"Don't catch snoap flakes on your tongue!" a December 2016 PTR/June DLR TR *updated 12/13x2

[xlsm]

OMG everyone!! It's the Friday before Thanksgiving!!

So what, xlsm?? What is the big deal??
The big deal is...no school next week!! A week off!! Except for the whole cooking Thanksgiving thing.
Woohoo!!


​

Yes, ok. Maybe I got a little too excited about all that...but, no. Not really. I'm super excited about a week of not waking up to get kids motivated and out the door. No quiz bowl or OM practices after school...no nothin'. Except, again, the cooking Thanksgiving thing. But I think that's kind of fun, so not a negative, really.

My ex-in-laws come to our home for Thanksgiving, because we are a Modern Family, and then they take the kids with them for the weekend...Freedom.

Welcome to...

Chapter Fifteen: I'm getting closer to my home

So...what are some things that have been going on around here that I've been forgetting to post about?? Hmm...

Well, we saw Dr. Strange the weekend it opened and everyone liked it a lot. Tonight we're going to see Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Next week we're going to see Moana on opening night...lots of movies!

X and I are both obsessed with Hamilton, it's pretty much all we listen to, and I ordered him a shirt from the show for Christmas and picked up a couple of books. I really need to get moving on the Christmas gift buying. They both want the new Pokemon game for their DS that comes out today, so I'll go grab that later when I go buy our movie tickets.
When I'm not listening to the Hamiltion soundtrack, I mix in the Moana soundtrack. I have a feeling that movie is going to have me crying all over myself, because the songs make me emotional.

Oh, you want to know about trip related stuff, don't you?

Ok.

As of today, we are 28 days away from our trip. Four weeks! That's like no time at all! (Who am I kidding?? It's an eternity!)

Yesterday was exciting. Our Magical Express tags came in the mail AND our Magic Bands shipped. I'm still waiting on a pair of Christmas ears I ordered from The Bow Mama on Instagram to arrive, but they should be here Monday or Tuesday.

This is what they look like:



I hope they are cute in person and good quality...I've never ordered ears from her before. I struggled to find holiday ears I really loved this year. I think I'm still going to look for a pair that really rings my bell. Maybe. I mean, it's not like I don't have 9 million pair already. I do NOT need any more.

About three weeks ago, I bought subscriptions to Kenny the Pirate and Touring Plans...since I have three trips falling within the year, I figure I'll get my money's worth. I've never used either before, outside of the free offerings available anyway. I have some dining alerts set up on Touring Plans, and that has actually been useful! I decided not to go for the one I was searching for for this trip (a character breakfast on our departure day, Cape May or Holiday Dine at H&V), but am still crossing my fingers for an 8am Akershus in May (I have an 8:30 booked, but really want that 8:00am slot!).

How about some daily plans??

The day after our Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, we're going to take it easy. We are going to sleep in and not worry about making a rope drop that day. We'll head into Epcot via the International Gateway and...

Our first stop will probably be France for breakfast, depending on the time.

I think we're also going to go visit Anna and Elsa after that, and then watch the Norway holiday speaker at 11:15, and China at 1:30, before heading out of the park. This will just be an easy breezy first part of the day, wandering around the World Showcase.

That evening, we are heading over to Animal Kingdom for some nighttime fun!
Right now, our fast passes are:

4:05 - 5:05 for Everest (will try to hit this closer to 5:00pm...maybe stopping by Adventurer's Outpost to meet Mickey and Minnie by 4:30 if we don't do that our first day) and then 5:15 - 6:15 for the safari. I really want to swap these times, but evening times for Everest are not available. I haven't checked in a couple days, so I will look back after I post this update and check again...cross your fingers for me!

That's all I have booked so far, because I'm still holding out hope for Rivers of Light.

We will watch the Tree of Life Awakenings, and maybe do some Dinoland at night.

This is going to be a very low key day! We have no dining reservations, but may try to find one day of, or just go for QS.

The next park day will be a split between MK morning/early afternoon and an evening at Disney Springs...I'll share that in another update! I also think I'm going to do a condensed non-Disney California update, and then a couple of condensed Disneyland/California Adventure photo posts without a ton of words...we'll see what really happens!

Have an awesome Friday, Friends!!

​

 

[dnllmz]

I love the Christmas ears. Very cute! I'm starting to lose my patience for ROL. I'm trying to stay hopeful that it will be up when we go but it's getting grim. We're looking forward to Moana and will go next weekend.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. That snuck up on me.

 

[missangelalexis]

Those Christmas ears are adorable!!

Kenny the Pirate's subscription is well worth it, such great info!

Your AK plans sound great!

 

[ariane37]

Checking in from my room at the Beach Club Ricky and Steve head down tomorrow. I wear about 10 Alex and Ani bracelets and while they actually did NOT set off the sensor when I got chosen to go through the metal detector this morning at Epcot, they usually do and they ALWAYS do at the airport But most of the 10 are Disney so it's not like I can just leave them home!
Nice ears I really wish they didn't bother my head so much because there are some really cute ones out there. I haven't subscribed to KtP except the free part but he'll keep you up on any character changes! I did join TP last year; it was neat. I prefer easywdw but for now he's stopped doing crowd calendars so TP is the wait to go it seems.

 

[xlsm]

I love the Christmas ears. Very cute! I'm starting to lose my patience for ROL. I'm trying to stay hopeful that it will be up when we go but it's getting grim. We're looking forward to Moana and will go next weekend.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. That snuck up on me.

The ears ended up being pretty cute in person, I was happy!

Right now, I actually hope RoL DOESN'T start before or during our trip...I'd like to have our AK evening be one we could cut short if we're tired and wanting to wrap things up earlier. Or go do something else if we want to.

Moana was WONDERFUL!! We all loved it so much. I've had the soundtrack for awhile, but the kids added it to their phones after seeing the movie, and I guess that's all they listened to while they were with their grandparents over the weekend, lol!

Those Christmas ears are adorable!!

Kenny the Pirate's subscription is well worth it, such great info!

Your AK plans sound great!

The ears are super sparkly when the light hits them just right...I'm excited to wear them to the party.

I'm hoping having the KtP info will help me remember to track down Peter Pan! I always want to meet him, but forget...so crossing my fingers that I don't end up skipping him again this year. It's nice to have the times easily available.

Checking in from my room at the Beach Club Ricky and Steve head down tomorrow. I wear about 10 Alex and Ani bracelets and while they actually did NOT set off the sensor when I got chosen to go through the metal detector this morning at Epcot, they usually do and they ALWAYS do at the airport But most of the 10 are Disney so it's not like I can just leave them home!
Nice ears I really wish they didn't bother my head so much because there are some really cute ones out there. I haven't subscribed to KtP except the free part but he'll keep you up on any character changes! I did join TP last year; it was neat. I prefer easywdw but for now he's stopped doing crowd calendars so TP is the wait to go it seems.

Oh, I hope your trip was amazing!! I saw several of your pictures on Facebook and it looked like you were all having fun!! I can't wait to hear all about it.
I think the Beach Club is so pretty.
So, these ears ended up being really cute in person, BUT they do fit kind of funny. They're sort of top heavy, the way they're stuffed, so I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep them on my head during the MVMCP, but I want them on at least for a few pictures. The ears I have from one particular shop, EarBowtique, are really great and don't fit to tightly or give me a headache. Others I have are not as good...it is frustrating, because so many are SO CUTE. I have promised myself that I will stop with the ears after getting a Halloween pair for next October. I need to be finished with ears!!

Touring Plans is interesting...I don't like the "customized" plans they make for me, though. I really feel like I can make a more efficient touring plan for myself, but I like the reservation finder option. I'm not sure if I'd ever do that or KtP again for future trips, but figured since I was doing three, it would make more sense if I wanted to try it out. I'm kind of lukewarm on both, honestly. I do hope Kenny helps me tighten up my character meet plans, though! I've GOT to meet Moana in DHS, and his review was pretty helpful...but also, free. LOL!

 

[xlsm]

Hi everyone!! I have not fallen off the face of the planet...well, not really. I did fall off the face of Thanksgiving though...spent the weekend hanging out with DH while the kids were with the grandparents, and got the house decorated for Christmas. I'll be back tomorrow with a real update.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday if you were celebrating!!

 

[xlsm]

Happy Tuesday!

17 days til Disney, woohoo!! I'm scrambling, mentally...not feeling like I'm doing a very good job balancing life and trip.



Tiana I am NOT.

I have been putting so many things off. Number one being my hair. My hair has had gray in it since I was about 16, and at this point, I have to keep it dyed pretty regularly. I had been growing out my roots and planning to totally change things from my normal reddish brown, to my natural dark roots and blonde ends...like this:



(obviously not me in this photo. Thank you nameless internet model from my Pinterest board, you have great hair.)

But I waited too long, didn't make time for an appointment, so right now I'm sitting here with my usual last minute boxed dye sitting on my head, so it's just going to be the same old, same old hair for me. Maybe I'll end up doing it in February closer to my birthday. I'm just tired of the constant covering up of the roots and gray...which thankfully, is actually more silver and super shiny, so the dark rooted with blonde will be so much easier to maintain without constant root touch ups. It will blend much better.

ANYWAY...

I guess I'll go ahead and title this!

Chapter Sixteen: A little bit of Magic (Kingdom)


Let's see...what's been going on around here? Well, we saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them AND Moana. Both were so good!!

Fantastic Beasts was truly magical, and I want to go back and see it again. Queenie Goldstein is my new imaginary BFF.



I bought myself her Pop Vinyl at Barnes and Noble on Black Friday. I love her!

And Moana was just...*sigh* I don't even have the right words. She's such a powerful character, in the vein of Mulan and Pocahontas. I admire a strong princess! The animation was crazy good...It sounds silly, but all I can think about is how amazing the characters' hair looked. The first scene with baby Moana, it was just so realistic. And the music makes me emotional. Not that that's hard to do or anything, but I think this movie was a total homerun. It's another I will want to watch again and again. I liked it much better than Frozen.





Everything prior to these pink words was written this morning, around 8ish...then my alarm saying my hair was ready to be rinsed went off.

Now it is almost 1:00, and I have rinsed the hair, gone to Hobby Lobby, Radio Shack and Target. Hobby Lobby for Magic Band paint, three specific floral picks I needed for my tree, and some Odyssey of the Mind supplies. Radio Shack for more OM supplies, and Target for wooden skewers. While at Target, I became distracted by these:




They had three sweaters in 2x, XL, and S in the men's department. I picked up the 2x for DH, and hope it fits...Target sizes don't always work for him. I got the men's small for myself (I considered getting the XL so it would be baggy and I could wear it with leggings. I should have just tried them on there, but I hate trying things on!!) If the one for DH works, he and I will have matching sweaters And it was even HIS idea!

I got all four of us the gray Santa Mickey tshirts. Again, I hope the one for DH fits ok. He could probably wear it under his quarter zip fleece and make it work one evening. We'll see! I got that one in a large for me, and I tried it on when I got home, and I think I can make it work with leggings. Woohoo!

They'll both match my ears...by the way, here I am wearing them...I snapped a picture this morning after my hair was finished.



I am standing in my bathtub, crouching (and smiling) awkwardly in an attempt to get the best light. Lighting is everything! I look like a bridge troll in phone photos in bad light. I have a million failed selfies as proof, that I hope no one ever gets ahold of. I am not naturally photogenic.

Enough rambling! I'll get to the real point of this chapter/update! Our 4th park day (I think it's the 4th anyway!).

We are going to begin our day at the Magic Kingdom. I'd really like to get there for 7am rope drop. We'll see if we make it!

We'll probably do our usual MK plan, which is to start in Tomorrowland first thing and work our way through New Fantasyland. Our first FP is for 7DMT (945 - 1045). I'd like to hit it on the early side of the time slot. I made this back when the park open was scheduled for 8am, so it may end up being a little late for our normal route. I'm curious to see how the crowds are early.

Lunch is at Skipper's Canteen, and I'm really excited! I know I'm having the arepas, probably as my meal and not as an app. I don't think I'm going to want to share.

After lunch, we have two more passes: Big Thunder (1215 - 115) and Splash Mountain (125 - 225)

I'm not sure if we'll hang around for Festival of Fantasy or not.

This day I'd like to get the following things done:

Buzz*
Space
Dumbo*
Barnstormer (last time, L and I rode this three times in a row without having to get off...it was fun!)
Pete's Silly Sideshow*
Ariel ride and maybe meet

Small World*
7D FP
Meet Peter Pan
Philharmagic
Haunted Mansion*

Big Thunder FP*
Splash FP

Pirates*
Jingle Cruise*

(things with * next to them are priorities...everything else we are ok shifting around, or changing FPs)

After a morning and early afternoon at the Magic Kingdom, we'll go back to the Boardwalk to hang out for awhile and get ready for our night out!

We'll be heading over to Disney Springs for our dinner reservation at Homecoming.

I. Cannot. Wait. For. This. Meal.

Seriously, I think about it all the time.

While we're in Disney Springs, we want to see the trail of trees and all the holiday stuff. We plan to watch the drone show, and our MUST DO thing is to pick up dessert from Amorette's Patisserie. I'm sure we'll be shopping, too!

I've rambled on for long enough!! I plan to work on MB decorations later, so I should have updates coming much more regularly now!!

I hope you are all having an AWESOME day!!

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm sorry you couldn't get your hair done the way you wanted before the trip. It still came out awesome though!

Love the shirts you bought!

7am rope drop! Woah! I've always thought about how cool it would be to be there that early. We just did an 8am rope drop and had to be up so early, I can't imagine how early you have to be up for a 7am one! I bet the crowds will be so low though. You have a lot of exciting things planned at MK!

This is the second time I've heard someone mention Homecoming and I've never heard of it before! I just looked up the menu and it sounds delish!

 

[dnllmz]

I love your hair. I think it came out pretty. Ears look cute & sparkly.

I might have to steal your Target sweater to go with my leggings. But my leggings haven't come in the mail yet. They have 9 days to get here.

 

[xlsm]

I'm sorry you couldn't get your hair done the way you wanted before the trip. It still came out awesome though!

Love the shirts you bought!

7am rope drop! Woah! I've always thought about how cool it would be to be there that early. We just did an 8am rope drop and had to be up so early, I can't imagine how early you have to be up for a 7am one! I bet the crowds will be so low though. You have a lot of exciting things planned at MK!

This is the second time I've heard someone mention Homecoming and I've never heard of it before! I just looked up the menu and it sounds delish!

I have a feeling it will be ME doing 7am rope drop and everyone else joining later! We did it at Disneyland, but it was easy with the time difference coming from central time. It's before sunrise, which is like 7:06 or something on that day...I looked it up, but can't remember exactly...and I want to see the lights of Main St on early in the morning. I'm hoping they'd have the castle lights on then too. I really have no idea!
If it's just me there that early, I'll just use the time to take a lot of pictures and ride Pirates over and over!!

I have a bad habit of looking at the Homecoming menu when I'm hungry, which is a BAD IDEA. I want to eat all the things!

I love your hair. I think it came out pretty. Ears look cute & sparkly.

I might have to steal your Target sweater to go with my leggings. But my leggings haven't come in the mail yet. They have 9 days to get here.

You got holiday leggings, right?? Those would be so cute with the sweater. I hope they arrive in time!
NINE DAYS?? You are so close!!!!

 

[dnllmz]

You got holiday leggings, right?? Those would be so cute with the sweater. I hope they arrive in time!
NINE DAYS?? You are so close!!!!

Yes I got black leggings with white & silver snowflakes. If I can't find a holiday sweater then I'll just wearcwith a red shirt. But that's so boring.

I'm technically 10 days away but we're leaving early so mail has 9 days to get to me.

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Seventeen, Part One: (Magic) Band on the Run

Hello! I hope Wednesday is treating everyone well so far



Oops, wrong Wednesday.

I started decorating our magic bands yesterday afternoon. Last year, I did a play by play walkthrough of how I did each band, but I figured that might bore you all to tears, so I'll skip that this time. I did take pictures each step of the way, just in case, but I know that could be tedious to read through if you just want to see photos!
I used acrylic paints this year, and a couple of specialty paints (black puff paint and snow paint in a writer-style tube), and put down a layer of nail polish base coat on the bands before beginning.
I snapped a few pictures this morning in front of the tree in our kitchen, which is a nicer backdrop than the ones I took yesterday while working...with my floor and/or legs in the background. Trees are prettier!

Without further ado...

DH's band turned out the best. Of course. He always has the best stuff, and the best luck. He was born under a good star.
He still wanted me to paint his with a Santa Mickey head and the string of lights.
Finished product:



(Disclaimer: All of the bands look a lot better in person than in photos)

For his, I'll touch up the red paint on the Santa hat a little, and then spray on some acrylic sealer.

L's band is candy cane inspired. I taped off the lines to paint the white sections, and left the red alone. The edges were a little uneven on some sections after I pulled off the tape. I cleaned them up with the snow paint, which is puffy but dries hard, and has a cool texture. It looks messy in the photos, but good in person.



He requested that I add the silver stripes to the edges of the white sections. The white areas also have glitter paint on top, which you can't see very well in the picture. The silver parts all have silver glitter paint on top, but that's pretty visible.
I want him to let me edge the white parts with more snow paint, but he likes it the way it is. I'll scrape off any paint that has crept over the edge and then seal his as well.

As for mine, I obsessed over it for quite awhile, and ultimately went with the design I had originally drawn out. Reindeer Mickey with mini trees and snowflakes, and then I added blue polka dots in this really pretty metallic blue paint I found. The picture is blurry, but you get the idea:



I will add a coat of clear glitter to this, because it looks kind of flat and boring. Not sure if I will add anything else to it like more polka dots or anything.

X's "ugly sweater" band isn't finished yet. I taped it off and painted the color sections, but that's all so far. The goal is to finish it up some time this afternoon or tonight.

Enjoy the rest of your day!!

 

[missangelalexis]

The bands came out awesome!! I gotta say, I especially love yours Can't wait to see the final one!

 

[ariane37]

I get you on the hair, as I sit here with grey coming out of my roots But I think yours came out great! I'm getting mine done tomorrow and I hate the few days before I get it done. I feel like everyone is staring at the grey!
Having ordered the arepas AND the falafel for lunch at Skippers, I agree you should be fine getting just the arepas as your meal. I walked out of there feeling like a beach ball about to explode lol. And this will be your first time doing Jingle Cruise, right? I love it JUNGLE Cruise I can take or leave, primarily I think because I've been on it so many times. But Jingle Cruise changes it up just enough to make it fun and d funnier than usual. We did it twice last week; 1st time our Skipper was pretty good but Chris and I still enjoyed it and I'd forgotten a lot of the jokes since last year. The 2nd time was all of us and we had the best Skipper ever with even more jokes than the 1st time we rode it and it was awesome!
Oh, and the next time we take a family trip I'm over-nighting you our MB's to decorate, ok? Ok, that's settled. Because yours are coming out fantastic and I'm jealous I was even jealous of Ricky's store bought Sorcerer Mickey band on this trip and wanted to rip it right off my own child's wrist to wear myself lol. Kept looking at my boring MB and saying to myself, "Man, you suck, Ariane".

 

[dnllmz]

Bands look great. I like your's the best.

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Seventeen Part Two: Final Magic Band reveal and busy Epcot day

"Final Magic Band reveal" sounds a little dramatic, but I guess that's what this is!

I just finished painting X's ugly sweater band, and added glitter and another reindeer to the mini-Mickey head on the end of my band. Still can't capture a decent picture of it, but here you go...

My band with the bonus deer and glitter:



And X's ugly sweater band:



All they need is to have the edges cleaned up and a coat of sealant sprayed on.


As of today, we are TWELVE DAYS away from our trip. I found out that on two of our days, characters will be in the lobby of our resort (Boardwalk)!! There will also be two days with musical performers on the village green (I'm assuming carolers??), including our arrival night. We will be making time for both of those things. Characters will also be at the Beach Club on the evening of our Yachtsman reservation, so we might try to pop over there on our way to dinner at the Yacht Club. Bring on the characters!!

This week I'm going to go pick up a few little travel-ish things we need, like cheapie ponchos and stuff. I'll go pull the suitcases out, and put the tags on.

As for trip plans, I'll now share with you the busiest day of our trip by far.

Our next to last park day, a full Epcot day. Like, pre-park opening to close.

We have an 8am breakfast at Garden Grill, so we'll head through the International Gateway, and go eat with Farmer Mickey and his friends.
After that, we'll go straight to the line for Joy and Sadness, so we're there right when they start meeting. We'll do Baymax afterward, and then backtrack to see how the line is for Soarin', and do Living with the Land and Nemo.

We have a FP for the character spot for 910 - 1010, but it's more of a throw away pass, just to have a third.

Our next pass is for Spaceship Earth from 1020 - 1120, so we'll do that and head over to the World Showcase.

We'll wander around there for awhile before our Candlelight Processional Package lunch at San Angel Inn at 2pm. The mariachis perform at 1:30, so we'd like to catch them before we go check in.

Depending on time, we'd like to watch the 3:30 Voices of Liberty (if we don't see them on our previous Epcot day) before getting in line for the CP. Our narrator is Joe Morton. I don't watch Scandal, but I know him from the show Eureka that was on the Syfy channel.

Our final FP is for Frozen Ever After, from 545 - 645, so we'll go do that after our CP is finished.

I don't want to miss Illuminations, so we'll wander the World Showcase while waiting for it to begin. We'll probably watch from near the UK pavilion.

It's going to be a long, very full day. I hope the weather cooperates, and I'm very grateful to be staying at the Boardwalk in case we need to make a quick trip back to the room for any reason.

That's it for now! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and hang on to the weekend as long as you can!

 

[xlsm]

The bands came out awesome!! I gotta say, I especially love yours Can't wait to see the final one!

Thank you!! Mine is growing on me now...especially with the addition of the glitter!

I get you on the hair, as I sit here with grey coming out of my roots But I think yours came out great! I'm getting mine done tomorrow and I hate the few days before I get it done. I feel like everyone is staring at the grey!
Having ordered the arepas AND the falafel for lunch at Skippers, I agree you should be fine getting just the arepas as your meal. I walked out of there feeling like a beach ball about to explode lol. And this will be your first time doing Jingle Cruise, right? I love it JUNGLE Cruise I can take or leave, primarily I think because I've been on it so many times. But Jingle Cruise changes it up just enough to make it fun and d funnier than usual. We did it twice last week; 1st time our Skipper was pretty good but Chris and I still enjoyed it and I'd forgotten a lot of the jokes since last year. The 2nd time was all of us and we had the best Skipper ever with even more jokes than the 1st time we rode it and it was awesome!
Oh, and the next time we take a family trip I'm over-nighting you our MB's to decorate, ok? Ok, that's settled. Because yours are coming out fantastic and I'm jealous I was even jealous of Ricky's store bought Sorcerer Mickey band on this trip and wanted to rip it right off my own child's wrist to wear myself lol. Kept looking at my boring MB and saying to myself, "Man, you suck, Ariane".

*sigh* My hair is a constant battle. It's nice to have someone understand! DH is not very good to complain to about this...he just says, "at least you HAVE hair", which is true of course, but not what I want to hear when I just want to whine and complain!

You are my arepas inspiration! I already wanted to try it, but the pictures and your dining review sealed the deal.
We are so excited about the Jingle Cruise!! L loves the Jungle Cruise, so he is particularly looking forward to this. The skipper is everything, so I hope we get a great one.

Haha, I would totally paint bands for you...but you'd then have to come visit me in the hospital due to the bleeding ulcers I'd develop from the stress of trying to make them look nice! I really struggled this year with these bands. I didn't get into the zone with them for some reason, and I was full of doubt. Like, zero confidence. It's not like me to feel so unsure, I don't know what the problem was! I am considering getting the limited edition Moana band if there are any left when we're in the parks. I saw them online and they're amazing, and there were some on the Shop Disney Parks app. Then I could just use it for my next few trips and not get myself all worked up about painting.

And you do NOT suck. My favorite band was the one from our first trip with them when all I did was paint it purple with nail polish and added glitter nail polish on top of that. It took ten minutes, and I loved it. You could totally do that!

Bands look great. I like your's the best.

Thank you!! I do like the little reindeer on the Mickey head...it's growing on me!

 

[dnllmz]

We ordered the Moana band for my daughter. We ordered it on Thanksgiving weekend. I hope it gets here in time for our trip.

 

[xlsm]

We ordered the Moana band for my daughter. We ordered it on Thanksgiving weekend. I hope it gets here in time for our trip.

I"m jealous!! I love that band. I really hope it gets to you in time!!

 

[xlsm]

Anyone want to see some Disneyland stuff??

It's cold here today, and I was thinking about our third park day at Disneyland, which was NOT COLD at all. In fact, it was quite warm. We went from having hoodies on in the morning on our first two days to a mega heat wave.

This third day in the parks comes after a beach day and a day in LA, but I'll probably lump all of those into a post together at the end.

So how about I start Chapter Eighteen: It's a music celebration (Disneyland day 3)

We started this day a little later than usual, no rope drop for us! I think we got to the park around 10ish?

Rope drop is definitely the way to go, because security and the entry lines were both longer than we'd experienced on our other days. It wasn't too horrible, just busier than we'd seen, and we had a longer wait to get in.



We made it inside and admired Main Street and the castle for awhile





We were hungry, and I wanted to eat at the Jolly Holiday, but it was still serving breakfast for awhile longer. We made our way to Tomorrowland and picked up fast passes for Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear

[/URL

and then backtracked to go get some food. We were still a little early (they didn't switch to lunch food until 1030am), so we just sat outside and waited for a few minutes. Eventually, DH and I went in to order while the kids saved us a table.

I had the turkey sandwich, which was fine but not spectacular, and X had the Jolly Holiday combo (grilled cheese and tomato basil soup). L had the kids' mac and cheese and I'm pretty sure DH had the roast beef.


I was jealous of that grilled cheese!

We also got a selection of desserts: The Mickey Macaron, Matterhorn Macaroon, and the Disneyland 60th anniversary cupcake. The cupcake was ok, but the macaron and macaroon were SO GOOD!!!



http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/xlsm/media/IMG_3767_zpsvfradrah.jpg.html


After eating, we used our FPs and had a great time. We had to stop in the Star Tours dump shop for X to try on the wise Yoda hat



Preeetttyyy sure he has it on backward.

We left Tomorrowland so I could ride my favorite...It's A Small World! It. Is. GORGEOUS.


http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/xlsm/media/IMG_3767_zpsvfradrah.jpg.html


Do you see the crochet detail on the neckline of my shirt in that Small World selfie?? Yeah...so...totally got that pattern sunburned onto my skin.

Small World in California differs from the Florida version in a few ways. First and most obviously, the outdoor loading areas and facade. The ride itself also looks different inside, and various Disney characters have been added throughout the lands in the ride. I tried to catch all of them, and I think I did, but most came out blurry. Here are Lilo/Stitch and Pinnochio:





Next on the agenda was a show...Mickey and the Magical Map. We wanted a good seat, and I was afraid of getting caught up in a crowd, so we waited for almost an hour for this. They would not let us in early, and a huge group of people formed outside the rope over the entrance. Two CMs stood there the whole time in the shade, while the rest of us were in the sun. They ignored most questions directed at them, and chatted together instead. The four of us got frozen slushie things and moved to a shaded area under some trees along the walkway that used to lead to the train station, but is now a closed off dead end because of construction of the new Star Wars Land.

I did leave at one point to go get Fast Passes for Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin:


When we were finally allowed inside the theater, we had our pick of seats, and I chose to sit fairly close to the stage, just a few rows back.
After arriving home, I read that people do not like this show and I was so confused! Some of the reviews really tear it apart. But I loved it! The songs are great! The parts without characters aren't necessarily my favorite, but when the characters are on stage performing their musical numbers, it's really good. I got emotional, but I ALWAYS get emotional, so that's no shock.

The show follows Mickey as he tries to finish Yen Sid's map of the world. It can take you anywhere you want to go. Mickey unfortunately has a mishap when trying to fill in the missing part of the map, and the show begins...

You get to see various characters sing songs from their movies, like Mulan, Pocahontas, Punzie/Flynn (these four combine at one point, and it's beautiful), King Louie, etc...
Stitch has a fun performance, too, but my favorite was seeing Tiana have such a big part. She is part of the finale. There is an awesome trumpet player in the opening King Louie number and the Tiana ending that we really enjoyed.


http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/xlsm/media/IMG_3767_zpsvfradrah.jpg.html


http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/xlsm/media/IMG_3767_zpsvfradrah.jpg.html



It ended with confetti cannons...and yes, we caught some. A lot, actually.



That's his "shocked and amazed" stare, LOL!

After the show, we headed into Toontown for Roger Rabbit



The boys played around in Toontown for a little while afterward, but it wasn't really their favorite spot. It's geared more toward little kids, so small children were everywhere, and the boys felt weird trying to do any of the stuff. So we left and headed over to do some dark rides in Fantasyland.

Part Two coming right up as fast as I can type it!