up now!

I've been my own slacker, Stacy, so don't worry about it! It's hard to do our job, be a mom, keep a home, and still find time to DIS, isn't it?

You will definitely need to order a kitchen sink while you've got extra troops to help eat the thing! It's HUGE!!!

I love Fantasmic, too! I have a hard time choosing it or Wishes as my favorite.

Your RnRC and ToT ride pics are so good! You guys look like you were having a blast!

I can't wait for the next update! I want to know how the kids reacted to the surprise!

We were having a blast--- We love RnRC and ToT at the Studios!

I'll just go ahead and tell you Courtney, that the kids loved the surprise! The grown-ups did too!

How did Reid like ToT? He seems like quite the thrill ride junkie, so I'm guessing it was a winner!!
.

You got it right--Reid loves his thrill rides !

That's what's so strange about how he doesn't like ToT normally. We had to bribe him to ride with us on this trip, and he was mad all throughout the line. But in the end, he did enjoy this ride. He hadn't ridden it since the first time he ever rode it (back in 2008), so maybe he just remembered that he didn't like it then, and thought he wouldn't like it now.?!?!? Does that make any sense?

 

[MHTeacher]

Michelle, I got my TR started last night and am now catching up on everyone else's reports. I love your photopass pics at the Studios; I also love the pic of Tigger (we did this for the first time and I would have been thrilled to draw Tigger even though I was happy with who we got...and at least it wasn't Stitch). It's amazing kids get impatient when you aren't doing what they want, but they expect you to be patient when you don't want to do what they want to do.

YAY Kathy---I went right over and got caught up on your TR!

I can't wait to hear how you enjoyed Animation Academy or who you drew while you were there. OH, by the way, the first time we ever went there, we had to draw Stitch!

You definitely got that last part right! Shopping for mom ? They just want to go home. But when you're shopping for them, they could stay all day and night. Oh, and go to 1,000 different stores during that time!

 

[MeMom]

Do you know anything about a Huntsville Street Fair tomorrow? We're going to be there, as is another DISer, so if you are up for a meet, let us know. Jill is working a booth for a couple of hours and I'll have the girls walking around doing fun things. Let us know.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Trying to get caught up on your TR! Great DHS update. Sounds like a fun day. Yay for meeting Lotso! We got to meet him in August too. We loved him.

Bummer you drew Tigger again...that happened to us too one of the times we went (my sisters and I ended up doing the Animation Academy a LOT!) but our instructor was so cool about it. He asked if anybody did the same character and then he changed how we drew him so even though it was the same character it was still a little bit different. I swear he is the best instructor ever.

 

[mickeysmyboy]

I somehow got behind on your report!

Love the Beaches and Cream update! I think the Kitchen Sink is on our list for our ladies trip in May! We're staying at BCV, how could we not!

I didn't know that they open the dinner package area at Fantasmic 10 minutes before the show! Good to know!!

It sounds lie you had a great day at DHS! I love all the photopass pictures! Can't wait to hear about your surprise dinner

 

[Sleepingbooty]

Well, I'm all caught up - had gotten just a wee bit behind . Sounds like you had a much more productive day at DHS than we did. Funny, my girls are so much younger but they are already pulling the same thing, they NEVER want to stop for Photopass. They're like, "Seriously, Mom? Again?" This from a 6 and 9 year old!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I thought that I had gotten all caught up on my subscriptions until I received an email that someone had posted on your trip report. It was then that I realized I hadn't gotten caught up on your's.

How wonderful that the wait times were nothing like those posted. Love me some short wait times. You guys were able to do a lot of stuff in a relatively short period of time.

 

[Bridora]

Hey Michelle! I haven't given up on you; I'm in the boat with you! I feel so bad, but since school has started I've fallen way behind on all my subscriptions and I am just barley keeping up with my own TR!

I'm glad the ride on Test Track kicked you all out of that funk! It's no fun to be in a bad mood at Disney, it seems like you feel even worse being in a bad mood there!

You tried the Kitchen Sink! I bet it was good!

I love that shot of you guys on Rock n' Rollercoaster & the close up with Sorcerer Mickey is great!

I had to make my family stop for Photopass pictures, too, only we didn't get as many as you did!

Can't wait to hear about your surprise dinner!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Just trying to get caught up!

I love that you ordered the Kitchen Sink! I so want to do that someday with the boys - they can put away some ice cream too, I'd love to see what they could do with it!

I know how much you love Fantasmic, so I'm really glad you got to see it - and then to finish off the night with a spin on TSMM - awesome!

I'm afraid I'd have to sit with Elizabeth during ToT, I've ridden it and actually had fun, I just can't bring myself to ride it again for some reason

 

[*dreamit*doit*]

Great family picture with Sorcerer Mickey!!

Yay Reid for trying ToT! Love his pic with Mr. Incredible, too.

Awesome ride pics! RnRC is one of my FAVORITES!

Miren did Animation Academy for the first time this summer, and loved it! She remembered seeing it on your last TR, and was like "oh, remember that drawing thing those two girls went to? Yeah, I wanna do that." So she and Ramon went while I hung out with Nerea. I think they drew Stitch (I think...). I have them somewhere and I hope to include them in my TR (if I ever get to it).

 

[MHTeacher]

Do you know anything about a Huntsville Street Fair tomorrow? We're going to be there, as is another DISer, so if you are up for a meet, let us know. Jill is working a booth for a couple of hours and I'll have the girls walking around doing fun things. Let us know.

That would have been great! Of course, today is October 9, and this is the first time I'm reading this post! I'm a really bad DISer right now!

Hope y'all had a fun time!

 

[MHTeacher]

Bummer you drew Tigger again...that happened to us too one of the times we went (my sisters and I ended up doing the Animation Academy a LOT!) but our instructor was so cool about it. He asked if anybody did the same character and then he changed how we drew him so even though it was the same character it was still a little bit different. I swear he is the best instructor ever.

That's a great idea! At least that way, if you draw the same character, it's not exactly the same picture. I'd be cool with that.

Love the Beaches and Cream update! I think the Kitchen Sink is on our list for our ladies trip in May! We're staying at BCV, how could we not!

You're so right! How could you not order one? Go hungry!

Funny, my girls are so much younger but they are already pulling the same thing, they NEVER want to stop for Photopass. They're like, "Seriously, Mom? Again?" This from a 6 and 9 year old!

I think they just have their own agenda --and stopping for family pics isn't on the list !

 

[MHTeacher]

How wonderful that the wait times were nothing like those posted. Love me some short wait times. You guys were able to do a lot of stuff in a relatively short period of time.

Don't worry about it, Lisa. I've been a pretty bad DISer myself. I am so behind on my subscriptions, I don't think I'll ever be able to catch up!

I love a short wait time, too, Lisa. We really didn't have very many of those during our May trip, did we? PLUS, it was so hot! I would really like our next visit to be in a cooler temperature, but it's just so hard with high-schoolers to miss extended amounts of school.

Hey Michelle! I haven't given up on you; I'm in the boat with you! I feel so bad, but since school has started I've fallen way behind on all my subscriptions and I am just barley keeping up with my own TR!

I'm glad the ride on Test Track kicked you all out of that funk! It's no fun to be in a bad mood at Disney, it seems like you feel even worse being in a bad mood there!

You tried the Kitchen Sink! I bet it was good!

I am a complete, and utter terrible DISer right now! It seems like I never have any time to be on the DIS. I haven't even FB'd for over a week!

Yes, bad moods are no fun, especially at Disney. But they seem inevitable, when we're there----long days, not enough sleep, and then factor in heat, and YIKES!

The kitchen sink was yum-a-licious!!

 

[MHTeacher]

I love that you ordered the Kitchen Sink! I so want to do that someday with the boys - they can put away some ice cream too, I'd love to see what they could do with it!

I'm afraid I'd have to sit with Elizabeth during ToT, I've ridden it and actually had fun, I just can't bring myself to ride it again for some reason

I have a feeling that your boys could devour the kitchen sink!

You could be Elizabeth's shopping partner!

Miren did Animation Academy for the first time this summer, and loved it! She remembered seeing it on your last TR, and was like "oh, remember that drawing thing those two girls went to? Yeah, I wanna do that." So she and Ramon went while I hung out with Nerea. I think they drew Stitch (I think...). I have them somewhere and I hope to include them in my TR (if I ever get to it).

Oh, I'm so glad she got to go, and that she enjoyed it!

We drew Stitch the first time, too!

 

[MHTeacher]

Day 6—Part 2---May 27, 2010

After a swim, and a shower, we were all refreshed and ready for our evening. The old people of the bunch (Kevin and I) were just looking forward to a night of sitting and eating, and knowing that we’d be back for bed earlier than we had been in several nights!

In nine visits to Disney, we had never been to the Hoop-Dee-Doo, so I had booked it for this trip. I had originally planned to keep it a surprise from everyone, but I’m not very good at that, so I had already told Kevin, and he was pretty excited. We had decided to not tell the kids, and just drive over there. We were on the DDP, so we could have booked Cat. 2 or 3 for the 5 or 7:15 show. Category 1 seating required the late seating at 9:30, if you wanted to use DDP credits. I had reserved the category 2 seating for the 7:15 show.

We had our own vehicle, so we left Beach Club around 6:30 to drive over to Ft. Wilderness. The kids all had a discussion about where we were going. They all thought we were going to play mini-golf! Kevin and I just listened, and laughed at all their discussions! After driving through the Magic Kingdom gates, Kevin missed the turn toward Ft. Wilderness. Then, he turned onto the street for the Wilderness Lodge. I kept telling him that this was not right, but you know men and their directions! The guard at the gate sent us in the right direction, and we finally reached there. By now, the big kids had figured out why we were at FW, but Reid thought we were there to ride horses!

After parking, and walking to the bus stop, we waited for an internal shuttle. It was already 6:50 by this time, and I was a little nervous about our dinner time. For those of you going to HDDR-be aware that just getting to FW, is only the first step. It is a time-consuming trip to get back to Pioneer Hall (where the HDDR is), not to mention, a confusing one. FW has a whole set of internal shuttles and they are color coded based on which route they run (to parks, different loops within the campground, etc.) BE SURE to give yourself plenty of time!

We reached Pioneer hall by 7 o’clock and got checked in for our dinner. Not much time to spare, but enough time for a picture! (There's always time for that, isn't there?)

We were given a ticket with a number on it. People began lining up a little after that, but it doesn’t matter where you are in the line---the number on the ticket is for your table ---it is already assigned to you, and as you enter the building, the hostess looks at your ticket, and knows what table to sit you at. We had category 2 seating---We were on the floor level, near the center back, right under the balcony. It was a high top table, (which Reid thought was really cool!), so it was not too bad of a location. The show members circulate all through the crowd, so that’s nice.

As everyone was getting seated, our server came by and took drink orders. He returned with those and a giant bowl of salad. I didn’t take a picture, but it reminded me a lot of the salad at Olive Garden---the dressing was already mixed in.

The cast arrived---if you’ve been to HDDR- you know what I mean, and they came in right through the door by our table, so that was pretty fun!

The food began to arrive---baked beans, potatoes, cornbread, fried chicken, and bar-b-q ribs. We were starving, and it was pretty good, but I did remember to take a few pictures.

During one point of the show, the cast circulates and finds people who are celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, or other things. Well, one of the ladies came to our table ---We got the spotlight, and she announced to everyone our names, where we were from, and that we were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. There was one couple there who were celebrating their 30th or so anniversary, and they had honeymooned at Disney, and been to the HDDR during their honeymoon. I thought that was sweet! But anyway, the band then played “Let me call you sweetheart…” and they asked everyone celebrating an anniversary to stand up and dance. I figured my kids would be mortified, but they laughed and seemed to have a great time watching their parents have a slow dance!

***CONTINUED IN NEXT POST

 

[MHTeacher]

The show continued on---

Dessert was brought out ---strawberry shortcake with whipped cream. It was pretty good---no pictures though!

At this time, the show was nearing the finale. The servers brought out these little washboards for the kids (or adults) to play along during the last numbers of the show.

Rachel tried to show Reid how to play the washboard with a spoon-

But, ultimately, he just wanted to watch the show!

All too soon, it was over. It was about 9 then. There was no lingering around, as the staff turns the hall around very quickly for the 9:30 show. Before we left, a fellow Bama fan came by, stopped to speak, and volunteered to take a family picture.

Great picture , except that Reid and I were looking in a different direction! OH WELL! I still like the picture, because I remember what fun we had that night.

We were back to Beach Club by 10 that evening, and headed straight to bed.

I just have to say that the HDDR was fantastic! We had so much fun, and even my big, “too cool to laugh at stupid jokes” teenage kids loved it. If you’ve never done it, I would strongly suggest going at least once. I definitely think that we will go again during another trip!

UP NEXT---OUR LAST DAY AT DISNEY

 

[BrooklynnsMommy]

Excellent update. We have Hoop De Doo on our list of to dos. We are waiting til the girls are a little older.

 

[klacey1]

Aww, looks like you guys had a lot of fun! I love that they call up the anniversary couples to dance!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Woo hoo for having a wonderful time at Hoop De Doo! We've been several times and have a great time each time! I can't wait to go back in Dec!

 

[brookelizabeth]

HDDR is high on the list for March! We are still working the budget, but we are hoping it will fit!!!! It looks so fantastic, I'm excited about it!! I'm so glad you guys had a wonderful time, everything looks like fun and the food looks YUMMY!

Could you see everything pretty well from your seats, or did the performers seem quite a ways away? We are considering Category 2, but due to Joe's low vision we might have to book Category 1. Decisions, decisions!