"Every fiber of my being hurts, but this is SO cool".. Our 13.1 Mile Disney Journey

[Mickey_Mom]

Well, I was hoping to finish this TR and get more done on my Nov/Dec TR before starting a PTR for my next one but seeing as it's only a little over 2 weeks away, I figured I better start. So, if you'd like, please join me for...

Flowers, Disney Running, and a Dream Birthday Surprise... A March 2011 PTR

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=39974003&posted=1#post39974003

Eeek! I'm late! Heading over.....

 

[20thingamabobs]

As instructed, I put my bathing suit on and then placed my wet suit over it as well as put on my dive booties. I put everything in my locker and locked it then proceeded out to give the dive guide my key and receive my environmentally friendly hair ties. Once everyone was ready, we made our way "on stage". We entered the area of the Living Seas where the Nemo ride exits. I'm sure we looked very funny walking through the area in our wet suits. We walked up the stairs to the second floor and then proceeding back stage again. They assigned us into two groups and we stepped down into the water to put on the rest of our gear. I have to admit that the water is rather chilly but it felt good on my sore legs. We all kicked out to the buoy and waited for the signal to descend. When we were all together and ready, we headed down. Here's the video (sorry it's choppy but I edited to make it shorter and only include DBF and I for the purpose of this thread)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgDPaIqEEg4

They start by giving you a tour of the aquarium for about 10-15 minutes and then you are free to explore on your own. DBF and I swam around and looked at everything and spent some time over by the dolphins (have to stay 8-10 feet away though) but we spent most of our time interacting with the guests outside the tank. They would get so excited to see you and it was so much fun. We had a lot of fun "playing" with one little girl so I asked the videographer to get her on tape with us so that's what you saw in the video. The people in Coral Reef were so fun too! There's a ledge above the windows that you can lay on and peek over so you appear upside down to the diners and they found that really amusing and kept taking pics of us. DBF also had a lot of fun lying next to the turtle and imitating him which led to another round of pictures from diners as well.

When our 45 minutes was over, we made our way to the surface and back over to the ledge. WE removed our gear before making our way out of the tank. They handed us a towel as we were getting out and once everyone was ready, we headed back to the dressing rooms. We had to walk through the Nemo ride exit area again so I'm sure we looked even funnier walking through in soaking wet wet suits this time. Once back stage, we headed to the locker rooms where we were supplied with everything needed to shower. So, I showered quickly then used the items I'd brought with me to semi make my hair look decent and put on minimal make-up. Once finished, we made our way upstairs to watch our video and fill out a survey. Then, they took us back out to the Nemo exit area and we could visit the gift shop to buy our video. Then we were free to leave. That's the nice thing about this tour, you don't need a ticket to take part and they release you in the park after. We stopped quickly and I asked another guest to take our picture in front of the Living Seas:

It was only about 7:15 and we had a dinner reservation at 8. So where did we go? To the Japan pavilion to pick a pearl .

Here's DBF picking one out:

The lady getting it out of the tank:

Opening the oyster:

Our pearl:

She took a picture of us with it:

They ring the bell to celebrate:

I'd like to have the pearl set into something but we didn't have time because we had to get to our dining reservation at:

We had made our way over to France and checked in. We didn't wait to long before we were seated. DBF was really nervous about eating here because the food was "foreign" But I assured him he would like it and that I wouldn't call French food "foreign"... We both ordered the Beef Short Ribs and both REALLY enjoyed our meal. The food was delicious and DBF took back his comment. We had debated on what to do after dinner and had decided that we were going to head to Downtown Disney. So, we finished our meal, paid our bill and headed out. I informed DBF I needed to make a stop first to get... A Citron Slushie! DBF took a pic of me with it and you can see my nice Aquarium hair

Then a nice lady passing by offered to take a pic of the two of us:

We were about to make our way out when they made the announcement that Illuminations was about start. DBF asked if he had ever seen it and I said no because we had skipped it back in 2008. So he decided he wanted to watch it. We grabbed a seat on the stairs by that terrace near the International gateway. The area was really full but by sitting on the stairs, I still had a good view. Now, DBF and I were suppose to be sharing the slushie but while he was taping Illuminations, I drank about 85% of it Here's our nice video though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKe6Asclabg

DBF said that he really liked Illuminations and I was happy even though it's my least favorite of the nighttime shows. Anyway, he finished off what was left of our drink and we made our way out of the international gateway. We walked through the Beach Club and caught a bus to Downtown Disney. We visited the World of Disney store where I picked up 2011 and 40th Anniversary t-shirts for my mom and I and then we went to the pin store where I got 2011 and 40th Anniversary pins for my mom and I also. We were pretty tired by this point so we decided to head back to our hotel. Once back, we packed up our suitcases and headed to bed. Tomorrow, we were going to have a breakfast full of character...

Stay tuned...

 

[dismagiclover]

That tour looks great! Bonus too that your DBF got into the park without a ticket! Sounds like a great evening, but I bet you were tired by the time it was over!

 

[Nermel9]

What a fun night! The diving sounds awesome, and I really want to do pick a pearl sometime!

So you liked your dinner at Chef's? I really want to go there sometime, but I keep hearing such terrible things about it, I should probably just try it for myself! I love french onion soup, which is one of my main reasons for wanting to go there!

Aren't those slushies the best?

 

[jenseib]

The dive was so cool. I relly enjoyed the video. Claire watched it with me and was very worried when you guys would get near a shark.

 

[20thingamabobs]

That tour looks great! Bonus too that your DBF got into the park without a ticket! Sounds like a great evening, but I bet you were tired by the time it was over!

Yea, it was nice not having to pay that extra $82 for a ticket since all we were doing was eating and watching Illuminations... We were so tired though and we had another early morning the next day...

What a fun night! The diving sounds awesome, and I really want to do pick a pearl sometime!

So you liked your dinner at Chef's? I really want to go there sometime, but I keep hearing such terrible things about it, I should probably just try it for myself! I love french onion soup, which is one of my main reasons for wanting to go there!

Aren't those slushies the best?

I love the DiveQuest, getting to interacting with everyone outside the windows is the best part! The pick a Pearl is fun and you should try it! I took my pearl back with me when i went last week and had it set in a ring, I chose a silver setting and it was relatively inexpensive too!

I like Chefs alot. The first time I went, it was just ok but I've been back twice since then and both times I really enjoyed my meal. I think it's worth trying because everyone is different in their opinions and you won't know till you have your own!

The dive was so cool. I relly enjoyed the video. Claire watched it with me and was very worried when you guys would get near a shark.

It was so much fun and I'm glad you liked the video! The sharks made me a little nervous too, some of them had really big teeth! But they explained to us that when they feed the sharks, they turn off all the lights and just put one big spot light in the water and then make some banging sound to stimulate the sharks and then they drop the food in the water using tongs so that the sharks don't learn to associate divers/people with food! Also, the sharks don't like the bubbles that divers make by exhaling so they actually told us that we need to breathe shallow and slow if we want the sharks to come closer.

 

[20thingamabobs]

Despite being extremely tired by this point, we had another early morning ahead of us. My alarm went off around 6:00am and I got a shower before waking DBF up. We finished packing our suitcases and sat them next to the door before making the walk over to Contemporary for our 7:00am reservation at:

Chef Mickeys!

You know I couldn't head home with out some one-on-one time with my favorite mouse! We checked in and were directed over to get our picture taken...

As soon as we finished, our buzzer went off and we were directed to our table. We went to get our food and when we arrived back at our table, we were greeted by Goofy!

I had some fruit but I skipped the picture of it to focus on my beloved Mickey Waffles:

I'd taken a bite of one of his ears and then tried to hide my plate so it didn't hurt his feelings as he came over to greet us :

Shortly after, we were visited by a very silly Donald Duck:

Then a very sweet Minnie:

We received our check, paid and were waiting for our waitress to return when Pluto stopped by:

The conclusion of our meal was also the conclusion of our trip... . We made the short walk back to Bay Lake Tower to get our suitcases. I stopped along the Breezeway though to take a picture of the crazy Marathon runners heading towards Magic Kingdom:

Can you see them? They're congregated under the monorail line in the picture. I also grabbed a picture of the castle since it was the only park I didn't really spend time in during this trip:

And I also grabbed a pic of our hotel:

With luggage in hand, we headed back over to the Contemporary and down to the ground level to catch the Magical Express at 8:40am. The first bus that arrived at our scheduled time was full so we had to wait for the next one. It arrived just a few minutes later and as we headed out, we realized my they were so full. The marathon had SEVERAL roads shut down for the runners and the buses were having a very difficult time getting around. Two buses had skipped Grand Floridian and Poly all together which is why our first one was so full... they had everyone that had been left behind. The bus was only allowed to turn right out of the Contemporary so we had to go up the road a little ways and then turn around to come back. We made one more quick stop at Wilderness Lodge and then were on our way. We still arrived at the airport in plenty of time and had an uneventful (just like I like it) flight home where DBF and I had no trouble sleeping.

Final Thoughts:

• the trip was way too short
• I've been bit by the DisneyRunning bug
• DBF still says he enjoys in more than he thought he would
• I would absolutely do it again and would recommend it to anyone considering it!
• I would rate the whole experience as one of the coolest things I've ever done and this will forever be one of my absolute favorite trips!

Thank you all so much for reading along as DBF ran our 13.1 mile journey through Disney and I hope you'll all join me again on our next run!

 

[Soopafly]

Great report thanks for sharing!

I would really like to do more tours on our trips but never looked at the dive ones. I can say that after watching the video and reading about it, I will have to make sure I do that one day! It looks so cool

 

[jenseib]

What a wonderful trip. Are you going to do one on the most recent trip? (I hope)

 

[Mickey_Mom]

Great trip! Love Donald and Pluto's pictures

The dive looked incredible, Demetri wanted to know if he could do it too.

 

[20thingamabobs]

Great report thanks for sharing!

I would really like to do more tours on our trips but never looked at the dive ones. I can say that after watching the video and reading about it, I will have to make sure I do that one day! It looks so cool

Thanks for reading along! The DiveQuest is so much fun! And since you have to be certified to dive, they give you a lot of freedom in the tank to just do your own thing. I did it again in March with my dad and he really enjoyed it as well. It's a completely different experience than diving "in the wild".

What a wonderful trip. Are you going to do one on the most recent trip? (I hope)

I really want to. I'm sorting through pictures right now. I'll definitely at least do one for the cruise portion but I'm hoping to do the whole thing!

Great trip! Love Donald and Pluto's pictures

The dive looked incredible, Demetri wanted to know if he could do it too.

I really like the Donald and Pluto pics too! I think it's so funny that you can barely see me in my Pluto pic!

I could just see Demetri in the tank! He would have so much fun interacting with everyone through the glass! You'll have to get him certified when he's older just so he can dive with the sharks at Epcot!

 

[20thingamabobs]

Since I got bit with the Disney Running bug in January, I'd like to invite all of you on my next three Disney trips as we go:

Running... From Coast to Coast and Back Again, a PTR
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=40437733#post40437733

 

[disneygeeks]

Hi DISers. I'm sorry I've been MIA for so long. Things have been a little crazy at work and I had to pick up some overtime. Also, I started grad classes again last week so that's an additional work load to fit in. But, I also have some exciting news that's been taking up my time...

DBF and I are adding some fur to our life. I've wanted a puppy for a long time and I even promised that if he let me have one, I would spend as much time taking care of it and training it as I do on my Disney trips Anyway, that argument at least got him to agree to look at one. So, I did my research and found a breed that I felt we would be compatible with. I found a breeder/rescue shelter that uses all proceeds from their puppies strictly to support the shelter. So, last Friday we went to look at a little black and white Morkie (Maltese/Yorkie mix). She was sooo cute! We spent about an hour there talking to the owner about the breed and what to expect, etc. Well, the whole time we were there, I was holding the little girl and the owner had handed her brother to DBF to hold. Well, I look over and there is the little boy licking DBF all over. Then, a little later, he feel asleep in his arms. Well, as our visit was nearing an end, I asked DBF if we could get one. I really wanted the little girl but DBF had fallen in love with the little boy... So, when I told him I wanted the girl, he looked at me and says "maybe, we could just take them both." Are you serious? The person who didn't want any dog now wants two? He said "at least they could keep each other company while we're not home". So, there it was... we walked away the proud owners of two new puppies. Now, they're only 3 weeks old so we have to wait 3 more weeks before we can go pick them up so we've been busily gathering up everything we're going to need.

So, what did we name them? Well, you know I had to choose a Disney related name so I named the little girl, Lilo. Then, DBF took his time naming the little boy but finally decided to name him Otis (as a tribute to Milo and Otis ) So, we now have Lilo and Otis:

We get to pick them up on Valentine's Day (they'll be exactly 6 weeks old)!

Those puppies are so friggin cute and I think the videos of you running are great....makes me feel like I'm right there runnin with you two...take care

 

[disneygeeks]

As instructed, I put my bathing suit on and then placed my wet suit over it as well as put on my dive booties. I put everything in my locker and locked it then proceeded out to give the dive guide my key and receive my environmentally friendly hair ties. Once everyone was ready, we made our way "on stage". We entered the area of the Living Seas where the Nemo ride exits. I'm sure we looked very funny walking through the area in our wet suits. We walked up the stairs to the second floor and then proceeding back stage again. They assigned us into two groups and we stepped down into the water to put on the rest of our gear. I have to admit that the water is rather chilly but it felt good on my sore legs. We all kicked out to the buoy and waited for the signal to descend. When we were all together and ready, we headed down. Here's the video (sorry it's choppy but I edited to make it shorter and only include DBF and I for the purpose of this thread)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgDPaIqEEg4

They start by giving you a tour of the aquarium for about 10-15 minutes and then you are free to explore on your own. DBF and I swam around and looked at everything and spent some time over by the dolphins (have to stay 8-10 feet away though) but we spent most of our time interacting with the guests outside the tank. They would get so excited to see you and it was so much fun. We had a lot of fun "playing" with one little girl so I asked the videographer to get her on tape with us so that's what you saw in the video. The people in Coral Reef were so fun too! There's a ledge above the windows that you can lay on and peek over so you appear upside down to the diners and they found that really amusing and kept taking pics of us. DBF also had a lot of fun lying next to the turtle and imitating him which led to another round of pictures from diners as well.

When our 45 minutes was over, we made our way to the surface and back over to the ledge. WE removed our gear before making our way out of the tank. They handed us a towel as we were getting out and once everyone was ready, we headed back to the dressing rooms. We had to walk through the Nemo ride exit area again so I'm sure we looked even funnier walking through in soaking wet wet suits this time. Once back stage, we headed to the locker rooms where we were supplied with everything needed to shower. So, I showered quickly then used the items I'd brought with me to semi make my hair look decent and put on minimal make-up. Once finished, we made our way upstairs to watch our video and fill out a survey. Then, they took us back out to the Nemo exit area and we could visit the gift shop to buy our video. Then we were free to leave. That's the nice thing about this tour, you don't need a ticket to take part and they release you in the park after. We stopped quickly and I asked another guest to take our picture in front of the Living Seas:

It was only about 7:15 and we had a dinner reservation at 8. So where did we go? To the Japan pavilion to pick a pearl .

Here's DBF picking one out:

The lady getting it out of the tank:

Opening the oyster:

Our pearl:

She took a picture of us with it:

They ring the bell to celebrate:

I'd like to have the pearl set into something but we didn't have time because we had to get to our dining reservation at:

We had made our way over to France and checked in. We didn't wait to long before we were seated. DBF was really nervous about eating here because the food was "foreign" But I assured him he would like it and that I wouldn't call French food "foreign"... We both ordered the Beef Short Ribs and both REALLY enjoyed our meal. The food was delicious and DBF took back his comment. We had debated on what to do after dinner and had decided that we were going to head to Downtown Disney. So, we finished our meal, paid our bill and headed out. I informed DBF I needed to make a stop first to get... A Citron Slushie! DBF took a pic of me with it and you can see my nice Aquarium hair

Then a nice lady passing by offered to take a pic of the two of us:

We were about to make our way out when they made the announcement that Illuminations was about start. DBF asked if he had ever seen it and I said no because we had skipped it back in 2008. So he decided he wanted to watch it. We grabbed a seat on the stairs by that terrace near the International gateway. The area was really full but by sitting on the stairs, I still had a good view. Now, DBF and I were suppose to be sharing the slushie but while he was taping Illuminations, I drank about 85% of it Here's our nice video though:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKe6Asclabg

DBF said that he really liked Illuminations and I was happy even though it's my least favorite of the nighttime shows. Anyway, he finished off what was left of our drink and we made our way out of the international gateway. We walked through the Beach Club and caught a bus to Downtown Disney. We visited the World of Disney store where I picked up 2011 and 40th Anniversary t-shirts for my mom and I and then we went to the pin store where I got 2011 and 40th Anniversary pins for my mom and I also. We were pretty tired by this point so we decided to head back to our hotel. Once back, we packed up our suitcases and headed to bed. Tomorrow, we were going to have a breakfast full of character...

Stay tuned...

getting to scuba throughout the huge tank must of been a grat thrill. I can remember the last time I was there I was just like that little girl behind because there was a couple that came right up to the window were I was video taping as well and I was so excited to have them swim right up to me and wave.