"Everyone! Come see how handsome I am!" **FINISHED** 2/17

[dawnmichele]

That is and has always been a favorite of mine and my families. Each time we've been to Epcot, we've made that one of our dinner spots in Epcot/WS. It's just soo pretty in that place. As soon as you enter the pyramid and step down those stairs, it just hits you with the actual size of the area. The shop/gift carts, the 'town' feel. And the restaurants with the pyramid, volcano and darkened sky! It's AWESOME!
We have another reservation for it on our upcoming August trip. I hope we get as lucky as you as far as our table seating.

Yes! It is gorgeous as well as delicious. And it does feel like you've entered another world when you're in that area. More Disney Magic .
I hope you do, too. We seemed to have really great seating luck on this trip. I was really grateful.

Just love your trip report and all the totally awesome pictures. I love all the pictures you have from the Electric parade, that one of Tink is great. Looks like you were right in front of her. Pete's Dragon is my absolute favorite part of that parade from the first time I saw him when I was 7 years old at Disneyland, to the last time I saw him in 2011.

Your pictures from dinner look and sound so good that I am starving just thinking about all the excellent Disney food that I will be enjoying in 6 months.

Thank you so much. That's incredibly nice to hear. Seriously~

Tink was totally looking at me when I took that picture. Thank you Tinkerbell - I believe!

I have loved Pete's Dragon since I saw it in the theatre. I've read a couple times that he's been spotted in the parade without Pete. How sad is that? They were each other's only friend until Hele Reddy came along. I hope Disney is not planning to keep them apart permanently.

Me too (about the food)! The food is one of my favorite parts!

I totally agree! Pete's Dragon is my favorite part of that parade too! I love when they make him "disappear" and then RE-appear in different segments. So awesome!
I also love the very beginning where the 'robotic' announcer comes on and welcomes everyone....then the lights go out to the escalating music! Gets my heart pumpin!

In the early 90's I bought a cd at DisneyLAND, with the entire music of both the "Main Street Electrical Parade" as well as "Fantasmic" (in it's entirety) ..and have had loads of fun playing it over and over for my little girl-getting us all super pumped for the Aug trip!!
Can't come soon enough!!

When I visited Disney World the first time in the mid 90s, part of our package was a CD called Music of the Parks. I loved that CD! But years ago I opened the case to find it empty. I haven't seen the actual CD for who knows how long. I've seen used copies online, but not for a reasonable amount of money.

Don't I know it can't come soon enough! 137 days and counting!

 

[dawnmichele]

You have some awesome photos!

Thank you brother. When we're there next time, I'm going to spend a day just focusing on taking pictures. I'm making a list of things I want to capture and really looking forward to it.

 

[gobln]

dawnmichele:

""Here’s how they described it (copied from the allears.net website): Wild Passion Fruit Margarita - El Mayor Premium Silver Tequila, ginger liqueur, passion fruit, mango nectar, fresh lemon juice, topped with mango foam, served on the rocks $12.50

It was pricey, but it was Amazing! Oh my goodness you guys, it was so delicious I could have drank it all day. If I were richer. And such a lightweight drinker. So good I have to show you another picture.""

Ok....I have a question about that drink. I'm a little hesitant to even GET an adult beverage at DW. Mainly because i'm afraid of having one of those experiences you had with your fruity drink. LOL!
To get jilted at a restaurant like chilis, when your drink is too sweet...well that's one thing. I mean it's only 6 bucks or so AND you can send it back. But spending 12.50 on up only to NOT like a drink...well that would drive me crazy!
Although I think I'm gonna try that "Passion Fruit Margarita"! If you say it was awesome, then that's good enough for me! One question though...How big a drink is it? I can't quite get a scale on it from the pics.

 

[theburkes]

Just have to chime in and let you know how much I'm enjoying this!! Your pictures are great and the more I read, the more excited for my trip in Sept! Thanks so much!!

 

[dawnmichele]

After lunch, Hannah decided she wanted to bail on Epcot and head back to the Magic Kingdom. We were all fine with this. In fact, when we were planning the trip, Danny and I talked about how much easier this trip would be than when she was in the single digits. Back then we had to keep an eye on her every single second, so we were looking forward to just being able to say “See ya!”. I told her to make sure she was at MGM DHS by 7 and to have a good time.

Danny and I headed back to The Land and Soarin’. We found someone who seemed to be on their own to give H’s FP to, and headed down the elevator.

We headed in and down the FP queue, and then something happened that made me feel a little guilty. Hannah had just learned about the red cards CMs give people in line to keep track of the wait time, and she wanted one so badly. She was kind of obsessed. A couple times on our trip so far, someone just in front of us had been handed one and getting one had become her number one goal of the trip. So of course when we were in line without her - the CM handed me one.

Danny and I decided we’d not mention it to her.

This is the wheeled vehicle line.

Once again we weren’t in the front row, but once again we still loved every minute of it.

On the way back to the elevator, I took this picture of the Living with the Land mural. It reminded me of home.

This boat was almost exactly where we had been stuck the night of the party. I took a picture so we could always remember.

About then, a friend messaged me “We want to see you in Mickey ears!”. We happened to be walking right by a cart with sparkly Minnie ears at that point, so I tried a pair on and had Danny snap a picture. Not Mickey, but I’m a girl, so I posted this.

Danny had never been to Club Cool and it seemed like a good time to visit.

Of course I handed him a cup full of the Beverly! And of course he hated it. For some reason I felt like I needed to try it again, and I must have made a really bad Beverly face because another guest looked at me and said, “That bad, huh?” Why yes, yes it is.

I made these notes about the flavors:

China- Smart Watermelon = nice, refreshing, lovely
Israel - Kinley Lemon = way too tart and intense
Costa Rica - Fanta Kolita = yuck
Mexico - Mezzo Mix = fine
Italy - Beverly = how is this Italian?
Mozambique - Krest Ginger Ale = very tasty

I guess I missed Japan.

We took a turn on Space Ship Earth after that.

This is where they park the scooters.

And then the ride:

The computer lady/psychic medium made some predictions about our future.

Danny will buy Google Glasses,

and a fancy Jetson’s car,

But the wifi will still be slow and annoying.

We will become so frustrated with bad connections, we’ll return to reading paper newspapers

and grace the cover with our excellent surfing skills.

After that, Danny was feeling like taking a journey into his imagination, and luckily we knew just the spot.

I think it’s a sad imitation of its former glory, but Danny liked it just fine. We were both pretty disappointed with where you land after the ride though, and spent some time talking about all the fun things we did with Hannah here back in the day.

On our way to Innoventions, we ran into a couple adorable little rodents!

I LOVE the smile on Danny's face.

Surprise meet and greets are my favorite.

Just after that I got a text from Hannah that went a little something like this:

Mom, is this normal? There is a trash can that just started moving around and talking to a little girl.

Hooray! The surprise meet and greets continued and Hannah and just spotted Push! We talked about it a little while and she was seriously impressed.

Push video from Hannah.

 

[dawnmichele]

Just have to chime in and let you know how much I'm enjoying this!! Your pictures are great and the more I read, the more excited for my trip in Sept! Thanks so much!!

You are so welcome!! In fact, thank you so much for the compliments!
Sept. is just around the corner - I hope you have a fantastic trip!

 

[dawnmichele]

Just in case you'd like to see, I'm adding some links to Hannah's videos of push. Each one is just a couple minutes long. It's not great video, but Push is pretty funny.

Watch video 1.

Watch video 2.

Watch video 3.

Watch video 4.

Watch video 5.

Next up: Wrapping things up at Epcot.

 

[labfan]

Those videos of PUSH are great. I've heard a lot about him but unfortunately never got to see him, until now. Thanks.

 

[sue_88]

It was a good idea to write down what you thought of the different soda flavors. I don't remember which ones I liked or hated.

I really enjoyed your spaceship earth predictions! I am sure that your future will be exactly like that as spaceship earth would never lie about important things like surfing skills or bad Wi-Fi connections.

Thanks for the update!

 

[dawnmichele]

It was a good idea to write down what you thought of the different soda flavors. I don't remember which ones I liked or hated.

I really enjoyed your spaceship earth predictions! I am sure that your future will be exactly like that as spaceship earth would never lie about important things like surfing skills or bad Wi-Fi connections.

Thanks for the update!

I wish I would have written down more stuff actually! I was keeping notes on on my phone, but quickly realized I didn't have nearly enough battery life to last all day. Next time we're taking a little device that can recharge our phones while we're in the park.

Definitely those predictions will come true. Disney can't be wrong, right? I never really thought I'd surf, but I do love the ocean and being outside. Plus it's super easy to believe WiFi will always be a problem.

I'm glad you're enjoying my (slow going) trip report, I hope you'll stick around!

 

[sue_88]

Yep, I will be here to enjoy your reporting! I love Disney trip reports.

I love going on, and planning my Disney World trips but I don't have any friends who are also obsessed. So I come here to get a dose of Dis!
It makes me happy to see other people who really enjoy leaving real life behind for a bit and staying in the "bubble" that is Disney Word.

 

[dawnmichele]

Yep, I will be here to enjoy your reporting! I love Disney trip reports.

I love going on, and planning my Disney World trips but I don't have any friends who are also obsessed. So I come here to get a dose of Dis!
It makes me happy to see other people who really enjoy leaving real life behind for a bit and staying in the "bubble" that is Disney Word.

Welcome!
I am a trip report junkie, I know what you mean.
My brother is about as Disney obsessed as I am, and I have an occasional friend who is a huge Disney fan and a Disney Travel lady, but that's why I come here too. Sometimes I don't get a chance to check in for a while, but I think about Disney pretty much every day, and am so grateful I can come here and geek out on it. Hooray for the Disboards!

 

[dawnmichele]

After chuckling at Hannah’s reactions to Push, we were ready to have some more fun ourselves. We were right by Innoventions West, so we decided to head in and check it out.

This place seemed super empty. Danny offered to zoom off on his scooter and check the place out while I sat on a bench and used my phone to check in the the real (non-magic) world. Danny was back soon to report he hadn’t found much. Remember when it used to have innovative stuff? That was great. This was more like a weak version of Science City or something. Some things were a little educational, I guess. For kids, I guess. But nothing like it was 15 years ago. We headed out.

We skipped the Nemo ride, but did stand around waiting for the birds to shriek “Mine! Mine! Mine!”

Dig how Disney magic can make their obnoxious behavior so adorable! I can’t help but love them. Silly seagulls.

We headed inside the aquarium part of The Living Seas pavillion. First we checked out a bunch of beautiful little fish in little aquariums.

The rest of my photos did not come out At All. I have a bad habit of just shooting away and never checking to see how the shots are coming out. This is especially problematic because sometimes I end up jostling the dial that selects the shooting mode, and making the camera shoot as if it’s a bright sunny day with lots of action when I’m actually inside a dark building shooting even darker aquatic animals inside of dark tanks. Which is what happened right here. So you’ll just have to take my word for it that the rest of this stuff is true.

We headed for the manatee area and watched a lady feed them a bunch of lettuce. Next we headed to the dolphin tank and had a fantastic time watching the dolphins do behaviors for their trainers from the underside of the water. What a unique point of view! I’ve seen dolphins from the outside of the water dozens of times, but never from the watery point of view. We loved it. Later we tried to find a spot to see the dolphins from the top side, but we failed. I don’t think it exists. Does it?

We wandered around the other tanks until it was time to head out. Except on the way out, we decided we needed one more communications lesson from Spaceship Earth.

After that, we hiked (well, I hiked and Danny scooted) out to the front of the park. It seems like the walk to the front of Epcot and then the walk to the bus stops is forEVER, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like the longest hike ever to get out of Epcot.

You know we had to stop for some PhotoPass Pictures on the way out!

With the ball,

And with Christmas Stitch.

The bus stop that takes you from Epcot to MGM Hollywood Studios is in the Way Way out in the crazy parking lot. Eventually we made it there and then waited around for what seemed like too long to hop a bus for our next park.

Eventually a bus came for us and we climbed aboard. Hannah texted us and she was on a bus to HS at the same time we were. Excellent timing. It was a fun bus ride for me because a guy with a camera started a conversation with me about cameras! “What are you shooting with?” he asked me. He was a Canon guy, and I’m a Nikon girl but we had a good time chatting about cameras and lenses and straps while being driven to the park. I loved it. Making Disney friends is awesome, especially when they’re friends who want to talk about cameras.

Up Next: Thanks for dropping by!

 

[dawnmichele]

Hannah arrived at almost the same time we did, and we all met up in the area where the busses unload. That was fun! I was happy to see her. We headed inside and Hannah took my picture with everyones buddy, Bo!

Originally, I loved Bo because I was so addicted to Coke (the cola!) and he always had a frosty one ready for me. Now that I've kicked the habit, were just pals because hes so dang friendly.

We headed straight for the big rides. We got FPs for Tower of Terror

Not only do I love the ride, I love the way the ride looks. From right up close in the queue, and from far away.

Hannah decided to ride Rock N Rollercoaster in the single rider line, and Danny and I decided to sit by Farifax Fare and watch people til she was done. By the time she came back to meet us, it was time to use our ToT passes!

The line was short, and before we knew it we were back in the boiler room. We had the best cast member of the whole trip on this ride. Niko entertained us while we stood in line and gave us instructions for our experiencw. I didn't write down any of the funny things he said because I was positive they were so hilarious I would never, ever forget them. Note to self: you are old now, do not trust your memory. I only remember the way he peeked in as the door was closing and told us Thanks for dropping by.

We stopped for our ride picture afterwards, thanks to Photopass Plus. Before PP+, I had never purchased a ride photo. Because most of them look like this one. But for free, its a good deal and turns out Im happy to have these, dorky as they are.

It was dark afterwards and we didn't really have anything we for sure wanted to do before our dinner ADR. Lines were kind of non-existent, so H decided to ride RnR again. I decided to take another ride on my favorite elevator.

This time I didn't get Niko and the CMs I did get were pretty regular. It was some girl's last ride of her last night working at ToT, so they made an announcement and she rode along with us. I guess this is why they were distracted and didn't get involved with the kid who was continually screaming about how she didn't want to ride. I always thought that in those cases a CM got involved and wouldnt let the kid ride, but not in this case. The kid screamed through the whole ride and never changed her mind about riding like her mom had promised she would.

Its pretty easy to pick her out in my ride photo.

I left the ride with that amazing feeling you get after riding a favorite ride and went to find Danny. He told me H had texted she was going to do one more RnR ride, and since there was no line for ToT, I ran back into the queue for it again!! So much fun!

That time I didn't even see Niko, but I think the CM I got was a Niko trainee or something. He was pretty funny himself. After we loaded in the car, he wandered into view with the phone in his hand, muttering about how he didn't know what was wrong, but something wasn't working. He gave the car a kick and was in the middle of saying Im not sure thats going to help as the doors closed and we took off.

While I waited at the photo desk after this ride, the friendly CM there asked where I was from. When I told her Kansas City, she asked The real Kansas City? which is a common question from people who are familiar with the area. Theres Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri and then all the many suburbs (KC is serious about urban sprawl). And then there are people like me, who live 30 minutes away in a smaller town but just say Kansas City because people know where that is.

Well I grew up in KCK, I said, but now I live in Lawrence.
Turns out she was from a really tiny town near where my mom lives so I actually knew where it was. And her sister was going to my (college) town's biggest rival school in Missouri. So we had a friendly talk about that for a while and were both filled with the spirit of its a small world, after all.

D and H were waiting for me by the entrance, and since I was on a ToT high, I asked H to take a picture of me by the sign.

What I didn't realize that our beloved Niko was working the gate at that point and was creepily creeping into the photo with me!

We had to tell him how much he had entertained us earlier in the night, and he continued to crack us up until we really had to head towards the other side of the park for a date we'd made about 180 days earlier.

Next up: Yummy noms in the dark.

 

[gracer9977]

I didnt write down any of the funny things he said because I was positive they were so hilarious I would never forget them. Note to self: you are old now, do not trust your memory. I only remember the way he peeked in as the door was closing and told us Thanks for& dropping by.

Hurray!!! So happy you are back and so happy to read more of your trip and more importantly see all your pictures. I love what you said about not writing anything down. I felt the same way and always forgot everything. Now I have a little notebook that I carry with me everywhere to just write random things in as I think of them. Will plan to have that little book with me when I go to Disney again, so I can remember everything.

Love the pictures of Niko creeping up on you. At least you can remember what he looks like now.

 

[dawnmichele]

Thank you! I'm happy to be back writing it. It's a little like reliving it, and it's always good to relive your Disney vacation!

I am for sure going to take a little notepad this time. Last trip I thought I'd use my phone to jot down notes through the day, but turned out my phone's battery could not keep up while we were in the parks. I wrote a few things down after we got back to our hotel each night but by then I was too wiped out to write much.

 

[dawnmichele]

It was almost time for dinner, so we headed down Sunset Blvd and stopped in a couple stores. H loved the Nightmare store and kind of fell in love with a hat from there. Hats were apparently the big thing during that visit. Hats and fascinators, like from Kate and William's wedding. She didnt buy it then because she is, as she says, frugal.

We tried to head down Commisary Lane, but there were people blocking off the street. They were telling people to go around to some other entrance if they were going to Osborne lights. We told them we were heading to dinner and they let us through.

When we got to Sci Fi Dine In, they were really backed up. They told us wed get seated faster if we sat at a table car which I thought was fantastic but made H all crabby and cranky. When she started complaining about who knows what I had to just get up and walk away for a little while. She was kind of an emotional roller coaster that day and it was starting to make me a little crazy at this point in the trip. Its magical at Disney, but real life still has a way of sneaking in from time to time. I left D and H sitting together and wandered around a bit.

It really wasnt that long until our buzzer went off. We regrouped and a guy lead us through the weird hallway and out to our table. I thought we had a great set of seats.

I was hoping to try the fried pickle appetizers, but no one else was interested. They wanted the onion rings. Danny and I werent seriously hungry, but we both wanted a milkshake which is pretty filling. We decided to share a burger to make room for ice cream. It's important to have priorities, right?

Our milkshakes:

The view from our table:

Onion ring appetizers:

Fun sci-fi movie:

We were near the back and could look in at the kitchen:

My half of the burger:

Hannah got some wings:

The food here was plenty good, and the atmosphere cant be beat. We love this place and have reservations for our trip this December.

Up Next: Those lights are Magic.

 

[sue_88]

Yay! Glad you had time to update!
I like looking around The Seas also. I love ocean life and find it very relaxing to spend time watching sea creatures. I would like to have a sleepover in the seas area!
I am actually a fan of the Nemo ride. I know a lot of people think it isn't anything special, but I miss it when I don't ride for awhile.
I just saw a post that Disney will have light up mickey ears starting next month! So excited to see people wearing these at night in the parks.
Your pics are really nice as always. I got photopass+ this time too so I am excited to get the ride photos.
I tell people I am from K.C. too.

 

[dawnmichele]

Yay! Glad you had time to update!

Thank you! So am I. I hate that I let myself get so far behind! But hopefully I'm all done with that and will post with regular updates from here on out! This is the end of day 4, and we leave on day 8. I've got a lot of pictures and stories left.

I like looking around The Seas also. I love ocean life and find it very relaxing to spend time watching sea creatures. I would like to have a sleepover in the seas area!

It's a great little break from the weather and the noise in there. (Sadly, not an escape from the crowds ) Plus the colors are so cool and comforting. A sleepover there sounds outstanding! I'll see you there .

I am actually a fan of the Nemo ride. I know a lot of people think it isn't anything special, but I miss it when I don't ride for awhile.

I feel badly about not liking that ride. It's very cute and Nemo is a great story. The first time I rode it was with my Disney loving brother and he likes that ride so much. He was so excited for me to ride it with him - and then I was just like "Oh, huh." I don't hate it, it's just kind of long and boring to me. SORRY to all the Nemo lovers out there. Just my opinion.

Your pics are really nice as always. I got photopass+ this time too so I am excited to get the ride photos.

Thank you again! This next trip, I'm going to try to do some fun things in the ride photos. If I can remember. It's certainly fun to have them, however dorky or fun they turn out.

I tell people I am from K.C. too.

It's just so much easier! Sometimes people know where Lawrence is because of the university, but everybody knows where Kansas City is.

 

[dawnmichele]

After dinner we thought about heading through the Osborne lights, but when Hannah decided she needed to go back and buy the hat she wanted earlier we decided D and I would take a turn on Star Tours and meet her at the exit when we were done.

Here she is in her hat, looking proud.

We rode Star Tours again, all together and checked out the dump shop. I thought about buying a furry Chewbacca hat but didn’t -- and have regretted it since. I’ll probably buy it this time to make up for it, if it's still there.

We stopped in the bathroom which I only tell you because of this very funny sign by the sinks.

I was so grateful for it, or else how would i have even known what to do?

We headed into the Osborne lights. I always thought these were over rated. Maybe they are a little bit, but I enjoyed them way more than I ever thought I would.

The snow without the cold was incredible. I loved it. I hate cold so it was kinda magic to enjoy the snow and not be wishing I could rush inside somewhere.

The music, the lights, the snow, the … I don’t know but it really was awesome. So we wandered around taking it all in. H got some almonds and shared them with Danny. I'm allergic to cinnamon, so I had to pass.

I was actually in the Christmas spirit which doesn’t really happen very often. So hooray for the Orsobrne lights!

We walked past the Splash fountain and I snapped a picture because I love this movie. “Mr Mango on my shoulder…”

At this point we were kinda wiped out. We decided to do One Man’s Dream and then call it a night. We were too tired for the movie, so we just checked out the museum part.

On the way out, we took a last look at the best ride ever,

and posed for one last PhotoPass for the evening.

But before we exited the park, we had to make a stop at Guest Services to let them know how much we enjoyed Niko! I hope he get lots of them! I wonder if he’ll be there when we go back! Only about 80 days until I can find out! Woohoo

Next up: Early morning at the Animal Kingdom.