Disney Holiday Firsts At Last! - Final Thoughts Finally!

[jecskc]

I always notice those hair ties, too !! They have been there for years. Glad you had some one on one time with Pumpkin Girl. I hope Bean got to feeling better. We find that after three days we need a rest day, too. We literally have to MAKE ourselves stay at the resort and rest or the rest of our week will be full of whiny kids.

 

[SAT887]

Enjoying your TR. I really love the colors your camera captures. I usually use my camera in P mode and have the color set to very vivid and I don't get that color... I am looking to upgrade (my DSLR is from 03/04...) It looks like even faced with the obstacles of illness you guys are making the best of it!

 

[mnmrmustard]

That is funny about the hair ties

Great pics on Everest

Yeah, no kidding! Thanks on the EE pics, it is a beautifully-built ride.

I always notice those hair ties, too !! They have been there for years. Glad you had some one on one time with Pumpkin Girl. I hope Bean got to feeling better. We find that after three days we need a rest day, too. We literally have to MAKE ourselves stay at the resort and rest or the rest of our week will be full of whiny kids.

Did you? I had ridden sereral time and hadn't, but then I tend to sit on the left side.

I was really happy to get this time with PumpkinGirl, especially since we all pretty much knew that I would be with Bean for the mommy/daughter - daddy/daughter day later in the week.

Bean felt a bit better but it took until the next day for her to be back to her normal self. That is a great idea with doing 3 days and then just resting for a day, I will try to work that into our next trip!

Enjoying your TR. I really love the colors your camera captures. I usually use my camera in P mode and have the color set to very vivid and I don't get that color... I am looking to upgrade (my DSLR is from 03/04...) It looks like even faced with the obstacles of illness you guys are making the best of it!

Thank you about the TR, I enjoy writing them. And on the camera, it does really good but I do sometimes do some tweaking in photoshop, especially when the lighting creates big contrasts. At least the quality of newer DSLRs has gone up while the price has stayed the same

Yes, we tried to ride through the illnesses and make the best of it whithout pushing anyone past their ability to have fun

 

[mnmrmustard]

For pacing reasons they cant do the whole movie, so we quickly moved on to the Fish are Friends sequence. Hello Bruce!

The goggles are found!

Bruce finishes his song with the chase and big explosions

Meanwhile Nemo is introduced to his aquarium friends and a certain pelican named Nigel (voiced by my favorite actor Geoffrey Rush)

Marlin and Dori then have a swimming/flying travel number

It ends with a meeting with the school of talented fish

Sydney!!!

EAC

Go that way but swim through, not over the trench

Of course Marlin didnt listen and trouble ensues

I loved seeing the big jellyfish float right in front of us

They make it thru, barely

We quickly transition to the EAC scene with our favorite turtle buds Crush and Squirt

It was quite the rousing number lots of big grins in the audience. At the end we see Marlin and Dori jump out of the EAC and zoom out into the audience and they near Sydney

Next up more Nemo and we make our way back to POP and out to MK!



Click here for the next Chapter: Day 4 Part 7 - Finish of our AK day and making it to MVMCP!

 

[mnmrmustard]

Marlin and Dori exit and we have several sets of characters talking about Marlins adventures. The dueling swordfish happened right in front of us!

I missed a couple but did get the penguins

This of course transitions to Nigel telling Nemo that his dad is on his way!

We have a very chaotic scene with Nemos escape and Marlin thinking Nemo is gone.

He leaves Dori, who finds Nemo, and soon the three are reunited

They work together to save Dori and the other fish

Nemo is a bit stunned but is fine of course

Back home we find everyone happy and Nemo heading off to school

Big hug for dad!

Big finale!

Nemo and Marlin at the end

Then the show is over and everyone comes out for a bow

When the show ended I looked at my watch and it was 5:45pm (it was a 7pm closing night at AK). The original plan was to have a short day at AK and then rest at the resort and go to MK at 4pm when our MVMCP tickets kicked in and grab a QS dinner somewhere there. Due to all of the sickies that got changed to PumpkinGirl and I meeting Roxy and Bean at the resort for dinner. So PumpkinGirl and I headed out through the crowds, turned in the wheelchair, and made a quick stop for a couple of PP pics by the AK tree love her smile in those :-]

The bus area was pretty full so we had to wait for a second one to get back home. We saw the POP sign at about 6:30pm

On the bus ride back I had found out what Roxy and Bean were going to eat and picked it all up at the food court and brought it back to the room. Eating and winding down took some time. I ate and collapsed, just starting to realize how exhausted pushing a wheelchair around the uneven paths of AK all day had made me.

By the time we had ourselves together and caught a bus out to MK it was around 7:45pm and was just shy of 8pm when we saw the MK gates coming at us

Even though it was blurry I like the look of this shot of the Contemporary and its tree

Next up we make our way in to MVMCP and take a right turn into spitting and space farts.


Click here for the next Chapter: Day 4 Part 8 - Here Comes MVMCP!

 

[DizNee Luver]

I enjoyed your pics of the Nemo show......I don't see many pics from this show. It looks like a colorful, fun show!!!

I also liked the pics from Expedition Everest!! Are the hairbands part of the scenery or something people toss there???

 

[mnmrmustard]

I enjoyed your pics of the Nemo show......I don't see many pics from this show. It looks like a colorful, fun show!!!

I also liked the pics from Expedition Everest!! Are the hairbands part of the scenery or something people toss there???

Nemo is a hard one to get pics of as they don't allow flash photography and there is just so much action. Only with a fast camera/lens was I able to get what I got from it. Thank you

The hairbands were a new thing to me, it must be a tradition of some sort to toss them there. I even looked around the DISboards and other Disney park sites and nobody had a clear idea on why girls are tossing them. Maybe they think the Yeti needs his hair done?

 

[DizNee Luver]

Nemo is a hard one to get pics of as they don't allow flash photography and there is just so much action. Only with a fast camera/lens was I able to get what I got from it. Thank you

The hairbands were a new thing to me, it must be a tradition of some sort to toss them there. I even looked around the DISboards and other Disney park sites and nobody had a clear idea on why girls are tossing them. Maybe they think the Yeti needs his hair done?

That is kinda a weird thing to do......to me its like throwing trash.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

OMG... Geoffrey Rush IS Nigel... as some as I read that... it just clicked... the voice... it's him... (I'm a big fan of his too...)

Ok anyhow... You are on an updating tear... whatever caffeinated beverage you're on... Care to share with the class...

Oh wow... poor Bean... you can see it in her face... her coloring is off from her previous pictures... I think she's a trooper...

So here's an interesting question... If you had time for just one of those shows...Lion King or Nemo... which would it be?

I love Expedition Everest... funny the first time I rode it not so much but now it's one of my faves...(funny how opening your eyes actually helps... I love Pumpkin Girls smiles going up... I actually think that steep incline up is one of the scarer parts of the whole experience... but cool too...

I always think that someday it would just be fun to have at least half days in all the parks to just take photos and look (not worrying about getting to any attractions)... the detailing in the Animal Kingdom is just mind blowing...


Cool -the Monkey King... we missed him... We'd have liked to have met him...he looks like quite the character...

 

[Trentmom]

I thought maybe the hair-ties had flown out of girl's hair and landed there, like they had their ponytails too loose? Interesting if they do it on purpose


Great pics of Nemo Show. Never seen that show either, but now I feel like I have


Your photo pass pics came out great

Can't wait to hear how MK went

Bummer you had to get there late, but things happen, like sickness and you have to roll with it,like you guys did

 

[mnmrmustard]

OMG... Geoffrey Rush IS Nigel... as some as I read that... it just clicked... the voice... it's him... (I'm a big fan of his too...)

Ok anyhow... You are on an updating tear... whatever caffeinated beverage you're on... Care to share with the class...

Oh wow... poor Bean... you can see it in her face... her coloring is off from her previous pictures... I think she's a trooper...

So here's an interesting question... If you had time for just one of those shows...Lion King or Nemo... which would it be?

I love Expedition Everest... funny the first time I rode it not so much but now it's one of my faves...(funny how opening your eyes actually helps... I love Pumpkin Girls smiles going up... I actually think that steep incline up is one of the scarer parts of the whole experience... but cool too...

I always think that someday it would just be fun to have at least half days in all the parks to just take photos and look (not worrying about getting to any attractions)... the detailing in the Animal Kingdom is just mind blowing...


Cool -the Monkey King... we missed him... We'd have liked to have met him...he looks like quite the character...

I didn't recognize Nigel's voice in my many viewings of the movie. It wasn't until I rewatched it several months ago in conjunction with recently having watched the King's Speech that I went "aahhhaaaaa!"

I know, I've been crazy with the updates Most of it has to do with having finally transferred all of my pics from my wee netbood to a real computer with two screens so I can view and edit faster. Also having Roxy's pics downloaded from her phone and the PP pics all organized into the days of the trip has helped greatly with pace.

Mostly I just don't want it to be a year down the road and not have this thing done. Believe me, I've done that before

Yes, Bean was in pretty bad shape - you'll see an improvement in the MVMCP pics. Just having the nap and rehydrating helped so very much. She was a real trooper at the beginning of that day for sure.

If I had to choose between the Nemo and Lion King shows I would choose Nemo every time. Lion King is a great spectacle, but is less of a cohesive show - and I hate sitting on bench seats

Nemo is just a heartwarming story and the actors they have for those parts play them so very well. I don't think I can go to AK without seeing that show.

EE is one that has grown on me too. I thought it was okay when I first rode it but now it is a must. Such great theming and good thrills too. My favorite bit is riding in the same car as someone who hasn't experienced it yet. I'll have a great story for that on Bean and my Daddy/Daughter day which is spent partially at AK

On our 2009 DLR trip and on my 2011 B-Day trip I had a half day of just wandering and taking pictures. It is so much fun to be able to have your own pace and look at everything the imagineers have done to make the parks special. There was no time to do it this time, but you can guarantee that any future trip will include at least a half day for me to do the same. And Roxy loves it because she gets to sleep in as long as she wants on that day

It was a really cool catch for PumpkinGirl to see the Monkey King, it was one of the highlights of her trip for sure. We'll be looking for him on future trips.

 

[mnmrmustard]

I thought maybe the hair-ties had flown out of girl's hair and landed there, like they had their ponytails too loose? Interesting if they do it on purpose


Great pics of Nemo Show. Never seen that show either, but now I feel like I have


Your photo pass pics came out great

Can't wait to hear how MK went

Bummer you had to get there late, but things happen, like sickness and you have to roll with it,like you guys did

That hair tie theory has actually been put forward, but there just isn't enough force at that part of the ride to make that happen. The girls have to be purposefully flicking them there. Dosen't make much sense to me unless they have multiples on them. I know Bean always keeps 3 or 4 on her wrists like bracelets so that could be the case.

Thank you on Nemo, it is really a good condensed telling of the movie and a favorite of mine. And thanks on the PP pics, I like them very much too.

MK update coming up now - I'm on a posting frenzy!!!!

 

[mnmrmustard]

Just after 8pm we approached the entrance to MK for MVMCP

It took about 15 minutes to get through and get our wristbands on and use my receipt from AK to pick up a wheelchair. For the uninitiated it costs $12 for a day rental of a wheelchair and you can park hop and pick one up at each park you go to by flashing your receipt. As you might have guessed Bean was still pretty low energy but at least she had eaten and was tag-teaming water and Powerade throughout the evening. Heres a pic of ye ole MVMCP wristband freshly put on my wrist.

We headed under the train station and into the round. We stopped for a couple of minutes to trade pins and were initially going to watch the parade from here since it was going to start soon. But the girls wanted to ride rides and were afraid that if we were at this end when the parade ended wed be stuck. I acquiesced and we worked our way towards the hub, planning on watching it from there.

However, the crowds were mega-thick at the hub with barely enough room for Roxys ECV and Beans wheelchair. Roxy accidentally ran over a womans toe, but she was standing in a place marked for no people to be in so we said sorry but pointed at the signs. The lady was not amused. There was no way we were going to see the parade from here so we just moved on.

I looked up at the castle and snapped a quick pic of it

And then it was a right turn for us into Tomorrowland.

Tall shot

Wide shot

And ye ole panorama

You can see from a couple of those pics that Bean had enough energy to wheel her own wheelchair and since she had her energy coming back she was clear about where our first stop should be. If youve been following along youll know that it was Stitch!

Her and Roxy were trying to get something working on her phone but I honestly cant remember what.

After the initial spiel in the holding room we were let into the area where Sarge tells you about their prison system. Unfortunately the ride was understaffed and the way wasnt well marked so we ended up taking the ECV and wheelchair down the first row instead of the second row which had room to turn and watch that segment. So I had to do some interesting maneuvering to get Bean facing the action grrr.

A naughty alien is captured

And transported in

And then makes a mess in the chamber

We are then lead into the main holding area for our dangerous captive, Stitch. Soon he is beamed in

And then someone opens his holding tube

There is the rogue himself

He is threatened by the warden, which doesnt go well he laughs

And here comes the acid spit which disables a bunch of the security stuff

More damage

Next up we finish with Stitch and travel from the future to fantasy with a grumbly exhausted me trying to stay positive


Click here for the next Chapter: Day 4 Part 9 - Traveling from the Future to a World of Fantasy

 

[Trentmom]

I always have one or two hairties on my wrist just in case the one in my hair breaks. So guess, that is what the girls are doing, flicking them out there

Hope you got to see the 2nd parade

Yay for some Stitch

 

[DizNee Luver]

Yay for Stitch pics!!! I was hoping someone would review this ride!! I think it looks like a fun ride!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

thanks for the stitch pics another ride i have not been on in the last 3 trips.


i forgot all about the acid spit, did any get on you?

 

[mnmrmustard]

I always have one or two hairties on my wrist just in case the one in my hair breaks. So guess, that is what the girls are doing, flicking them out there

Hope you got to see the 2nd parade

Yay for some Stitch

Yup, best guess I can come up with too. Ahhh, the second parade - we'll see where our journey takes us in relation to parades and such.

Bean love the Stitch.

Yay for Stitch pics!!! I was hoping someone would review this ride!! I think it looks like a fun ride!

It is more of a sit and watch things happen than a ride, but it is entertaining.

thanks for the stitch pics another ride i have not been on in the last 3 trips.


i forgot all about the acid spit, did any get on you?

You're welcome, more Stitch pics to come! Yup, got some good acid spit on all of us

 

[mnmrmustard]

Stitch is creating some real havoc now

And poof, hes loose!

Much spitting and farting and all manner of foul things ensue all around us. After we are wet and smelly he pops back in to say goodbye before making his escape

Thus endeth the show not a bad show if you don't mind fart smells.

Our next stop was the Laugh Floor. This is another one that the girls hadnt done before and one that Roxy and I enjoyed so off we went.

Now presenting the Monsters of Comedy

Mikes door

I love the bulletin boards

Bean turned in a joke for the laugh floor but they didnt use it. Soon we were lead down and Mike Wazowski gave us the lay of the land

The laugh floor was fun as usual and the girls got a big kick out of it. We came out and the bottom kind of dropped out of my evening. As soon as we came back onto the concourse I could hear it playing, the Wishes music followed by the pop of fireworks. Wishes is what I really wanted to see, it was our only opportunity to see it. We walked forward but the whole hub and the bridge leading to Tomorrowland were packed with people.

I got Bean in a position where she could see them in between the entry arch for Tomorrowland and the Stitch building and just kind of hung back feeling exhausted and depressed. Once it was over we moved on to Buzz Blasters. I handed the camera over to Bean again and she caught this shot of Buzz

I didnt even feel like shooting so I called shots for Bean on the ride she was very intent on her targets

Roxy looks like she was a bit caught off guard but PumpkinGirl was having a great time

When we came out I tried to get the girls to go into the jail cell but they wouldnt go for it. Bean did have me get a pic of Stitch on the ride

From there it was on towards Space Mountain. On the way we got one more dose of Stitch, this time on the big screen

We made our way over to the mountain, which was done over in a nice holiday theme

I was still in a funk and didnt feel up for SM so I just sat on Roxys ECV while the ladies headed in. Unfortunately Bean got up there and realized her stomach wasnt up for it so I got a text and she came back down to me. Roxy and PumpkinGirl had a good trip into space though

We all met up in the SM gift shop and went over to the game area. They decided to play some 4 person air hockey. It turned out that one side was broken so I sat it out. That was a good thing because inside I was freaking out a bit. I hate to make things about money but taking a break to play air hockey during MVMCP was a big galling to me.

I looked at the schedule and it was official, the second parade was on and there was no way we would get there. All of the major events were a wash. When the ladies finished we walked up to the circus area to take a look around. Petes was open and there were characters inside but the girls had no interest. Sigh.

We used the new bathrooms down by the Casey Junior area and I took a pic

We finished up and headed back past Dumbo area. I wanted to take a look at the queue area but I didnt want to see the eye rolls so I snapped a panorama and we moved on.

On our way out I jumped up on a low wall and snapped a pano of the construction area too

The girls wanted to check out the Little Mermaid so we made the long walk around the construction wall. As we came back into the new area I snapped a pic of the Beauty and the Beast castle

I really loved the look of Gastons and even caught one of the workers at the bar. Ill enjoy coming back up there and having a drink sometime.

By the time I got down to the Mermaid area I was feeling better and was just going with the flow. When you come down there the first thing you see is Erics castle

Next up we take our Voyage!


Click here for the next Chapter: Day 4 Part 10 - Voyage of the Little Mermaid

 

[scottny]

Glad to hear you’re all better.
Photopass+ is so worth it. I love it.
Love the tour of AofA. It will be my update tomorrow in my tr. LOL
Too bad you didn’t eat at AofA it was actually good.
I love TSM but I do not understand the waiting lines at the attraction. They really do get long.
I am one of the people who do not like TGMR. I would like to get the cowboy scene once though.
Great Indy pics. I have not seen the show since 2009.
Great pic of the air cannon explosion.
I would love the snowspeeder.
Great pics with Mike and Sully. What do you mean cm’s in their? LOL
The theme inside TOT is so good. Love it.
Hmm, I will have to check out the Pirate show in HS.
Great pics of Osborne Lights.
Epcot is my favorite park. Love the strolling, rides and drinks.
I ate at Akershus in 2008 and it was Belle then.
Nice photos with the Princesses.
I love Soarin’ but do wish they upgrade the screen and maybe get more scenes.
Looks like a fun day at AK. Glad she was able to go and enjoy a little. Doing parks nauseous cannot be fun.
Nice pics of FOTLK.
Great EE pics. (I am noticing a theme here. Lol)
Wow you did the park that long and went to the party. I am not sure if I could.
The one ride I hate at WDW is Stitch. It should be made into something else more fun.
SM looks nice in the red.
I am now all caught up. Great report and pics.

 

[Trentmom]

Love the Laugh Factory. Such a fun show. On our last visit, Steve texted in a joke under Trent's name and so did I and they picked both of the jokes. Plus, Steve was put up on screen, not as That Guy...but one of other things..blanking now who it is, but it was funny

So sorry to hear you missed wishes and parades

Glad by end, you were able to roll with it.

Hope you can get back to see it.

In all honesty, you didn't miss much.

Halloween Parade is way better. Have you ever seen that?