Duff and crew take on the WORLD! (Pics)

[scottishduffy]

Wow, so here I am starting up my very first trip report. It is a somewhat small (though very fun loving) cast of character on this trip. I will make this my introduction! This trip report will cover our exploits from Sept 14 - Sept 18, as well as all our magical moments.

Well, I suppose I should make introductions!

Duff- The omnipotent me! Actually, I just obsessively plan though I have made a point to lighten up on this trip! I am the on the far right with the blonde curls below. I am the grand leader of this trip and finder of all things magical!

Hubby- Easy going guy... just as big as a Disney freak as me though a bit more subtle with it. He has to stay macho.. so he says. He should be obvious as the only guy in the photo below. He is Evil Minion #1.

Kay- Our best bud. She actually introduced hubby and I to each other. The 3 of us have been the 3 musketeers for about 8 yeras now and take most of our disney trips together. She is in pink in the photo below. She takes the title of Evil Minion #2.

Jay- He will not appear in photos per his request. He is our CM friend who has also been a best bud for about 6 years, and will join us in the later parts of our trip.

Okay! here we are in person! Rolling around BTMR!

So that is the introduction. I hope I can manage to be entertaining as I write about the adventures of several "Big Kids" who take on the WORLD!

Coming next: Arrival day. Bad Omens?!?!?!

 

[KimAshton]

Do I get to be the first to comment!!!

Cannot wait to read more.

 

[scottishduffy]

Parte Uno:

Aaahhh. So here we are on departure day. How Magical!! Actually not really. You see Kay and Hubby and are having pretty much the longest day EVER at their respective jobs as they wait to go to Disney that evening. As for me, I work night shift and am trying my best to stay awake all day so I can flip myself back to day time. In spite of this everyone is happy! Who cares about sleep deprivation when we are going to see MICKEY!!!!!

We are all beyond excited for this trip. We have all been to Disney many times before when we lived in orlando, yet now that we have all moved away we feel the need to truly appreciate the parks. Smart little minions they are, they left all those 'little details' to me.

As soon as work is over hubby and I hop on the turnpike and start to drive. I gotta say the drive was not that bad. It was a relaxing 120mph race to the world. (Just kidding) About 3/4 way to Orlando we can see a large storm in the distance. I am admiring the pretty lightning bolts in the distance when... cue cell phone ringing from Kay.

Kay is squeeling and enacting her best Drama queen voice on the other end of the phone. "You guys, I am about 30 minutes away and the rain is horrible!! **Screech**". Cue my Snarky comments " Kay, that was so cool! You're scream was perfectly timed with the lightning bolt I just saw". I can just feel the dirty look on the other end of the phone. She may be about 80 miles away but some things just travel that well. She warns us of the rain and then gets the name of the hotel we will be at. This is our first time 'off-site' since this was a last minute trip and we will be staying at the Grosvenor.

Hubby and I manage to make it to Orlando without hitting any rain until we get on Disney property. Yeah! Cue second call from Kay "Okay, you give the worst directions ever! There is no Grosvenor down here!" Apparently Kay is soaked from catching about an hour worth of rain on her car ride and then not seeing our hotel. Her voice has been raised by 3 octaves and she is in full screech mode. She pulls into the closest hotel she sees to ask for directions. Apparently the hotel changed it's name the week before we got there! This would have been good information to have prior to attempting to locate the hotel. Hubby blames this on travelocity.

We all arrive at the hotel, now named the Regal Sun, and proceed to find the lobby. Hubby and I drag the suitcases from the car and run indoors. It is now 10:30 at night. We are wet, tired, and wondering why no elevator is coming. Hmm.. Broken elevators. NICE! So being young and healthy as we are we lug our bags up 2 flights of stairs and make it to the lobby. The grumpy hotel patrons and Karoake bar tell us we have arrive!

We find Kay and make it to the check-in line. She informs us she has been watching the Karaoke party go on for the past 30 minutes and watching the general happening of our Hotel. She has learned the 'Karaoke' loosely translates to 'Drunk and Tone-deaf'. Apparently the Regal Sun was hit by lightning and there is no central air conditioning. Also, all the but one elevator is broken. There is not a single employee in sight except for one frazzled looking young man at the front desk and two girls over in a side hallway trying their best to look busy so as to avoid that front desk like the unholy plague it appears to be. There are only 4 people in line ahead of us so we assume we will be checked in by 10:45... right?

We get to the front of this check in line at about 11:15. The boy at the front desk is amazingly sane when we get there and somehow maintains a chipper mood. Though he does mention something about hanging himself if the Karoake bar does "I will survive" one more time. He checks us in and is interrupted at least 3 times by angered patrons asking him to fix the AC or just generally yell at him. Kay looks over at him and states "Geez, and I though I had a bad day at work....". This actually manages to get a laugh off the poor guy. We check in at find ourselves to be on the 15th floor! We are happy to be so high up for about 30 seconds and then the thought process continues on. Wait..... the elevators.

We go over and wait another 30 minutes for the single elevator to arrive and have room for us. We go upstairs determined not to let this evening be a bad omen for our whole trip. I skip down the hall chirping "Magic is a state of mind people!!". Other people around me assume me to be insane from heat and have a good laugh at my expense. I am that annoying chipper person at innapropriate times! We get to room and crash for bedtime at about midnight. After a rough first day we are glad that at least the AC inside the rooms works great. We snuggle down and plan to arrive at park opening for magic kingdom the next day.

All in all, we discovered that nothing can destroy a Disney mood. We are here and that is all that matters! Coming soon. Day one, part one: Pre-planned magic and Haunted Mansion!

 

[scottishduffy]

Day one has up all up bright and early. Everyone gets showered, dressed, and does their hair. I have warned my friend Kay that I will be taking hundreds of pictures and I don't want her complaining about it. Luckily, Kay has just got herself a new camera and is just as picture obsessed as I am!

We arrive at MK just in time to see the park opening show. We stand right in the middle, between the turnstile stations and watch the show. As the train pulls into the station you can hear the clicks of hundreds of cameras simultaneously going off. Kay, hubby and I are all bouncing with excitement as we have never been to MK this early before. Then.... I see them. "OMG!! Hubby, give me the camera now!!!!" He has now idea why I have suddenly gone into berserk mode. I can't contain myself! I can not believe my eyes! I did not even think these two existed in character form.

I had to use the super zoom on the camera to get a decent shot of Clarabelle and Horace. Once hubby saw them he was pretty impressed! Kay did not even know their names. In fact, most of kids around us were asking their parents who they were. It was only the adults who were going crazy in hopes of meeting them!

After the park opens we take part in the 'running of the bulls' as we haul bootie over to the Haunted Mansion. It has just reopened and it is my goal for the day! It seems that most of the other people have the same idea we do. We get to haunted mansion and hop right into line. Hubby and I are discussing the new improvements as Kay plugs her ears and ignores us. She wishes to be surprised. We took some good pictures here as well!

First up is the mansion itself!

Next up is the fresh flowers laying upon Master Gracey's grave. The flowers are halfway dead since they have been there 2 days already, but it adds a nice touch. Who wants live flowers at the creepiest ride on earth?

The Haunted Mansion was GREAT!! It was even more fun to ride it with people just as fanatic as we were. Since we are passholders it was easy for us to get in quick that day. As we entered the stretch room it was obviously much improved. Hearing the wood creak, groan, and snap as the room was stretched was a wonderful addition. Also, the sounds now travel very fluidly around the room. It truly sounds as if a floating spirit is spinning around the room. I could tell how many HM fans were in the room as everyone was mouthing along to the soundtrack.

After the stretch room we decided to cram into one buggy. We need to be able to share this enjoyment. We could barely take in the while ride as we kept staring at the new additions! The new painting which change with lightning, the blinking wall paper, the Stair Room, the brighter ball room, and Constance. In the ballroom you can now see the colors on their dresses and suits! Yet the attic is the best improvement by far. The attic now tells the story of the bride. Plus the bride herself is just stunning. She is a perfect mix of beautiful and eerie. We got off the ride determined to come back and ride it again later. We spent the entire first ride just pointing out new things and didn't really take it all in!

After this I tell my little minions that I have planned our first magical experience. You see, being a big kid you never really get picked for anything Courtesy of the DISboards I found at least one interesting activity in each park which we had never done before. That way we could all enjoy those little details of Disney. Our adventure for the day is PAINTBRUSH HUNT! Neither Hubby nor Kay were big fans of Tom sawyer Island before. This little adventure has them exicited to explore it again.

We go over to Tom Sawyer island and are happy to be the very first ones in line. Hubby goes to get Fastpasses for Splash as we wait. Before long the ride is open and we hope on the raft over! One the raft with us are 4 other groups. We have Group #1 Gramma and grampa with 2 boys, Group #2 a young couple, Group #3 nice family with 2 kids, and group #4 obnxious new yorker family.

On the way over to TSI I am bouncing up and down with excitement over the possibility of a paintbrush. My minions and I all have our cell phones out and plan to split when we hit the island. The first one to find a brush calls the others and let's them know to stop the search. I am using this as a race between us. Hubby and Kay seem just as psyched and have their strategies as to where they plan to look. Group #4 is just killing the joy here. It is a whiney mom and dad, with two kids who are busy smacking each other. Mom is complaining about the heat and the 'stupid brush thing'. The young Boy looks excited. The sisters only comment is that she plan's to take all the brushes so her brother can't have one. Sweetheart she is. We get to Island and the CM givesa little speech about finding the brushes. All the groups seem excited to hunt except group 4. I hear the Mom Yelling "Honey, you got 15 minutes to find those things. It is too damn hot to spend all day hear. Don't waste time either! They aren't really hidden just on the ground. Daddy and I will sit here and wait". Personally I thought the whole point of things like was to join in the fun with your kids but perhaps I am silly like that.

Well, Myself and my minions take off! I start along the perimeter of the island. I climb up a lighthouse looking thing and pass an old boat dock. Keeping my eyes sharp the whole time. I have one goal in mind. Sure, it'll be nice whoever finds a brush but I am secretly hoping it is ME. I head into a cave and decide that maybe the CM's like AC as much as I do. Those caves are hard to navigate. It goes something like this.

:: shuffle, shuffle:: OW!! ::shuffle, shuffle:: *Bonk* OW!

After slowly scooting through half the cave I see it! A lovely blue paintbrush . I look around and see no children so I go and grab the blue lovely. I never though a paintbrush could bring such Joy into my life. I run out of the cave ( ::skip, skip:: OWE!!) and grab my phone. First I call Kay who states she almost found one but Group #1 was close by and she let them get it. No prob, we have an unspoken rule about leeting kids go first. Then before I can call hubby my phone rings. He has one too!! We decide to meet up front and then search for another family to give our extra brush too.

On my way back upfront I pass by the parents of Group #4. Mom is in a rocker, Dad is rubbing her shoulders as she complains all the things they have to do for the kids. She says if they aren't back in 5 minutes she is leaving without them, and they better have a brush after making her go through all that. Way to kill a fun moment for your kids lady. Also along the way I pass Group #3 on the barrel bridge. Mom and dad are walking behind the son and daughter. Letting them lead the way, they are currently on the barrel bridge and Dad is bouncing the bridge for the kiddos. I make a mental note of location and go to meet hubby.

We make it up fron the see the kids from group #4. They are smacking each other and generally being grumpy little things. I can hear them mumbling about hating the island and wanting their prize. I see Hubby and Kay and we decide to dodge group #4. They wouldn't really appreciate it anyway. We trot down the path with a red paintbrush ready to give away. We don't have to go very far before finding group #3. WE go up to Mom and ask if they have found a paintbrush yet, when she says no Hubby pulls out the red brush and offers ir to her son who appears to be about 5. That little boy made my day! If anyone who was at TSI the morning of Sept 15 and got a Red Brush, your boy was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. He smiled the brightest smile I have ever seen and gave the sort of awe filled gasp that only small children can master. He took the brush as if it were made of gold. We knew this was the proper group to pick. They went on exploring the island as we decided to hop a raft back to shore.

On our way back to shore we had the raft to ourselves. I took many pictures of my little blue baby and had the CM laughing as I twirled and danced around the raft. Here is my Glorious Magical Moment:

After we got back to shore I got a Magical moment gift certificate which I gingerly tucked into our bag. The fastpass was really just a bonus. I was in it for the sheer fun of hunting that brush down. We took some pics with the CM and I sadly handed the brush back. The CM made the comment that I should apply for a job at Disney with my attitude...

With my pre-planned magic accomplished we can set off for the rest of the day. I am in a permanently good mood and am ready to conquer the Magic Kingdom. Kay and Hubby laugh about me skipping around even more than the 5 yr old from the island. On this happy note we cen journey onward...

To be continued.....

 

[scottishduffy]

With the first part of our day over, and a magical experience under our belt we journey onward!

After coming back from Tom Sawyer's Island it is time to Splash mountain. Hubby picked up FP's before we left and now it is time to use them. The one kink in this plan is Kay's fear of messing up her hair. For the past 2 years Kay has refused to go on any wet ride which could upset the delicate hairdrying process she undergoes each morning. Hubby begs, and pleads, and tried to convice her that the end splash doesn't get you too wet. Kay gives it some thought and then decides that since it is sooo hot this morning she will risk it.

We hop onto Splash mountain and really didn't even need the FP's. Kay is in the seat behind Boy and I as we head through the ride. Kay and I take out our cameras and turn into instant photo freaks! Hubby shakes his head at us and just enjoys the ride. Everything was going great until we pass by the drop. As we are coming around the corner I see this huge squirt of water spray up and drench the boat in front of us. Now Kay is worry, but still hopefuly that maybe our little log may be spared. NOPE! As we round the corner a log comes streaming down the flume and water squirt shoots out and onto our boat! It seemed like it was aimed precisely at Kay!! Hubby and I hardly got wet at all, but poor Kay was drenched from head to toe. Hubby and I did our best 'point and laugh' routine as Kay smacked us on the backs of our heads.

We couldn't spend too much time worrying about being wet though, there were pictures to take! Thank goodness for water proof cameras, cause we needed it here. When we were approachig the drop Hubby feels his inner photographer come out and he grabs the camera...

The picture from the ride is also great as it caught hubby with camera in hand! That seems to be a theme on our whole trip actually. Everytime a ride took our picture it just caught us taking pictures of the ride...

With Splash mountain over we bounced over to Haunted Mansion for one more run before lunch. Haunted mansion we even better the 2nd time around! The first time we were so absorbed in finding new itmes that it was almost like we missed the ride. The 2nd time we focused more on the story of the ride and really enjoyed it.

We then go to Pecos Bill for lunch and plot the rest of our day. We have decided our day goes like this: Adventure land, Fantasy Land, Meet the Big Cheese, and TommorowLand. We eat, charge up, and head for adventure land! First up is Pirates!

Kay, Hubby and I hope into line to wait for the ride. As we are in line who should come walking out but Capt Jack himself! Jack is cruising down the line making a superstar of himself as we wait in line. No better way to start the Pirate ride than to be met by a real live pirate! We loved the Pirate ride though it was very hard to photograph. No real good pictures were obtained here.

We rode the Jungle cruise and had a decent time. The tour guide started off pretty slow but was much improved by the end of the ride. This ride is Hubby's personal favorite and he has to ride it every time we go. After this Hubby went in search of coffee while Kay and I took a spin on Aladdins carpets. I think we were the only people in line without kids. We did not care though.

After this it off to Fantasy and the hunt for Cinderella's horse! I have no real need to ride it, just a need to stalk it and photograph it before heading into Philharmagic!. While the rest of the park had been fairly quiet, fantasy land is mobbed. It seems like everyone in the park is concentrated in this one area. We may our way through the crowds and manage to get to the Carousel.

Mission Accomplished!

We ride Philharmagic and It's a Small World before heading over to Tommorowland to FP Space Mountain. Now, the weirdest thing happened while we were FPing Space Mountain. Our tickets were printing out and all of a sudden a surpise FP comes out. COOL! Wait a second... Kay looks over and says "Is this a punishment?" Apparently she does not look to kindly upon the Carousel of Progress. I could hear all the people around us going "What the.." Poor CoP, we like it but have other plans. How sad that even with the surprise FP's there is no line at CoP. Though we did notice several survey takes over by the area and wondered if they were about to update the ride.

Well, we have 45 minutes to kill and camera's at the ready. We go for a castly pictures, little detail pictures, and meeting the mouse! We got a great pic in fron of the castle with almost no one else in the shot. This is in the afternoon.

After that we had to Toon Town and wait in line to meet the big cheese himself. Mickey is a very gracious host and we took several pictures with him. None of us have personally met Mickey in years and this is a big thrill. Kay has now forgotten all about her wet shorts as she bounces in the meet Mickey. It was great!

After this we go to Space mountain and waste our last five minutes (and about 5 dollars) in the arcade. Kay and Hubby get a little too competitive go to war on a dual player game.

Look at those faces, that dedication. This is actually a game of strength for the most part which meant that hubby ended up beating Kay into the ground. It was fun!!

We rode Space Mountain and then took off the the Monsters Laugh Floor. This show is just great! the best part of this show is THAT GUY. I love it every time we go. Kay, Hubby and I all furiously texted jokes as fast as we could before the show then sat down for a good laugh.

After the laugh floor we have pretty much accomplished our goals for MK. We head to main street and have a seat in front of Casey's hot dogs and prepare for the parade. The past 3 times we have watched the parade we have had some bad experiences with people overcrowding us, sending their kids to sit kay's lap once (Weird! Kay didn't know this kid at all the mom just sent her to sit in a lap up front!), and generally having a rough time. This time we are prepared. We bring a towel for the 3 of us to sit on and spread our when we sit. We have our corn dog nuggets and take some photos of the scenery.

Our strategy works and by the time the parade starts we are not crowded at all! We scoot closer together at this point and offer then room to a couple kids who have been standing behind us with their parents. The kids seemed a bit shy so we just left that space open anyway so they could see better. You see, there were two 6 foot tall guys standing up on the curb next to us. The CM's tried to make them sit several times (front row sits down usually), but they kept standing up. They would sit for about 30 seconds then stand back up again. The parade started and all was going well, the kids next to us were finally inching up to see the parade through our open spot and we were all dancing to the music. I even got a picture of my two favorite characters.

The only annoying part of the parade was when a woman came walking up halfway through the parade. She "excused me" her way to the front, asked the kids to step aside, and plopped herself in our open space. You could see the kiddos were dissapointed. Then she started taking tons of Flash Photos, and not of the parade. She kept aiming the camera backward at herself and taking flash photos of herself. We were right behind her and were darn near blinded. She even stood up like the two guys next to us, and aimed some flashes back into the crowd. People were definitelty annoyed with the two standing guys and now a flasher to boot. She nevere took any photos of the parade, just kept posing and making faces, to take pictures of herself watching the parade. The flashes were really bothersome since they were aimed at the crowd and we were so close to her. Grrr. It was still a fun parade though and We can't complain.


Once Spectro was over my minions and I headed over the Tambu Lounge at the Poly. Now let me tell you, if Disney is the happiest place on earth then the Lapu Lapu must be the happiest drink on earth. WOW! It was strong too. We had an appetizer or two and then my night ends. I can't really write too much more about the rest of my night since the last thing I remember is the bottom of a couple cored out pineapples. Oohh, such a happy drink.

Next Chapter: EPCOT

 

[mla1977]

I'm in!!! Sounds like you guys are having lots of fun!

 

[scottishduffy]

Woohoo!! I have readers! Now I feel really special!

 

[scottny]

just found your report and it is great. The narration is great and so are the pics. looking forward to more.

 

[jnykly]

I'm in too...

My hubby and I had a great time during our Disneymoon. We also had a blast this past June when MIL took the kids back to the hotel. The World is the happiest place on earth for EVERYONE of all ages!!!!

 

[scottishduffy]

Hello Scottny and JNYKLY!

I am working on Epcot Part one right now. I am in the process of opening a photobucket account. I hate having to downsize my files to get them on the DIS, they never look as good. So I am opening up another a photobucket account so my pictures can take up as many MB's as they want!! (Insert evil laugh here)

JNYKLY Disney is great for all kids. I swear, I may be 26 but I assure everyone I am more than capable of acting like a 6 yr old at Disney.

Scott, Glad to see you here!

 

[scottishduffy]

Day 2: EPCOT!!

A.K.A Darnit I am getting some culture into my minions if it kills me....

On day 2 we wake up fairly early. We have no need to be there at opening but my personal neurosis will not allow to sleep past 8:30 when I know what is out there. We have a game plan: Today we want to explore the countries! It is something none of us have really done before. Sure, we walk by all the time but this time we want to explore. Kay and Hubby in particular want to explore the alcoholic beverages which each country offers. I am OK with sampling a few, but those two are professionals and want to sample one from each country. May god have mercy on their livers.

We get to Epcot early and Kay an I have turned into professional photographers! Ok, we have turned into serious wanna-be's with our little point and shoot cameras. Still, we feel artsy. It is about 10:00 am so we head over to Fastpass soarin' before heading over to the Seas with Nemo and Friends. It is here I snap my first picture of day. I saw someone else on the DIS boards who had a similar shot and had to get one myself. I am sorry if some of the pics are huge, I am still playing with photobucket.

MINE! MINE! MINE!!

The Nemo ride was adorable as always. I think I will have that song stuck in my head for months but we enjoyed it. After the ride Hubby decides he wants to explore the aquarium. We head over to Turtle Talk with crush and sit down for the show.

I must highly reccomend this show! It was hilarious! Crush was really funny and great at interacting and ad-libbing. You should have seen the turtles face when some kid said his favorite food was Shrimp. I never knew the Turtle had a 'shock and disgust' look in his repertiore. Crush got really quiet and stared at the kid for 30 seconds before tapping on the mike and calling security. He also made the mistake of interviewing a 2 yr old who just kept randomly screaming "My name is BBOOOBBBBBBYYYY!". A great show for everyone, tons of fun.

Next we had a little more time to kill and Hubby wanted to explore the 2nd floor. Now, up here is a little known gem. I had no idea about a Dolphin show up here. It was at 10:45 am and was awesome! It was entertaining and informative! The show went over how they train dolphins, their anatomy, and general fun facts. I got a couple decent pics.

If anyone happens to see a dolphin show advertised when you are there, GO! It was much better than I thought and counted as our favorite show to see that day. We had to cut out about 5-10 minutes early in order to make it to Soarin' for our fastpass time.

We also found a Hidden mickey in the aquarium! This picture may be a bit too dark but I hope it shows up alright.

After Soarin we had lunch in the Land. This is a wonderful place to eat because of the selection. Kay and hubby got adventurous enough to try some of the different offerings available. Leave it to me to get the kids Mac and Cheese meal. Kay gave me the sort of glare that says "Heathen!!" and then focused on her own food. The cheese plate in this area is actually pretty decent. I am not too sure what the little pink cheese is except for tasty. It may be just an odd looking cheddar.

Now with our bellies full we can head off to conquer the world! We decide to start on the Canada side and make our way all the way around. Not much going on in Canada except beautiful scenery.

Lovely scenery. We had fun exploring the back of Canada by the waterfalls and cooled off a bit back there before going on. Of course Hubby picks up a LaBatt Blue for his canadian beverage. Kay has already lost her dedication to this cause and says she will wait until England. She is canadian by the way, it isn't like it's exotic to her.

We trudge on toward England where everyone (including moi) partakes in the beverages at Rose and Crown. Hubby gets a beer, Kay and I end up with something called a welsh dragon. Yumm. We explore England and after a few minutes the World Showcase Players come around. Now, I introduce to you evil witch Pellam!!

I got to be famous! Yeeaahhhh. The World Showcase players make for a funny show. Hubby's favorite thing in all of Disney is the streetmosphere at MGM so this is pretty much like that. We would find them again in Italy. We tour England and even get our picture taken with Mary Poppins her self.

With my grand theatrical debut over we venture onward to France. After two drinks Hubby is feeling strangely artistic.

You would almost believe him, except if you notice his paiintbrush is a straw. We had no choice, the real brushes were nailed down.

Now something I noticed around this time is that the character spotters no longer close the lines. Personally I thought this system was great! If you hop in a line, you are guarenteed to see the characters. If the line was closed, well at least you never got you or your kids hopes up. It was easy, the line was just closed. The whole time you are in line you sit and ponder what pose to strike, and parents talk to the kids to pep them up for the character. We first encountered this at Epcot. We saw Belle and Beast out, so we hop in line! Hubby and I got engaged during the Beauty and the Beast show at MGM so these two hold a bit of a special place in our hearts. I am the beauty and he is the furriest thing I have ever known.

We are about 2 people away when someone walks up says "Ok you two, last photo!". Then they wave goodbye and walk off with a line of about 20 parties waiting. I did not mind too much but you could see the heartbreak of some of the kids in line. There is always some child who is next in line and gets cut off. There was even a little girl dressed as Belle in line, who looked pretty crestfallen. I would think the line closing system would completly prevent the kids being dissapointed like this. It would also prevent the annoyance of several of the parents. Everyone behaved well but i could hear some angry mumbling. Everyone disperses and we mourn the loss of our opportunity to get a photo of Beast. I am able to snap them as they walk away but no personal shot. Oh well, as the french say, Se la vi. A frozen alcoholic slushy should take away the pain. YUM!

We skip off to Morocco and explore the market near the back. We find the mural in the back and I start furiuosly hunting for hidden mickeys. Kay comes up to join and we are only able to find about 4 of them. Though we feel pretty satisfied. I take one shot of Morocco and then drag my minions onto my one must-see show for the day.

We arrive in Japan and I am able to take tons of pictures. I find myself another hidden mickey in the bushes and snap the picture to use as a background in my scrapbook. I love my digital scrapbook program and find myself looking for shots which would make good background layouts.

Kay and Hubby use the restrooms and get themselves some Kirin Ichiban before sitting next to me. Kay asks "What are we waiting for... the drum guys are over there". I assure her to stay by the little cart. This show is worth it. She knows it must be something because there are 3 other groups waiting with us, but is not sure what.

Then she comes out. The great MIYUKI!! I had been looking forward to seeing her since I read about her on the DIS. Hubby had been doubtful about how the show would be, but both he and Kay were immediatly enthralled by her. I got some great shots of her too. All the other couples waiting with us were picked, but not us. No matter, she was fun to watch and I will definitely return on future trips. Here is Miyuki making a hummingbird.

It is here I will end Part one of our day. Though I leave you with some comedy. We were all trolling around the Japanese store after the Miyuki store and figured out that some toys just don't translate well. I'm not sure what this thing is, but we laughed about possibilities for at least 20 minutes. Hubby threatened to use one on me next time he got mad at me.

Yes... just muzzle your children and you're set!! It gives the little ones that charming Hannibal Lecter look.

Until next time!

 

[scottny]

Fantastic update. Love all the pics. I cannot wait to do Epcot and drink my way around the world.

 

[jnykly]

Day 2: EPCOT!!

A.K.A Darnit I am getting some culture into my minions if it kills me....

On day 2 we wake up fairly early. We have no need to be there at opening but my personal neurosis will not allow to sleep past 8:30 when I know what is out there. We have a game plan: Today we want to explore the countries! It is something none of us have really done before. Sure, we walk by all the time but this time we want to explore. Kay and Hubby in particular want to explore the alcoholic beverages which each country offers. I am OK with sampling a few, but those two are professionals and want to sample one from each country. May god have mercy on their livers.

DH and I LOVE exploring the countries. We haven't explored the beverages...YET. This is something we plan on doing this time around

Crush got really quiet and stared at the kid for 30 seconds before tapping on the mike and calling security. He also made the mistake of interviewing a 2 yr old who just kept randomly screaming "My name is BBOOOBBBBBBYYYY!". A great show for everyone, tons of fun.

We enjoyed this show too. It is hilarious to see how Crush interacts with the kids!!

Next we had a little more time to kill and Hubby wanted to explore the 2nd floor. Now, up here is a little known gem. I had no idea about a Dolphin show up here. It was at 10:45 am and was awesome! It was entertaining and informative! The show went over how they train dolphins, their anatomy, and general fun facts.

We are gonna have to do this. Our upcoming trip is all about the little things we usually miss.

After Soarin we had lunch in the Land. This is a wonderful place to eat because of the selection.

We eat here every trip. The selection is AWESOME, the food is GREAT and it is the BEST place for people watchin!!!

Then she comes out. The great MIYUKI!!

Gotta love MIYUKI!! Everytime we see her it's like we enter into "the zone"... so mesmerizing.

Yes... just muzzle your children and you're set!! It gives the little ones that charming Hannibal Lecter look.

What the heck is that thing? I can imagine the conversation on that ...DH would be doing the same.

Until next time!

Can't wait...

 

[scottishduffy]

EPCOT: Part Deux

My minions and I have left Japan to head toward the next country on the list. We put on our best snooty european faces and head toward Italy. Hubby's mother actually lives in Italy so he gets a kick out of speaking to the CM's here in Italian (show-off). He decides Italy will be his one country to skip the drinks since he has been there and hates them all. Kay and I break out our cameras and start hunting for really artsy zoomed in shots.

That is my contribution to the brooding artist act. Kay and I walk around and take lots pictures. There is a little atrium here where Kay is snapping away. Kay is in a *zone* with her camera, so Hubby and I grab a seat by a fountain and wait. While sitting by this fountain who should show up but the world showcase players. Yeah, now we have something to do while Kay goes through some sort of artistic epiphany.

We watch a rousing performance of Romeo and Edna, which is like much like the actual play only with a happy ending. This is the land of the mouse, after all. The world showcase players are once again very amusing and Hubby is giggling like a madman.

We make it out of Italy with a dark cloud looming overhead and decide to move as fast as we can to Germany. I head into the lovely shops, Kay and Hubby head over to pick out their respective beers. Kay and Hubby soon come back and then the rain starts. It was only about 20 minutes but gave us enough time to play in the store. Hubby and Kay managed to become friendly with the glassblower! She was very nice and it was fun to watch her. She talked to us about her training, how she makes particular items, and Kay even bought one for her own mother to have for christmas.

The glassblower even told us how those sunglasses help her work. Apparently the glasses take away the yellow glare around the glass that comes from different minerals burning. That way she can see the glass and not the flame. She let us try on her glasses to demonstrate this. This particular day she was making assorted berries. If you have a chance to talk to her, do it! She was very personable and extremely interesting. I was amazed she could interact so well with us and still concentrate on her glass.

Meanwhile I have been making new friends as well. I am hoping I can hide here forever and maybe the Disney CM's will never notice. Just slap on a pair of ears and I am GOOD!

I can hope and dream I have found a good hiding spot. Until the rain lets up, at which point Kay and Hubby grab me and drag me onward.The next country to be conquered is Norway! The rain has let up and we take the time to explore. I have fun counting how many little girls I can find dressed as princesses. Askerhus is right across the walkway. Hubby goes to get another drink though I am not sure what he gets here. We all get together to go on Maelstrom. The main reason I like this ride so much is just because I enjoy finding the hidden mickey on the viking ship. We get on the ride and have a great time. It is a simple ride, but a good way to spend a little time.

It wasn't until the end of the ride that Kay and Hubby became frigtened. "Please!! NOO!! Don't make us sit through the educational film!! Have you no mercy?!?!". Fine, we walk right through the Norway film and go out to the store. Now what do my minions wish to do besides learning about norwegain culture? They wish to battle to the death.

Yeah, they are friends. They also get sick of each other after a day or so and like taking out the aggression in pictures. I think Kay is still bitter over her video game defeat in the MK the day before. Though judging by the shot I'd say Hubby has the better shot here... unless she can chop off his arm.

We also took time to try on viking helmets and play with the troll in the shop! Hubby and I were in the real Norway for our honeymoon and this troll just gets us all misty eyed. I am misty eyed from sentimentality and him from alcohol.... either way.

With a grueling battle over we go onward. We hop over china since our dinner will be there and go on to mexico. We arrive and my two minions head for the alcohol! Kay gets a margarita and Hubby a Dos Equis beer. We only have a little bit of time before our dinner ressie and I am desperate to get on the Gran Fiesta tour.

I know, hubby and I both have nightmares from this ride as children. You see both hubby and I are of hispanic origin. So when our parents came to Epcot they always brought us to Mexico. Did they expand their horizons? Aspire to expose their children to a culture they didn't know? NO, every time we came to Epcot we ate in Mexico and rode that darn ride a hundred times. It is a funny little phenomenon I have also found to be true with friends of mine of other ethnic origins.

Still this ride has been redone with a movie we both liked as kids (Three Caballeros!) and I feel a need to go. My minions feel a need to sit down and take a siesta and do so. I pass the time by taking photos of Mexico. With a very steady hand I manage to get a shot of the pyramid.

By the time the minions are done drinking our friend Jay has called. It is time for us to meet up for dinner in China. The skies have opened up again and there is a torrential downpour. No fear, this is why I buy and pack ponchoes ahead of time. We dress in our matching ponchos and head toward china. We take time to splash in puddles and dance around a bit. This is much more fun when you don't have to worry about being soaking wet for dinner. Along the way we pass a little boy who is having a blast getting wet in the rain. That right there is the very essence of Joy.

We get to China and see Jay!! We give hugs all around and sit down for dinner. I know there have many bad reviews of 9 dragons on the DIS board but I *really* enjoyed it. We all decided to eat family style and trade our food back and forth. I ordered the Honey Sesame chicken which was wonderful. Kay got the Sweet and Sour pork, also quite tasty. Jay ended up with General Tso's which he had to fight to keep since everyone else wanted some. The only dish I didn't like was Hubby's. He got some sort of duck dish. I don't like duck to start with, but he said he enjoyed it very much.

Jay and I talk for a little bit since he just had a new baby girl. Kay and I ooohh and aaahh over baby pictures while hubby has a fear filled look in his eye. Jay and I also love trading horror stories from work. We love venting about crazy people, great fun!

Dinner ends and I am determined to ride my mexican ride. I drag all of my minions down to mexico and hop right on the ride. Everyone actually likes it! We have the boatd all to ourselves. It is an improvement from the old. I like it very much since I am a huge fan of the 3 Caballeros. It reminds me of my gramma who made me watch it in hopes of absorbing some of my mom's spanish culture into me. (Sorry, I think my dad's redneck side won out, but she tried). I even pick up a 3 Caballeros t-shirt and and trot happily home.

We are all dead tired and decide to just go back to our hotel and crash for the evening. No Illuminations tonight. Which Jay says is a crying shame since all the rain emptied out the parks and no one is to be seen. We part ways and will meet again at a later time.

Tomorrow: Animal Kingdom!! The land of impossible photography.

 

[scottishduffy]

JNYKLY, we have never had more fun in Epcot than on this trip when we really took the time to explore. We had all somewhat hated the place as kid. It is only when you really get into Epcot that you see what a wonderful place it is. All those little detaisl really make this park.

 

[scottny]

another great update. the pics were great too. I can't wait to drink my way around the world.

 

[mla1977]

I love the pictures you took. The mask picture is awesome. I had fun in the World showcase trying to get some good pictures. My camera is 5 years old though and I hope to get a new one in the next year.

 

[scottishduffy]

Thanks Scott and Mla for dropping by! Love to see people around here!

 

[scottishduffy]

Alright, so I am working the next 3 nights and will put an update up now. I have done all my bulk cooking for the evening and now I can post!

Day 3: Animal Kingdom

Yes, another bright and early morning at the happiest place on earth! The minions are up and there is minimal grumpiness all around. We get to the park in time for opening and discuss our goals for the day. For hubby: The nemo show, For Kay: the Lion king show, For me: Find Devine, For All: Ride Everest until we puke.

Intent on accomplishing our universal goal we trek over to Everest to grab a fast pass and then hop into standby. I am determined to get some pictures here. While I am not able to capture the Yeti himself, I manage to get a shot of the shadow.

Once again, the in ride photo has caught me fiddling with camera working furiously to try to turn on the flash for the yeti. We ride the coaster a few more times and then head off towards Dinosaur. Alas no one has puked. Though this is most likely for the better.

We ride the Dinosaur ride,whish is fun as always. I manage to put down my camera for at least this one ride. After this we spend some time being artsy with our cameras at the carnival. Kay and I walk around trying to get odd angles on things as Hubby ponders why it is that all the Dino's have belly buttons if they are born from eggs. We each get some cute photos and then head off for the Festival of the lion king! However, along the way we come across a small diversion. We are walking past a path when I overhear a conversation: An elderly woman talking to her grown daughter.

"Honey! Did you see that?"
"Yeah mom, just that stupid vine lady. I don't care"

Alright, she may not have the Disney spirit but I most assuredly do!! I grab my minions and run off down the path. Kay has no idea what this Devine thing is, but hops eagerly along. We get there and I am able to take some wonderful shots of her. Let me just says that devine is stunningly beautiful. She is absolutely gorgeous and it is impossible to take a bad photo of her. She is breathtaking... and here she is!

Ha ha! Victory is mine! I have seen the amazing divine live and in person! With this I can happily skip the rest of the way to the lion king show! We get there right as the show is starting to load up the seats and find ourselves in the 3rd row of the elephant section. Once the show begins I do my best to photograph all of the floats as they roll out.

I set my camera onto rapid fire and pray for at least a few of them to come out. Kay is easily frustrated and gives up on this after her first few photos. I am much more patient, and stubborn. Which gets me a few decent shots of the show. I got all the floats, and few of the actors when they were dancing in front of our section.

It is really hard to photograph those since it is not only dark, but everything is in motion. I had to wait for those rare moments when the action was frozen. Which did not happen very often. After the show I am happy with my shots. We decide to go for lunch over at restaurantosaurus since it is closer to the Nemo show. With artsy photos in hand we cross the park in search of food. We end up feasting on burgers and discussing our game plan. The only one whose goal has not yet been accomplished is Hubby and he is really eager to see the Nemo show. It is his absolute favorite.

Next: Nemo show, Pleasure Island, and our favorite character greet (jay's baby girl: Sharkbait!)

 

[KimAshton]

Just found your trip report. Seriously just thinking about EE makes me get sick. LOL.