Ferb, I know What We're Going to Do Today! - Updated 9/30

[micandminforever]

The pictures from your first day were great, especially the apple turnover. I love all of the old rides, that I remember from my first Disney trip back in 72. To me they are what Disney is about, before the age of the thrill rides.

 

[If U Had Wings]

Cold and wet do not mix in my eyes!

I'll admit I was momentarily tempted earlier in the day. I was going to put my rain poncho on and everything, untill my BFF reminded me that getting at all wet might not be the best option for someone recovering from a respritory infection.

I can't believe how crazy crowded it was! That wait time for It's a Small World says it all!

I was amazed. I was expecting busy, but not like it was.

Connor's first ride on the Jungle Cruise was at night and he still talks about it. It's one of the few things he remembers from his first trip in 2004.

It was amazing the difference it made.

Yum is right! I will take one of those for breakfast, please!

I was tempted to get another one later in the week, but never did.

Wow you're just using night time settings? Do you have a point and shoot or a more souped up camera?

I just have a point and shoot Sony Cyber-Shot that's a few years old. It doesn't even have a fireworks setting. I was using the night-time landscape setting. I got a lot of really lousy shots too.

I found that I needed to be really close to things to get the shots without a tripod of some sort. I also used the timer button. I'd set it for the shortest time (on mine it's something like 2 seconds) so I could focus on holding the camera steady when the shot was taken. I picked up that hint somewhere on these boards, and I was pretty happy with how they turned out.

The pictures from your first day were great, especially the apple turnover. I love all of the old rides, that I remember from my first Disney trip back in 72. To me they are what Disney is about, before the age of the thrill rides.

Riding those older rides is always a blast to the past. It's part of why I love them so much.

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Wow! What long waits you encountered. I wonder if many of those were there for the parade taping?

 

[If U Had Wings]

Wow! What long waits you encountered. I wonder if many of those were there for the parade taping?

I'm thinking it must have been. I was looking at the Touring Guides crowd calendar for this December on that day and they gave it a 10 (out of 10). I'm not really surprised.

 

[If U Had Wings]

After a good night sleep I was ready for my first full park day. My BFF, I'm not so sure. She made it up though and we hit the food court for breakfast. Sorry, but no food porn. All I had was a yogurt parfait anyways, so really it wasn't all that exciting. It was good, but I prefer the ones made to order at POFQ. The granola was a bit soggy in mine.

I'm pretty predictable on my Disney trips, and my Sundays are always spent here -

We were running a bit late, but we still made it there just as rope drop was going on. Still we had to stop and take a few pictures of the beautiful tree just outside of the gate. I think the AK tree was one of my favorites.

The AK trip really started my obsession this trip with all the gorgeous trees around Disney. Here's a few close ups of the ornaments. So beautiful!

Like everyone else it seemed, we were all heading over to Everest -

We picked up fastpasses for later and then hopped into the regular line. I love the queue at Everest. This was actually my first time going through the regular queue.

And my rednecked ride photo (hands up of course!)-

After Everest we wandered over to Dinoland. I know many people find it a bit tacky and un-Disney, but iI get the biggest kick out of some of the detailing over there.

I rednecked a photo over there on Dinosaur too.

I had brought along touring plans for the AK, but really we ended up not following them. There were bigger crowds than I was used to at AK, but compared to the previous day's crowds they were small. It was very comfortable walking around AK. It was another very cool day. It was nice not walking around AK when it felt like the hottest place on earth.

 

[TarzansKat]

Thank you for the beautiful photos of the tree at AK! I didn't get to that park when I was there during the holiday season, so it's wonderful to see how they decorate.

Seems like your morning is off to a good start, and I'm glad the touring was a bit easier and less crowded.

 

[If U Had Wings]

Thank you for the beautiful photos of the tree at AK! I didn't get to that park when I was there during the holiday season, so it's wonderful to see how they decorate.

Seems like your morning is off to a good start, and I'm glad the touring was a bit easier and less crowded.

There weren't tons of decorations at AK, but what they had was beautiful.

It was such a relief to have a quieter day after the craziness the day before. I think everyone was probably over at the MK to watch the Jonas Bros. parade filming.

 

[TarzansKat]

There weren't tons of decorations at AK, but what they had was beautiful.

It was such a relief to have a quieter day after the craziness the day before. I think everyone was probably over at the MK to watch the Jonas Bros. parade filming.

In that case, I would say good planning on your part!

 

[micandminforever]

My favorite day for AK is Sunday also. Your pictures were great and I love the redneck pictures of you on the fun fun rides.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I'm pretty predictable on my Disney trips, and my Sundays are always spent here -

Do you avoid the EMH parks? We always do Animal Kingdom on a Tuesday since they don't have any EMHs on that day. We've been pretty lucky with crowds.

I think the AK tree was one of my favorites.

The AK trip really started my obsession this trip with all the gorgeous trees around Disney. Here's a few close ups of the ornaments. So beautiful!

I want my tree to look like this one! Big surprise, right?

After Everest we wandered over to Dinoland. I know many people find it a bit tacky and un-Disney, but iI get the biggest kick out of some of the detailing over there.

I think most people miss the idea behind it. It's supposed to be a bit tacky, and I love the story the Imagineers came up with for it. I get a big kick out of this part of the park as well!

It was very comfortable walking around AK. It was another very cool day. It was nice not walking around AK when it felt like the hottest place on earth.

One day I hope to be able to type these sentences. I don't know what Animal Kingdom feels like when it isn't hotter than the jungles of Vietnam!

 

[Native NYer]

The ornaments on that AK tree are beautiful. So unique, love it!

 

[MEK]

Loved your last update, but the crowds sound almost unbearable. And all the mountains going down at once ....What's up with that?

I also CAN't Stand when people stop in the middle of a row when it's going to be a full house. What's up with that? Especially if they are difficult to climb over. And I never know.....Am I supposed to wait for them to mover OR just climb over them. Hate that! REally annoys me (can you tell?)

Last June we actually had a wait to get on the peoplemover. First time ever!

That pastry looks so yummy.

I hope you guys get a good nights sleep. I am looking forward to your AK day!

 

[ladybugmom]

Hi!! I just found your TR!! I'm excited to read it as we're planning a trip to WDW this December!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Love your AK pictures, that snow man at Dinoland is just fantastic! I think Dinoland is so much fun and it's great that the christmas decortations are just as tacky as the place itself.

I am really excited to go on the Wild by Design tour at AK during our trip, I think they cover a lot of Dinoland. So hopefully we will get to see many of the jokes they have there.

 

[All7OfUs]

I'm so sorry, Crissy! I got 2 updates behind over here!!

Funny that you call your trips "predictable" and that Sundays are your AK days. It'd be nice to get to go often enough someday to have certain days I call this or that.

I can see why you love the decorations so very much!! They are so beautiful just in your pictures- i can only imagine how lovely they are in REAL life. Again, someday, I'll get there during the holidays. Meantime, I'll enjoy what I see here on TRs like yours

Admittedly, I am one of those who doesn't LOVE Dinoland, but will also say that the theming detailst the Imagineers put in are very clever. Clever enough to make me go there every trip?? Probably not; but fun nevertheless.

 

[If U Had Wings]

My favorite day for AK is Sunday also. Your pictures were great and I love the redneck pictures of you on the fun fun rides.

The rest of the parks I mix up, but AK day is always Sunday. I guess it's most predictable, because it's the one park I always hit just once.

My SIL got me renecking photos. I never like any of them enough to actually buy the pic.

Do you avoid the EMH parks? We always do Animal Kingdom on a Tuesday since they don't have any EMHs on that day. We've been pretty lucky with crowds.

I'm a big believer in avoiding EMH parks. I like to cut out the crowds as much as possible, especially at the AK.

I want my tree to look like this one! Big surprise, right?

I was thinking of you when I saw that one.

I think most people miss the idea behind it. It's supposed to be a bit tacky, and I love the story the Imagineers came up with for it. I get a big kick out of this part of the park as well!

My dirty little secret is that I love tacky, kitchy tourist stuff. It's the part of me that loves watching for all the South of the Border signs on the drive South, and who wants to stop no matter how yucky it is there.

What in the world does that say about me?

One day I hope to be able to type these sentences. I don't know what Animal Kingdom feels like when it isn't hotter than the jungles of Vietnam!

It was wonderful. It was the one day I didn't really mind it being cold.

The ornaments on that AK tree are beautiful. So unique, love it!

It was one of my favorites. I loved all the theme trees.

Loved your last update, but the crowds sound almost unbearable. And all the mountains going down at once ....What's up with that?

It seemed like they were having lots of issues with the mountains our entire trip. After one too many bad experiences I wasn't even going to try to get in line without a fastpass again.

I also CAN't Stand when people stop in the middle of a row when it's going to be a full house. What's up with that? Especially if they are difficult to climb over. And I never know.....Am I supposed to wait for them to mover OR just climb over them. Hate that! REally annoys me (can you tell?)

That's exactly how I feel. Especially when they are tellling you it's a full house. If you want to be in the center of the row, hang back and let everyone else go in first, don't run them down to enter the row first and then stop. Ugh!

Hi!! I just found your TR!! I'm excited to read it as we're planning a trip to WDW this December!!

Welcome! It was definitely a new experience seeing Disney in December. I'm glad that I got to try it once.

Love your AK pictures, that snow man at Dinoland is just fantastic! I think Dinoland is so much fun and it's great that the christmas decortations are just as tacky as the place itself.

It was fitting, wasn't it? I loved it!

I am really excited to go on the Wild by Design tour at AK during our trip, I think they cover a lot of Dinoland. So hopefully we will get to see many of the jokes they have there.

I can't wait to hear all about the tour!

I'm so sorry, Crissy! I got 2 updates behind over here!!

Funny that you call your trips "predictable" and that Sundays are your AK days. It'd be nice to get to go often enough someday to have certain days I call this or that. [/quote

I use to average a trip every 5 to 7 years, but the past 4 years or so, I've been taking a trip a year. I've really been enjoying it, but part of me is really feeling like I could use a bit of a break. I think I need to go and check something else out.

Maybe...

I can see why you love the decorations so very much!! They are so beautiful just in your pictures- i can only imagine how lovely they are in REAL life. Again, someday, I'll get there during the holidays. Meantime, I'll enjoy what I see here on TRs like yours

I loved the uniqueness of all the decorations. They put so much thought into decorating each area.

Admittedly, I am one of those who doesn't LOVE Dinoland, but will also say that the theming detailst the Imagineers put in are very clever. Clever enough to make me go there every trip?? Probably not; but fun nevertheless.

My favorite part of dinoland is actually the simplest thing. I get a huge kick out of the ground, and how it looks like a traveling carnival set up in a parking lot. For some reason it just makes me smile.

 

[If U Had Wings]

a mini pre-trip report!!!



Yes, in a little over a month I'll be heading to Disney for a spur of the moment vacation!!!

Woo Hoo!

How'd this come about so quickly?

My parents had been talking about going down to Florida for a vacation for awhile. Their plan was to head to Disney for a week, and then rent a car to drive down to visit my grandmother for another week. They'd been discussing this since last fall, but no plans had ever been made. After the New Year they finally set a time for March to head down.

Meanwhile everytime talked to my grandmother on the phone she'd automatically ask me when I was going to come down to visit her. She's 93 years old and has dementia, so she can no longer make trips up north to visit. I'd been wanting to visit, but timing wise nothing was working out.

Then a bit of luck came my way. At work we got the good news earlier this month that after nearly two years of no pay increases or bonuses we'd all be eligible for bonuses in June and would be receiving a one time "transitional" payment in February.

A smarter person would probably use that payment to pay a bill, but my first thought was to use it to visit my grandmother. Since my parents were going to be in Florida, my original plan was to fly to Orlando, have them pick me up and then drive down to my grandmother's with them. Flights were cheaper to Orlando, than the airport near my grandmother's and I wouldn't have to worry about transfers either.

That's how it started. Before I knew it my mother was talking me into joining them in Disney before heading to my grandmother's. At first I was a bit resistent because I didn't want to "crash" their vacation, but they both were insistent that they really wanted me to come.

So...I'm heading to Disney for a bonus trip this year!

I'll be in Disney from Feb. 26th to March 3, and then I'll be driving down to visit my grandmother until March 7th. I won't be doing a regular pre-trip report for the trip, but I will check in here with some of the details.

I'm loving that I'm getting some extra use out of my AP!!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Woo hoo for a mini-vacation to Disney!!!

I love tacky, kitschy, touristy stuff, too, so whatever it says about you, it's saying the same thing about me.

 

[Flossbolna]

I just was about to post asking about your new ticker! How wonderful! It is so funny how everyone with an AP ends up going much more often than originally planned...

for the bonus as well! Besides the money side I think it is always also a great way of feeling appreciated by your employer!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

Great Animal Kingdom pictures, especially the tree! I took many photos of it as well. We rode EE for the first time this year and it scared the bejeezus out of me. I think it was the backwards part! I can't believe you had your hands in the air and not hanging out for dear life. LOL!!