"Fine! We can go to Disney, but I'm not happy about it!" **08/21 X5** Complete
- Thread starter MarieLightning
- Start date
MarieLightning
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I agree about the flags. They are kind of like the balloons of Animal Kingdom.
Also, I miss my hair being like this
It's just such pretty!
And that's saying something seeing as every time you looked at pictures of this day, you'd be like, GAAAAH HUMIDITY, STOP MAKING MY HAIR TRIPLE IN SIZE, BAD HAIR DAY
MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 882
November 14: Part 4 - "Look at all the Christmas trees!"
Once we left the trail, we just leisurely strolled through Asia for a tad longer, not quite sure where to head to next.
We'd already done Expedition Everest, and by now the wait time was getting a bit more lengthy. I was so not going on Dinosaur again. This was our only Animal Kingdom day, and we wanted to fit in as much as possible, but we were still a bit unfamiliar with the park itself.
So, we visited some more birds while pondering on what to do next!
Lesser flamingo? That's a bit rude. Like, I'm sure there's a scientific explanation to how it got that name, but still.
I guess maybe it's cause they're wittle pink flamingos and they're so cute! Look at them all sleeping and chilling on their one leg. They seem much nicer than in Alice in Wonderland.
That poor buddy seemed to have something wrong with its leg. He kept trying to bring it up and tuck it under him, but he couldn't. Maybe he was hurt the poor thing.
We left the lesser flamingos to their nap and headed on our way to our next destination, once we finally decided what that was!
Camp Minnie - Mickey! In other news, DRAT YOU AVATARLAND FOR TAKING THIS SECTION DOWN!
Like, okay, from some pictures I've seen, it does seem like it'll look great. But, ugh! Such anger! Not to mention, because of that expansion, Festival of the Lion King will be down when we go in May, and we were sooo looking forward to showing our friends
Of course, back then we were blissfully unaware about any of that stuff, so we went on our merry way
And started seeing them
The character themed Christmas trees! Everywhere! *squeals*
I love Christmas
Like, wouldn't you want this tree in your living room?
I'd leave it up all year long!
Donald, you're a duck. This is not how you should be fishing.
The Nemo tree is one of my favorites
Of course, I'm saying that now, but in the end I will echo that opinion for all of them.
What can I say though?
Aren't they all so spiffy?!
So, while we were at Camp Minnie - Mickey, we figured there was one logical thing to do - meet our jungle explorer friends!
And best part - they were all decked out for Christmas, too!
Doesn't Donald look smashing with his peppermint tie? I think so.
Chipmunk friends!
Minnie's tree is almost as precious as she is. And that's only because she's the most adorable.
They even had Lilo and Stitch trees! Bit random, all things considered, but I'm not complaining!
Of course, we had to meet Mr Mouse himself, looking very dashing in his Christmas sweater.
Next, we headed off a bit to the side, as there were a few minutes left before Pocahontas' planned next outing. So we waited.
And we waited.
Aaaaand we waited.
Until it was past her greeting time, and we decided to ask a Cast Member if they knew whether her schedule had changed. Only to be given the sad sad news that Pocahontas was not meeting that day.
That was a disappointment, that our one Animal Kingdom day fell on a day she wasn't there, but I took a consolation prize and posed with her tree instead.
Meeko has a tree, too!
(Side note: We did meet Pocahontas, and Meeko, last October, so there is no more sadness! Meeko was at Characterpalooza, and he was one of the best! Check my DW's trip report in my signature if you want to hear about it, I don't want to get told off for getting on her turf if I start sharing those stories. And well, I really should focus).
FotLK, how can I go to Disney and not see you! The horror! The abomination! The tragedy!
Click for next post
Once we left the trail, we just leisurely strolled through Asia for a tad longer, not quite sure where to head to next.
We'd already done Expedition Everest, and by now the wait time was getting a bit more lengthy. I was so not going on Dinosaur again. This was our only Animal Kingdom day, and we wanted to fit in as much as possible, but we were still a bit unfamiliar with the park itself.
So, we visited some more birds while pondering on what to do next!
Lesser flamingo? That's a bit rude. Like, I'm sure there's a scientific explanation to how it got that name, but still.
I guess maybe it's cause they're wittle pink flamingos and they're so cute! Look at them all sleeping and chilling on their one leg. They seem much nicer than in Alice in Wonderland.
That poor buddy seemed to have something wrong with its leg. He kept trying to bring it up and tuck it under him, but he couldn't. Maybe he was hurt the poor thing.
We left the lesser flamingos to their nap and headed on our way to our next destination, once we finally decided what that was!
Camp Minnie - Mickey! In other news, DRAT YOU AVATARLAND FOR TAKING THIS SECTION DOWN!
Like, okay, from some pictures I've seen, it does seem like it'll look great. But, ugh! Such anger! Not to mention, because of that expansion, Festival of the Lion King will be down when we go in May, and we were sooo looking forward to showing our friends
Of course, back then we were blissfully unaware about any of that stuff, so we went on our merry way
And started seeing them
The character themed Christmas trees! Everywhere! *squeals*
I love Christmas
Like, wouldn't you want this tree in your living room?
I'd leave it up all year long!
Donald, you're a duck. This is not how you should be fishing.
The Nemo tree is one of my favorites
Of course, I'm saying that now, but in the end I will echo that opinion for all of them.
What can I say though?
Aren't they all so spiffy?!
So, while we were at Camp Minnie - Mickey, we figured there was one logical thing to do - meet our jungle explorer friends!
And best part - they were all decked out for Christmas, too!
Doesn't Donald look smashing with his peppermint tie? I think so.
Chipmunk friends!
Minnie's tree is almost as precious as she is. And that's only because she's the most adorable.
They even had Lilo and Stitch trees! Bit random, all things considered, but I'm not complaining!
Of course, we had to meet Mr Mouse himself, looking very dashing in his Christmas sweater.
Next, we headed off a bit to the side, as there were a few minutes left before Pocahontas' planned next outing. So we waited.
And we waited.
Aaaaand we waited.
Until it was past her greeting time, and we decided to ask a Cast Member if they knew whether her schedule had changed. Only to be given the sad sad news that Pocahontas was not meeting that day.
That was a disappointment, that our one Animal Kingdom day fell on a day she wasn't there, but I took a consolation prize and posed with her tree instead.
Meeko has a tree, too!
(Side note: We did meet Pocahontas, and Meeko, last October, so there is no more sadness! Meeko was at Characterpalooza, and he was one of the best! Check my DW's trip report in my signature if you want to hear about it, I don't want to get told off for getting on her turf if I start sharing those stories. And well, I really should focus).
FotLK, how can I go to Disney and not see you! The horror! The abomination! The tragedy!
Click for next post
MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
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- May 23, 2012
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- 882
November 14: Part 5 - "It's called the 'Affection Section'? That's so cute!"
Once we left Camp Minnie - Mickey, we were both pretty much starving, so we knew it was definitely lunch time. We started making our way back toward the middle section of the park, because Amber had smelt the deliciousness of Flame Tree BBQ and she wanted some of that.
However, as we walked, we went past Pizzafari. It was right there, and it smelt good, and there didn't seem to be too much people. Plus, my feet were hurting again (I wish I could say I learnt from my mistakes, but I went from having janky shoes with soles that wouldn't soften or break in, to having shoes that turned out to be too small but I didn't try them on properly
hopefully May will go better! Third time's a charm, right? Plus, Amber and I just got us some Teva flip flops! Reviews don't fail me now!)
Amber was pretty set on her BBQ, so we talked it over some more. In the end, she ended up agreeing to get pizza, and I promised her we would eat at Flame Tree next time. (Which we did. And she didn't like it.)
We got both the pepperoni pizza (nooooms), and I got the cheesecake and the Caesar salad with a lemonade.
While Amber got the chocolate mousse and Sprite. I also got her Kettle chips, because I knew she wouldn't want the Caesar salad and she had gone to look for a table, but I didn't know what else she would want. Turns out, she's not a fan of Kettle chips, but at least she enjoyed the rest of the meal so it wasn't a total bust!
Once our tummies were finally full again, we headed off to get our first and only set of FastPasses for the day - Kilimanjaro Safaris!
The wait was pretty long so we figured we'd go for the FP option, and while waiting for our time window to open up, we jumped on the train to Conservation Station!
Disney, you get everything so right. Ever the floor. Like, how?
Admittedly, I had not read anything about Conservation Station before, so we had absolutely no idea what to expect.
As it turns out, it's a station. Where you talk about conservation.
Okay, they talk about other stuff too, but that just goes to say I shouldn't try to push further than the obvious!
We strolled inside the building, only to find that Rafiki was actually meeting there!
We literally had no change, so we couldn't toss a coin in there, but next time we will!
They also have some very fun and educative activities at the Conservation Station.
Such as...
Clearly, we couldn't get away from poop.
Hi shy turtle friend!
We like turtles. Turtles are cute. Turtles are our friends.
Snakes, not so much. Nothing against them really. It's just all those stories of hearing about snakes try to measure up to their owners to see if they can eat them. They make me, like, not want a snake.
Once we were done chilling with our reptilian friends (and not friends), we headed back outside the building, and that's where we came upon it.
The affection section.
HOW CUTE IS THAT?
Here I am, giving affection to a goat!
And here is Amber, giving affection to a goat!
Affection everywhere! Affection for everyone! I will never refer to these as petting zoos again.
The donkeys, unfortunately, did not get affection, because they were on an affection break.
My black and white pig friend was not on a break though, so I gave him affection too!
After a bit of time, we felt we had given our share of affection for the day, so we headed out of the section - but not before following this wise piece of advice.
This is one of my favorite parts of the Affection Section.
So punny!
Once we were done learning and affectioning (no Google Chrome, don't try to tell me that word is spelled wrong - I know for a fact it is not, because it's not a real word, so there!), we hopped back on the train.
The theming again! Disney, you need to stop being so fabulous.
(But really, please don't stop)
Click for next post
Once we left Camp Minnie - Mickey, we were both pretty much starving, so we knew it was definitely lunch time. We started making our way back toward the middle section of the park, because Amber had smelt the deliciousness of Flame Tree BBQ and she wanted some of that.
However, as we walked, we went past Pizzafari. It was right there, and it smelt good, and there didn't seem to be too much people. Plus, my feet were hurting again (I wish I could say I learnt from my mistakes, but I went from having janky shoes with soles that wouldn't soften or break in, to having shoes that turned out to be too small but I didn't try them on properly
hopefully May will go better! Third time's a charm, right? Plus, Amber and I just got us some Teva flip flops! Reviews don't fail me now!)Amber was pretty set on her BBQ, so we talked it over some more. In the end, she ended up agreeing to get pizza, and I promised her we would eat at Flame Tree next time. (Which we did. And she didn't like it.)
We got both the pepperoni pizza (nooooms), and I got the cheesecake and the Caesar salad with a lemonade.
While Amber got the chocolate mousse and Sprite. I also got her Kettle chips, because I knew she wouldn't want the Caesar salad and she had gone to look for a table, but I didn't know what else she would want. Turns out, she's not a fan of Kettle chips, but at least she enjoyed the rest of the meal so it wasn't a total bust!
Once our tummies were finally full again, we headed off to get our first and only set of FastPasses for the day - Kilimanjaro Safaris!
The wait was pretty long so we figured we'd go for the FP option, and while waiting for our time window to open up, we jumped on the train to Conservation Station!
Disney, you get everything so right. Ever the floor. Like, how?
Admittedly, I had not read anything about Conservation Station before, so we had absolutely no idea what to expect.
As it turns out, it's a station. Where you talk about conservation.
Okay, they talk about other stuff too, but that just goes to say I shouldn't try to push further than the obvious!
We strolled inside the building, only to find that Rafiki was actually meeting there!
We literally had no change, so we couldn't toss a coin in there, but next time we will!
They also have some very fun and educative activities at the Conservation Station.
Such as...
Clearly, we couldn't get away from poop.
Hi shy turtle friend!
We like turtles. Turtles are cute. Turtles are our friends.
Snakes, not so much. Nothing against them really. It's just all those stories of hearing about snakes try to measure up to their owners to see if they can eat them. They make me, like, not want a snake.
Once we were done chilling with our reptilian friends (and not friends), we headed back outside the building, and that's where we came upon it.
The affection section.
HOW CUTE IS THAT?
Here I am, giving affection to a goat!
And here is Amber, giving affection to a goat!
Affection everywhere! Affection for everyone! I will never refer to these as petting zoos again.
The donkeys, unfortunately, did not get affection, because they were on an affection break.
My black and white pig friend was not on a break though, so I gave him affection too!
After a bit of time, we felt we had given our share of affection for the day, so we headed out of the section - but not before following this wise piece of advice.
This is one of my favorite parts of the Affection Section.
So punny!
Once we were done learning and affectioning (no Google Chrome, don't try to tell me that word is spelled wrong - I know for a fact it is not, because it's not a real word, so there!), we hopped back on the train.
The theming again! Disney, you need to stop being so fabulous.
(But really, please don't stop)
Click for next post
MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
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- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 882
November 14: Part 6 - "They're all taking an afternoon nap!"
Hopping off the train, we had a specific destination to head to!
No surprise here. We just had to go back and use our FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safari! Yaaay!
I hope you like animals, because this update is gonna be full of them! If you don't like animals, well, you probably don't go to Animal Kingdom a lot and I don't think we can be friends.
(I'm just kidding. There's no judging. Like what you will.)
For your safety, no dancing on the ride! Seriously though, you don't want to get an arm eaten.
And off we go on our two weeks long safari!
THE WILDERNESS MUST BE EXPLORED!
(I really, really regret not signing up for the Wilderness Explorers last October. Really really regret it.)
I cannot remember the name of this fellow. All I remember is that our safari guide told us they were rarely seen (but we saw them again last time, so I'm starting to think we're either lucky or she was not entirely honest
)
Next up were our hippo friends! Chilling in the water (quite literally, it was pretty hot and humid that day).
This bird was showing off something fierce.
Don't fall in the alligator pit, guys. You won't get rescued. THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO KEEP ALL BODY PARTS INSIDE THE VEHICLE AT ALL TIMES!
I love the looks of this safari so much. It just feels so real - I'm sure if I actually went to Africa and did a real safari I might feel a bit differently, but seeing as I haven't and might never, I'm good with Disney's.
Little giraffe! So cute, just resting in the shade.
No wonder this guy's head is so down low. Those horns have got to be heavy.
So many animals. Well, okay, there would probably have been more if we had gone earlier in the day, because it's cooler then, but oh well. We were still satisfied!
See? Happy!
And here comes the elephants!
That water is so clear!
Baby rhino! Sleeping in the sun! Such cute
Blurry picture, but that's the only one I got of the cheetas. They were just chilling - like the majority of these animals through the duration of this safari. They were all taking an afternoon nap!
Click for next post
Hopping off the train, we had a specific destination to head to!
No surprise here. We just had to go back and use our FastPasses for Kilimanjaro Safari! Yaaay!
I hope you like animals, because this update is gonna be full of them! If you don't like animals, well, you probably don't go to Animal Kingdom a lot and I don't think we can be friends.
(I'm just kidding. There's no judging. Like what you will.)
For your safety, no dancing on the ride! Seriously though, you don't want to get an arm eaten.
And off we go on our two weeks long safari!
THE WILDERNESS MUST BE EXPLORED!
(I really, really regret not signing up for the Wilderness Explorers last October. Really really regret it.)
I cannot remember the name of this fellow. All I remember is that our safari guide told us they were rarely seen (but we saw them again last time, so I'm starting to think we're either lucky or she was not entirely honest
)
Next up were our hippo friends! Chilling in the water (quite literally, it was pretty hot and humid that day).
This bird was showing off something fierce.
Don't fall in the alligator pit, guys. You won't get rescued. THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO KEEP ALL BODY PARTS INSIDE THE VEHICLE AT ALL TIMES!
I love the looks of this safari so much. It just feels so real - I'm sure if I actually went to Africa and did a real safari I might feel a bit differently, but seeing as I haven't and might never, I'm good with Disney's.
Little giraffe! So cute, just resting in the shade.
No wonder this guy's head is so down low. Those horns have got to be heavy.
So many animals. Well, okay, there would probably have been more if we had gone earlier in the day, because it's cooler then, but oh well. We were still satisfied!
See? Happy!
And here comes the elephants!
That water is so clear!
Baby rhino! Sleeping in the sun! Such cute
Blurry picture, but that's the only one I got of the cheetas. They were just chilling - like the majority of these animals through the duration of this safari. They were all taking an afternoon nap!
Click for next post
amberg93
here, queer, etc
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I'm sad to think that those trees might not find new homes when they re-do all the sections. They're so awesome, it'd be sad for people to miss out on them.
Also, who doesn't love the Affection Section? All the puns! I mean, it's awesome
And I didn't not like FTB, I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would. There's a difference
Also, who doesn't love the Affection Section? All the puns! I mean, it's awesome
And I didn't not like FTB, I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would. There's a difference
MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 882
I'm sad to think that those trees might not find new homes when they re-do all the sections. They're so awesome, it'd be sad for people to miss out on them.
Also, who doesn't love the Affection Section? All the puns! I mean, it's awesome
And I didn't not like FTB, I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would. There's a difference
I knooow ugh, that sucks
Stupid Avatarland, go away! We don't need you!And sooooorry, my mistake
/
DisneyKid4Life
DIS Veteran
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- Mar 3, 2013
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- 4,409
Hi Marie, finally caught up.
Haha, it kind of makes me laugh now that Amber was somewhat hesitant before the trip.
I'm loving the look around FQ since there's a good chance I may stay there in, well, May... 2015.
Sounds like a great first night in MK despite grumpy mcgrumpypants.
Obviously I was way behind (not anymore though) so rather than fill a page with comments from postings almost a year old, I'll just add (again) that I am all up to date and ready for more. But I DO have to say that I highly approve of photos with cast members. And I also agree that it does always seem to be only girls around.
Ok I lied. I have to mention that the post way back in June when Amber went into ER choked me up. Obviously knowing what I know now (cancer free!!!!) makes it much easier to read, but still.
Haha, it kind of makes me laugh now that Amber was somewhat hesitant before the trip.
I'm loving the look around FQ since there's a good chance I may stay there in, well, May... 2015.
Sounds like a great first night in MK despite grumpy mcgrumpypants.
Obviously I was way behind (not anymore though) so rather than fill a page with comments from postings almost a year old, I'll just add (again) that I am all up to date and ready for more. But I DO have to say that I highly approve of photos with cast members. And I also agree that it does always seem to be only girls around.
Ok I lied. I have to mention that the post way back in June when Amber went into ER choked me up. Obviously knowing what I know now (cancer free!!!!) makes it much easier to read, but still.
MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
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Hi Marie, finally caught up.
Haha, it kind of makes me laugh now that Amber was somewhat hesitant before the trip.
I'm loving the look around FQ since there's a good chance I may stay there in, well, May... 2015.
Sounds like a great first night in MK despite grumpy mcgrumpypants.
Obviously I was way behind (not anymore though) so rather than fill a page with comments from postings almost a year old, I'll just add (again) that I am all up to date and ready for more. But I DO have to say that I highly approve of photos with cast members. And I also agree that it does always seem to be only girls around.
Ok I lied. I have to mention that the post way back in June when Amber went into ER choked me up. Obviously knowing what I know now (cancer free!!!!) makes it much easier to read, but still.
Yaaay!
I know right?! Now she's the one that's always pushing to go back! Not that I mind, but she's very unreasonable when it comes to Disney
And lucky, I hope you do stay there because it's so awesome! Amber especially loves it - if she was given the option between staying at a Deluxe and at the French Quarter, she would pick the French Quarter. Though, too bad it's May 2015 and not 2014, drat!
It really was an awesome first night! But I have learned my lesson, which is Amber needs sleep
Good thing that this May we're getting there a day early, that way we can sleep in and then be all ready to go for our first park day 
It was fun to get pictures with the CMs, though clearly I didn't succeed as well as you did!
That was a crazy time for sure. It's strange thinking back on it, and even now there's times when it hardly feels real. These are the moments in which we really have to believe things happen for a reason though, even though we feel it was wildly unnecessary regardless! But now she's, like you said, cancer free
and although it was a tough year, it did give us the opportunity to reevaluate a lot of decisions and goals for our future, so there's at least that!
MarieLightning
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November 14: Part 7 - "I've gotta take an iconic Mickey Bar picture!"
More safari! Once more, if you're uninterested because you've been on this thing a bijillion time, feel free to skip past the first few pictures. No judging! I'll try to get through it fast
But if you love our animal friends enough that you want to look at even more pictures of them, then have a cookie and stick around! I like them too!
Our next encounter was with Mr Lion! And as fate would have it - he was snoozing too! Then again, that's not surprising. Cats are the laziest animals (well, okay, after sloths), big or small, and everyone knows the lionesses are who get the job done
Then again, I've also heard reports that there is a cooling vent on those rocks for the lions to lay on and chill a bit in the hot weather, so that could be another explanation!
I'm still gonna stick with lazy big cat though.
After the king of the jungle, we stumbled upon another Lion King friend!
Or well, his living space at the very least.
Warthog homes! Say hi to Pumba!
"They call me Mr. Pig!" I need to watch that movie again.
Look at all the zebras though! So many zebras!
I'm surprised we didn't see any in October. Not a one. Nada. I guess they were hanging out somewhere else!
And thus concluded our two weeks tour of the African savannah. Boy it sure went fast!
We left the animals behind and went on our way through Africa, bypassing a dance party at some point!
We don't dance much. So we kept going
We had a few things in mind that we had left to do, but the day was starting to get late, and I was in need (or well, want) of a snack.
So I got me one of these!
Mickey bar! All the noms!
Okay, so it wasn't my most favorite snack ever. That will forever be the Canadian Dream, may it rest in peace
And, for those of you who don't know what a Canadian Dream is, it's basically an American Dream, no blue raspberry slushie, double strawberry slushie. But because that snack location no longer has the solf serve machine, that snack is no longer offered. WHYYYYYY?!
Still, I quite liked my Mickey bar! I like ice cream bars in general, so this was a nommy and refreshing snack. Amber had a bite, but she wasn't a big fan of it. Like she's explained in her own TR, it's not personal though. She's just not an ice cream bar kind of girl. Oh well, more for me!
The snack cart was right next to our next destination, so I nommed on it while we waited for...
Our One Hundred Acre Wood friends! Amber is a big Winnie the Pooh fan, so she was very excited about this!
As we made our way up the line, Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore were making their way down to go on a honey break - that didn't phase us though, figuring it shouldn't be too long, and we kept going on our merry way, getting a high five from Tigger as we did!
And guess what? They had a Christmas tree, too!
It was maybe between five or ten minutes before they got back, so we just stood and chatted, and Amber displayed her first trade of the Winnie the Pooh universe variety - baby Tigger!
And then, they were back, all decked in holiday wear!
Now, here comes one of my pet peeves. I know, Disney is not perfect in its entirety, and as such, it's also not perfect as a work place. Which means sometimes, some of the Cast Members may not display the friendliest of attitude because they might be having a bad day like anyone else - I know I have plenty of days at work when I so wish I wasn't working there. And it's easy to throw out the mentality of 'leave your problems at the door, these people's money is paying for your paycheck', but I don't think anyone can honestly say they've never had a single day of work when they just didn't feel like being pleasant.
That being said, we did encounter a not so pleasant Cast Member throughout this Pooh meeting. At this point, there were three characters meeting, but only two Photopass Photographers - and Pooh himself was left without someone to take pictures. So we did what is normal to do in this situation - we asked his character attendant! Amber says if she worked at Disney, that's what she would love to do, because it seems to be one of the best jobs. I'm sure it has its downsides like any else, but the basis of it is to walk to and from a meeting spot with your plush or fancy friends, and sometimes close the line (not in this case though since it was a continuous meeting spot).
So, all of that to say, we asked if he could take a picture for us. And he did.
He took this picture.
Like, I'm not photo expert myself. But is centering people in a picture really that hard? No, it's not. Unless you're that guy and you just take the camera up for two seconds to snap a shot without hardly looking at the screen, and then put it back down, because it's clearly the most unpleasant thing you had to do that day.
That being said, it's not like it's a horrible picture in itself - I don't mind losing an arm! But we were glad to move on to our next meeting friend, where a PP photographer was waiting for us!
And to redeem his colleague, he was AWESOME. And he took a selfie!
Best Photopass guy ever.
And Eeyore is such a sweetie, too!
We ended this meeting with our bouncy bouncy bounce, fun fun fun fun fun friend, Tigger!
Tigger admittedly always throws me off a bit. He's just so tall, and not only that, he's just not as fuzzy or plushy as his meeting pals. Him and Pluto both throws me off in that way. I don't know why - maybe I'm just weird. They're still awesome to meet, though!
With one more character meeting down, we went on our way and got to our next intended destination with a few minutes to spare - Finding Nemo, the Musical!
Now, I've gotta say. I'm a biiig fan of Festival of the Lion King (and I forgot to mention earlier, but we did see it that day! Lack of photo proof made me forget to comment on it though, but it was awesome and the part with Can You Feel The Love Tonight made me all fuzzy on the inside). It's such a great, emotionally filled show to me, and once more, I am so sad it will be down in May.
However, there's just something about Finding Nemo that gets to me just as much! Sometimes, I can't help but feel sorry for the people who skip out on Animal Kingdom. I know, it's a matter of personal preference - but I think it's also sometimes based on a lack of knowledge of how many gems this park holds. No, it's not a park I'll generally visit as often as the others in any given trip, especially if I don't have a park hopper. But skip it entirely? I couldn't do that - if only to see those two amazing shows.
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More safari! Once more, if you're uninterested because you've been on this thing a bijillion time, feel free to skip past the first few pictures. No judging! I'll try to get through it fast
But if you love our animal friends enough that you want to look at even more pictures of them, then have a cookie and stick around! I like them too!
Our next encounter was with Mr Lion! And as fate would have it - he was snoozing too! Then again, that's not surprising. Cats are the laziest animals (well, okay, after sloths), big or small, and everyone knows the lionesses are who get the job done
Then again, I've also heard reports that there is a cooling vent on those rocks for the lions to lay on and chill a bit in the hot weather, so that could be another explanation!
I'm still gonna stick with lazy big cat though.
After the king of the jungle, we stumbled upon another Lion King friend!
Or well, his living space at the very least.
Warthog homes! Say hi to Pumba!
"They call me Mr. Pig!" I need to watch that movie again.
Look at all the zebras though! So many zebras!
I'm surprised we didn't see any in October. Not a one. Nada. I guess they were hanging out somewhere else!
And thus concluded our two weeks tour of the African savannah. Boy it sure went fast!
We left the animals behind and went on our way through Africa, bypassing a dance party at some point!
We don't dance much. So we kept going
We had a few things in mind that we had left to do, but the day was starting to get late, and I was in need (or well, want) of a snack.
So I got me one of these!
Mickey bar! All the noms!
Okay, so it wasn't my most favorite snack ever. That will forever be the Canadian Dream, may it rest in peace
And, for those of you who don't know what a Canadian Dream is, it's basically an American Dream, no blue raspberry slushie, double strawberry slushie. But because that snack location no longer has the solf serve machine, that snack is no longer offered. WHYYYYYY?!Still, I quite liked my Mickey bar! I like ice cream bars in general, so this was a nommy and refreshing snack. Amber had a bite, but she wasn't a big fan of it. Like she's explained in her own TR, it's not personal though. She's just not an ice cream bar kind of girl. Oh well, more for me!
The snack cart was right next to our next destination, so I nommed on it while we waited for...
Our One Hundred Acre Wood friends! Amber is a big Winnie the Pooh fan, so she was very excited about this!
As we made our way up the line, Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore were making their way down to go on a honey break - that didn't phase us though, figuring it shouldn't be too long, and we kept going on our merry way, getting a high five from Tigger as we did!
And guess what? They had a Christmas tree, too!
It was maybe between five or ten minutes before they got back, so we just stood and chatted, and Amber displayed her first trade of the Winnie the Pooh universe variety - baby Tigger!
And then, they were back, all decked in holiday wear!
Now, here comes one of my pet peeves. I know, Disney is not perfect in its entirety, and as such, it's also not perfect as a work place. Which means sometimes, some of the Cast Members may not display the friendliest of attitude because they might be having a bad day like anyone else - I know I have plenty of days at work when I so wish I wasn't working there. And it's easy to throw out the mentality of 'leave your problems at the door, these people's money is paying for your paycheck', but I don't think anyone can honestly say they've never had a single day of work when they just didn't feel like being pleasant.
That being said, we did encounter a not so pleasant Cast Member throughout this Pooh meeting. At this point, there were three characters meeting, but only two Photopass Photographers - and Pooh himself was left without someone to take pictures. So we did what is normal to do in this situation - we asked his character attendant! Amber says if she worked at Disney, that's what she would love to do, because it seems to be one of the best jobs. I'm sure it has its downsides like any else, but the basis of it is to walk to and from a meeting spot with your plush or fancy friends, and sometimes close the line (not in this case though since it was a continuous meeting spot).
So, all of that to say, we asked if he could take a picture for us. And he did.
He took this picture.
Like, I'm not photo expert myself. But is centering people in a picture really that hard? No, it's not. Unless you're that guy and you just take the camera up for two seconds to snap a shot without hardly looking at the screen, and then put it back down, because it's clearly the most unpleasant thing you had to do that day.
That being said, it's not like it's a horrible picture in itself - I don't mind losing an arm! But we were glad to move on to our next meeting friend, where a PP photographer was waiting for us!
And to redeem his colleague, he was AWESOME. And he took a selfie!
Best Photopass guy ever.
And Eeyore is such a sweetie, too!
We ended this meeting with our bouncy bouncy bounce, fun fun fun fun fun friend, Tigger!
Tigger admittedly always throws me off a bit. He's just so tall, and not only that, he's just not as fuzzy or plushy as his meeting pals. Him and Pluto both throws me off in that way. I don't know why - maybe I'm just weird. They're still awesome to meet, though!
With one more character meeting down, we went on our way and got to our next intended destination with a few minutes to spare - Finding Nemo, the Musical!
Now, I've gotta say. I'm a biiig fan of Festival of the Lion King (and I forgot to mention earlier, but we did see it that day! Lack of photo proof made me forget to comment on it though, but it was awesome and the part with Can You Feel The Love Tonight made me all fuzzy on the inside). It's such a great, emotionally filled show to me, and once more, I am so sad it will be down in May.
However, there's just something about Finding Nemo that gets to me just as much! Sometimes, I can't help but feel sorry for the people who skip out on Animal Kingdom. I know, it's a matter of personal preference - but I think it's also sometimes based on a lack of knowledge of how many gems this park holds. No, it's not a park I'll generally visit as often as the others in any given trip, especially if I don't have a park hopper. But skip it entirely? I couldn't do that - if only to see those two amazing shows.
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amberg93
here, queer, etc
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2013
- Messages
- 1,150
Hey, Mickey bars just aren't for everyone
They look so cute when they're all dressed up for Christmas! I love Christmas outfits on characters.
But seriously, that dude. Like, honestly, it's not that hard to take a nice picture of someone quickly. As a former photographer, I can say that with certainty. Some of the best pictures you can snap in five seconds and move on, but you do have to care for at least that long. Honestly.
Best Photopass guy ever. For real.
And yaaaaaaaaay Nemo! At least we can show people that in AK when FOTLK is down
They look so cute when they're all dressed up for Christmas! I love Christmas outfits on characters.
But seriously, that dude. Like, honestly, it's not that hard to take a nice picture of someone quickly. As a former photographer, I can say that with certainty. Some of the best pictures you can snap in five seconds and move on, but you do have to care for at least that long. Honestly.
Best Photopass guy ever. For real.
And yaaaaaaaaay Nemo! At least we can show people that in AK when FOTLK is down
DisneyKid4Life
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2013
- Messages
- 4,409
There may be a September one snuck in beforehand though... I need me some MNSSHP.
All in all though you still got a pretty good look at the lions so not a complete loss.
You know, I think the zebras are severely hit or miss. They've been known to misbehave, so I think they may be taken backstage on occasion.
Wow, I actually get a kick out of that photo. Obviously you want a good one, but it's still funny to me to see how bad some people are at basic photography. Yeah, I'm easily entertained.
I want to be a PP photographer. I would have more selfie photos (and I am horrible at selfie photos) that every camera I get my hands on would have me in the pictures. In fact, from now on whenever someone asks me to take a photo for them, I'm so doing this... just for practice.
And the Pooh Gang outfits are better than the Christmas Party outfits! Not fair!!
MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 882
Hey, Mickey bars just aren't for everyone
They look so cute when they're all dressed up for Christmas! I love Christmas outfits on characters.
But seriously, that dude. Like, honestly, it's not that hard to take a nice picture of someone quickly. As a former photographer, I can say that with certainty. Some of the best pictures you can snap in five seconds and move on, but you do have to care for at least that long. Honestly.
Best Photopass guy ever. For real.
And yaaaaaaaaay Nemo! At least we can show people that in AK when FOTLK is down
It's alright, I still love you
I knooow they're adorbs. Minnie is my favorite though!
Yeah, he was just clearly not wanting to be there. Like, that happens to me every day of my life at my desk and I don't take it out on my callers.
Nemo is awesometastic, though it's not quite the same as FotLK, I am glad we'll have that to show the girls
There may be a September one snuck in beforehand though... I need me some MNSSHP.
All in all though you still got a pretty good look at the lions so not a complete loss.
You know, I think the zebras are severely hit or miss. They've been known to misbehave, so I think they may be taken backstage on occasion.
Wow, I actually get a kick out of that photo. Obviously you want a good one, but it's still funny to me to see how bad some people are at basic photography. Yeah, I'm easily entertained.
I want to be a PP photographer. I would have more selfie photos (and I am horrible at selfie photos) that every camera I get my hands on would have me in the pictures. In fact, from now on whenever someone asks me to take a photo for them, I'm so doing this... just for practice.
And the Pooh Gang outfits are better than the Christmas Party outfits! Not fair!!
Ooh awesome! I'm sure Amber's mentioned it already, but we're looking 20 to 27, or 21 to 28. I haven't looked at park schedules yet
My Aunt and Uncle did the safari in the morning and they got a really good shot! But we did still see them at least, so there's that!
I can imagine the band of misbehaving zebras. It has a catchy ring to it - I think it'd make a great movie!
We were honestly mostly just unimpressed
Like, it's not even a matter of skill at that point. Hold up. Look at the screen. Make sure arms and legs are inside the picture at all time and snap.You'll become a famous PP Photographer
everyone who sees you will point and go "Hey, it's the selfies guy! Let's have him take a picture of us so we can post his selfie online!". There'll be a whole thread dedicated to Rob the PP Selfie Guy on the disboards. You'll have to create an anonymous account at that point, cause you know, fame is no pickleAnd the Pooh gang really is adorable, especially Winnie! They were also really cute at MNSSHP though
MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
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- May 23, 2012
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- 882
November 14: Part 8 - "Donald's both on the Nice and the Naughty list!"
Once we finished watching Nemo, we were mostly done with our Animal Kingdom day. We'd done pretty much everything we wanted to explore that day, and there were a few factors against the things we hadn't tried - such as, it was a bit chilly to go on Kali River Rapids.
My Aunt and Uncle - who we had, again, ran into heading over to Nemo! - were in the same mindset, so we all started making our way out of the park. Once we got closer to Discovery Island, however, we ran into a bit of a pickle - traffic jam! Yep, it was parade time!
(Prepare for an onslaught of parade pictures)
And of course, it was Christmas themed!
Seeing as it was still fairly early in the day, and nobody was specifically exhausted or wanting to get out asap, we decided to stick around for it (unanimously. I promise, I didn't force Amber to stay for that one!)
I love that they managed to incorporate Animal Kingdom's environmental consciousness into the parade. I do wonder about the workings of it, though! I mean, those floats can't be light. Must be a bit of a heavy pull!
Isn't Minnie so cute?
Then again, when isn't she cute? What a silly question, Marie.
Santa Goofy!
Looking good, dude
I really love that Donald is on both lists. Like, maybe he was bad. But maybe he was good. We're not quite sure? He's a pretty versatile duck.
I feel like seeing this parade without all the Christmas add ons to it will be weird!
Confession: It's the first time, since November 2012, looking at these pictures numerous times, that I've noticed the tiger is wearing mittens, booties and earmuffs. I clearly do not have a very highly developed sense of details.
I have a very specific skill when it comes to parade. I am excellent at taking pictures of character's backs
Though sometimes it's a bit easier if they're on top of a float!
Mickeeeeey Mouse!
Phew, you can take a breather now, the parade spam is over!
Once we were done Jungle Jamming with Mickey and friends, we legit started making our way out of the park. It was actually starting to drizzle a bit at that time too, so although it wasn't quite closing time just yet, the majority of people followed our example (clearly we're good leaders).
Or it could also be the fact that there was actually just about half an hour to closing, seeing as Animal Kingdom closes pretty early in November (5 pm).
So we walked over to the bus stop, among the rest of the crowd, and got in the French Quarter line. If I remember correctly, this was one of the very few places where our bus was actually shared between the French Quarter and Riverside, so the line was a bit more lengthy than usual - though even then, nothing compared to some other resorts, like the All-Stars, the Pop Century or Animal Kingdom Lodge! We were pretty glad to skip past those.
We didn't have to wait too long, but this was one of the two times that we had to stand on the bus, going back to the resort. Once we got back, we headed straight to our room to prepare for the evening!
With Animal Kingdom closing early, and wanting to make the most of our other park days, we pretty quickly came to the conclusion that this would be the best day to go and explore Downtown Disney!
We took a quick shower and got ready to go. Amber also spent some time doing her hair - she'd felt she'd looked a bit frumpy from the humidity throughout the day, and she wanted a proof that she could look good
But of course, that's silly. She always looks good!
We joined with my Aunt and Uncle and got in line for the DTD bus. We actually had a reservation to make that night, too! But we were in no rush, seeing as we'd made sure to give ourselves plenty of time between leaving Animal Kingdom and getting to dinner.
I made Amber pose with this sign as we had missed out on meeting Phineas and Ferb at Hollywood Studios. Isn't she so pretty?
So many photo ops at Downtown Disney, too!
Admittedly, I was going a bit photo happy that night. I don't know why, but I felt especially excited! Not about being at Downtown Disney, specifically, and the day itself hadn't been more amazing than the others so far (not that it hadn't been great, either!). I guess I was just happy to be where I was!
And of course, anything Christmas always helps bringing out that excitement!
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Once we finished watching Nemo, we were mostly done with our Animal Kingdom day. We'd done pretty much everything we wanted to explore that day, and there were a few factors against the things we hadn't tried - such as, it was a bit chilly to go on Kali River Rapids.
My Aunt and Uncle - who we had, again, ran into heading over to Nemo! - were in the same mindset, so we all started making our way out of the park. Once we got closer to Discovery Island, however, we ran into a bit of a pickle - traffic jam! Yep, it was parade time!
(Prepare for an onslaught of parade pictures)
And of course, it was Christmas themed!
Seeing as it was still fairly early in the day, and nobody was specifically exhausted or wanting to get out asap, we decided to stick around for it (unanimously. I promise, I didn't force Amber to stay for that one!)
I love that they managed to incorporate Animal Kingdom's environmental consciousness into the parade. I do wonder about the workings of it, though! I mean, those floats can't be light. Must be a bit of a heavy pull!
Isn't Minnie so cute?
Then again, when isn't she cute? What a silly question, Marie.
Santa Goofy!
Looking good, dude
I really love that Donald is on both lists. Like, maybe he was bad. But maybe he was good. We're not quite sure? He's a pretty versatile duck.
I feel like seeing this parade without all the Christmas add ons to it will be weird!
Confession: It's the first time, since November 2012, looking at these pictures numerous times, that I've noticed the tiger is wearing mittens, booties and earmuffs. I clearly do not have a very highly developed sense of details.
I have a very specific skill when it comes to parade. I am excellent at taking pictures of character's backs
Though sometimes it's a bit easier if they're on top of a float!
Mickeeeeey Mouse!
Phew, you can take a breather now, the parade spam is over!
Once we were done Jungle Jamming with Mickey and friends, we legit started making our way out of the park. It was actually starting to drizzle a bit at that time too, so although it wasn't quite closing time just yet, the majority of people followed our example (clearly we're good leaders).
Or it could also be the fact that there was actually just about half an hour to closing, seeing as Animal Kingdom closes pretty early in November (5 pm).
So we walked over to the bus stop, among the rest of the crowd, and got in the French Quarter line. If I remember correctly, this was one of the very few places where our bus was actually shared between the French Quarter and Riverside, so the line was a bit more lengthy than usual - though even then, nothing compared to some other resorts, like the All-Stars, the Pop Century or Animal Kingdom Lodge! We were pretty glad to skip past those.
We didn't have to wait too long, but this was one of the two times that we had to stand on the bus, going back to the resort. Once we got back, we headed straight to our room to prepare for the evening!
With Animal Kingdom closing early, and wanting to make the most of our other park days, we pretty quickly came to the conclusion that this would be the best day to go and explore Downtown Disney!
We took a quick shower and got ready to go. Amber also spent some time doing her hair - she'd felt she'd looked a bit frumpy from the humidity throughout the day, and she wanted a proof that she could look good
But of course, that's silly. She always looks good!
We joined with my Aunt and Uncle and got in line for the DTD bus. We actually had a reservation to make that night, too! But we were in no rush, seeing as we'd made sure to give ourselves plenty of time between leaving Animal Kingdom and getting to dinner.
I made Amber pose with this sign as we had missed out on meeting Phineas and Ferb at Hollywood Studios. Isn't she so pretty?
So many photo ops at Downtown Disney, too!
Admittedly, I was going a bit photo happy that night. I don't know why, but I felt especially excited! Not about being at Downtown Disney, specifically, and the day itself hadn't been more amazing than the others so far (not that it hadn't been great, either!). I guess I was just happy to be where I was!
And of course, anything Christmas always helps bringing out that excitement!
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MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 882
November 14: Part 9 - "The worst that could happen is him saying no" "He said no"
After the first few photo ops, we finally started making our way in Downtown Disney a bit further!
It took a lot of self control and restraint for me not to go in that store just then - but although we weren't late, we had to walk quite a bit to get to our dinner destination, and seeing as we didn't know how long it would take, we didn't have that much time to waste. And once I go in a Christmas store, it takes a lot for me to come out.
We still had enough time for a few more pictures along the way, though!
So obviously, we stopped by our Pooh friends.
I was a bit more into this whole picture taking than Amber was. I guess she was hungry!
We bypassed a lot of stores on the way, seeing as we'd been dropped off at the Marketplace stop, and we had to go all the way to the Westside!
This store is amazing, from the outside as much as from the inside.
I want to live in it!
Or buy its entirety. Whichever is more reasonable. I'll let you decide.
And of course, once we got past the World of Disney store, we came across this.
The Lego Store.
Legos.
LEGOS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
IT TOOK EVERYTHING OUT OF ME TO MAKE A LEGO HOUSE WHEN I WAS A KID.
Okay, I may be exaggerating a little. But still, I mean, come on! Quit showing off, guys, it makes us ordinary people look bad.
So, after taking a hit to our lego building self esteem, we kept going on our merry way, snapping a few more shots as we did.
Someday, I will do this. Probably alone, because I couldn't pay Amber to get her in there, but I will do it regardless!
We soon made our way across practically the entirety of Downtown Disney, finally arriving to our destination! Any idea yet?
Ta-dam! Planet Hollywood!
Okay, okay, I know, Planet Hollywood isn't the most exciting dining destination at Downtown Disney. They have, after all, locations throughout the US, making it not exactly unique. But Amber had never been, and I had enjoyed it when I'd gone in New York, so we went for it!
We passed the bridge into Westside (I'm pretty sure there was a bridge involved anyway) and went up to the podium outside the restaurant, and after getting a picture taken at the entrance (which they later try to sell to you, obviously), we made our way inside.
Almost right away, we were brought to our table, and I tried to capture a bit of the essence of the restaurant.
Unfortunately, the lighting did nothing to help my photography skills. The movie memorabilia is really awesome to look at, though!
Happy camper!
The menus were brought forth pretty fast, and our waiter explained the workings of the Dining Plan at the restaurant. It was pretty straightforward, but I was very happy to find out this was included as regular drink selections covered by the DP!
Mea Culpa, I don't remember what it was exactly. Well, it was a smoothie, and I'm a hundred percent sure there was peach involved - I just can't remember if that was it, or if there was another fruit combo. But I do know it was delicious!
The wait for the food was pretty minimal, and soon our plates were brought along. Holy portions!
I got the ribs, which were very very nommy. The fries were also delicious. It was waaaayyyyy big though, so I only ate about a third of it all. Maybe half, at the very most.
Amber got the steak with baked potato and veggies. Also very big, also only partially eaten, but she liked it a lot still - though she says the steak wasn't as good as it was at Mama Melrose, but since she fell in love with that one, it was hard to beat!
Honestly, this was the night that we regretted the most not having a microwave back at the room, cause we would have taken our leftovers back for sure otherwise.
Throughout the meal, we actually got to chatting a bit with our table neighbors! They were a father and daughter from the Orlando area, just having a dinner night out! We don't remember their names, but they were really nice, and we had a great time talking to them. (And Amber does remember being shown the dad's old driver's license, featuring an afro!)
As the meal progressed, Amber and the daughter started talking music and the fact that people were going up to the DJ to request songs, and there were some they would like to hear themselves - namely, the Cha-Cha Slide. The other girl was a bit more on the shy side though, so she was hesitant to go. At that point, our waiter came around and started chatting with us, and he told them they should just go ahead and ask him! After all, the worst he could do was say no ;-)
Our table neighbor was still not keen on going by herself, so Amber went along with her. They soon came back, and our waiter came back to check on them. The other girl then informed him he did not have the Cha-Cha Slide, so they requested something else - to which he said he had already known that, he just wanted her to go ask for herself Awesome waiter award. He was really friendly and funny, though. I'm sad I forgot his name!
All was not lost though, because they did get the Cupid Shuffle to play!
And what does one do when the Cupid Shuffle comes on in a crowded restaurant?
They get up and dance!
It was honestly a super fun moment! Amber just sprung right up, and that was all the encouragement the other girl needed to join her. After the first song was done, Cotton Eyed Joe came on next, and she proceeded to teach Amber the dance, though that was a bit less successful!
The dance party soon ended (not without being immortalized on camera by a few onlookers, though - we always wondered if it ended up on YouTube somewhere!) and the father-daughter duo bid us goodnight as their own meal was over.
Our waiter then came back around, as our Dining Plan entitled us to a dessert still! Amber really wanted to give the ice cream cookie sandwich a go, and as a shared dessert, it used up both our credits.
It was very nommy, but that picture shows about the most it got touched (though it is flipped over since we made a bit more of a dent on the other side before we remembered we hadn't taken a photo). Our stomachs were just way too full to eat much more than that.
Our meal over, we had another appointment to keep, so we headed off on our way back to the other side of Downtown Disney! We got to Rainforest Cafe, which was the meeting point (and also where my Aunt and Uncle had dinner, which I forgot to mention earlier - oops!).
We then proceeded to wait. And wait some more. I didn't have the phone number of the person I was meeting, but she didn't strike me as not punctual, so I was wondering if we were in the right place - although we had agreed on Rainforest Cafe.
I used my cell phone to get into my email, and noticed I had one from her - asking if we were there yet! Turns out, she had been waiting more around the gift shop area, and we were right about where strolling parking is!
We made our way over past the entrance, and finally spotted her in the shop. We were meeting Hayley, of the Magical Ribbons fame!
A little before our trip, I had put in an order for a Gadgets and Gizmo Board, and five Christmas collection minis - and when she noticed on my Tumblr that there was a countdown for our Disney trip, she messaged me to tell me she was supposed to be there right about the same time! So she suggested, to save on shipping cost, that we meet up so she could give us the order instead, which was super sweet. She also had a random grab bag of super cute mini bows, which she was giving away to people who would 'find' her (as she'd announced on her Tumblr she would be in Disney around that time), and she let us each pick one! I'd figured she wouldn't, seeing as we were technically meeting up and not randomly coming upon her, so that was really nice of her!
We had figured it would probably be a quick meet up, seeing as she was bound to be busy, but we ended up talking for good half hour at least! She is really nice, and we actually got to meet her again in October, and will hopefully spend the greater portion of a day with her in May as well!
Eventually we did have to part ways though, and we headed off to do a bit of shopping! After all, who could go to Downtown Disney and not spend a tiny little bit?
Our first stop was the Pin Trading Store!
Pride Mickey Head on display!
We went around the store a little, but didn't actually end up buying anything. However, as we were there, the trading board was up for grabs, and so we jumped right in that line!
Amber got herself two Pooh characters themed pins! I, however, only ended up grabbing one - a toddler Mulan pin - because I couldn't see anything else I liked. And boy do I regret it still! There was a Rapunzel shoe pin right there, and the Cast Member even pointed it out as it's only bought through a set, but I hadn't really seen the set so I wasn't super interested. Turns out, now it's one of only two that I'm missing!
Point is, if you see a pin you think you might possibly end up liking, grab it! If you change your mind, you can trade it back, but otherwise, your chance is lost.
Our next destination was the World of Disney store, which we explored very thoroughly, as we had decided that all our Christmas presents for friends and family that year would come from Disney! (Spoiler alert - we spent a lot of money).
We spent a looot of time looking through the store, trying to find presents for everyone. Result of the evening - a big bill, a slightly grumpy Marie from not feeling like she found the perfect present for everybody because she's a crazy overachiever, and killing feet.
Boy were we glad to be on our way!
With everything paid for, and set to ship back to our resort, we trudged back to the bus stop and waited for transportation to come along. It was my turn to be in a bad mood - my back was in a lot of pain, so were my feet (which, granted, was my fault for wearing flats, but I'd figured DTD wouldn't be as much walking as a typical Disney day. Yes, I know.) and I was exhausted.
I'm more of the silent grumpy type though, so I just quietly waited along with Amber for the bus and leaned against her on the ride back after it finally got there. By the time we were dropped off, I was very thankful our room wasn't a far walk, and we collapsed into bed almost instantaneously!
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After the first few photo ops, we finally started making our way in Downtown Disney a bit further!
It took a lot of self control and restraint for me not to go in that store just then - but although we weren't late, we had to walk quite a bit to get to our dinner destination, and seeing as we didn't know how long it would take, we didn't have that much time to waste. And once I go in a Christmas store, it takes a lot for me to come out.
We still had enough time for a few more pictures along the way, though!
So obviously, we stopped by our Pooh friends.
I was a bit more into this whole picture taking than Amber was. I guess she was hungry!
We bypassed a lot of stores on the way, seeing as we'd been dropped off at the Marketplace stop, and we had to go all the way to the Westside!
This store is amazing, from the outside as much as from the inside.
I want to live in it!
Or buy its entirety. Whichever is more reasonable. I'll let you decide.
And of course, once we got past the World of Disney store, we came across this.
The Lego Store.
Legos.
LEGOS. I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
IT TOOK EVERYTHING OUT OF ME TO MAKE A LEGO HOUSE WHEN I WAS A KID.
Okay, I may be exaggerating a little. But still, I mean, come on! Quit showing off, guys, it makes us ordinary people look bad.
So, after taking a hit to our lego building self esteem, we kept going on our merry way, snapping a few more shots as we did.
Someday, I will do this. Probably alone, because I couldn't pay Amber to get her in there, but I will do it regardless!
We soon made our way across practically the entirety of Downtown Disney, finally arriving to our destination! Any idea yet?
Ta-dam! Planet Hollywood!
Okay, okay, I know, Planet Hollywood isn't the most exciting dining destination at Downtown Disney. They have, after all, locations throughout the US, making it not exactly unique. But Amber had never been, and I had enjoyed it when I'd gone in New York, so we went for it!
We passed the bridge into Westside (I'm pretty sure there was a bridge involved anyway) and went up to the podium outside the restaurant, and after getting a picture taken at the entrance (which they later try to sell to you, obviously), we made our way inside.
Almost right away, we were brought to our table, and I tried to capture a bit of the essence of the restaurant.
Unfortunately, the lighting did nothing to help my photography skills. The movie memorabilia is really awesome to look at, though!
Happy camper!
The menus were brought forth pretty fast, and our waiter explained the workings of the Dining Plan at the restaurant. It was pretty straightforward, but I was very happy to find out this was included as regular drink selections covered by the DP!
Mea Culpa, I don't remember what it was exactly. Well, it was a smoothie, and I'm a hundred percent sure there was peach involved - I just can't remember if that was it, or if there was another fruit combo. But I do know it was delicious!
The wait for the food was pretty minimal, and soon our plates were brought along. Holy portions!
I got the ribs, which were very very nommy. The fries were also delicious. It was waaaayyyyy big though, so I only ate about a third of it all. Maybe half, at the very most.
Amber got the steak with baked potato and veggies. Also very big, also only partially eaten, but she liked it a lot still - though she says the steak wasn't as good as it was at Mama Melrose, but since she fell in love with that one, it was hard to beat!
Honestly, this was the night that we regretted the most not having a microwave back at the room, cause we would have taken our leftovers back for sure otherwise.
Throughout the meal, we actually got to chatting a bit with our table neighbors! They were a father and daughter from the Orlando area, just having a dinner night out! We don't remember their names, but they were really nice, and we had a great time talking to them. (And Amber does remember being shown the dad's old driver's license, featuring an afro!)
As the meal progressed, Amber and the daughter started talking music and the fact that people were going up to the DJ to request songs, and there were some they would like to hear themselves - namely, the Cha-Cha Slide. The other girl was a bit more on the shy side though, so she was hesitant to go. At that point, our waiter came around and started chatting with us, and he told them they should just go ahead and ask him! After all, the worst he could do was say no ;-)
Our table neighbor was still not keen on going by herself, so Amber went along with her. They soon came back, and our waiter came back to check on them. The other girl then informed him he did not have the Cha-Cha Slide, so they requested something else - to which he said he had already known that, he just wanted her to go ask for herself
Awesome waiter award. He was really friendly and funny, though. I'm sad I forgot his name!All was not lost though, because they did get the Cupid Shuffle to play!
And what does one do when the Cupid Shuffle comes on in a crowded restaurant?
They get up and dance!
It was honestly a super fun moment! Amber just sprung right up, and that was all the encouragement the other girl needed to join her. After the first song was done, Cotton Eyed Joe came on next, and she proceeded to teach Amber the dance, though that was a bit less successful!
The dance party soon ended (not without being immortalized on camera by a few onlookers, though - we always wondered if it ended up on YouTube somewhere!) and the father-daughter duo bid us goodnight as their own meal was over.
Our waiter then came back around, as our Dining Plan entitled us to a dessert still! Amber really wanted to give the ice cream cookie sandwich a go, and as a shared dessert, it used up both our credits.
It was very nommy, but that picture shows about the most it got touched (though it is flipped over since we made a bit more of a dent on the other side before we remembered we hadn't taken a photo). Our stomachs were just way too full to eat much more than that.
Our meal over, we had another appointment to keep, so we headed off on our way back to the other side of Downtown Disney! We got to Rainforest Cafe, which was the meeting point (and also where my Aunt and Uncle had dinner, which I forgot to mention earlier - oops!).
We then proceeded to wait. And wait some more. I didn't have the phone number of the person I was meeting, but she didn't strike me as not punctual, so I was wondering if we were in the right place - although we had agreed on Rainforest Cafe.
I used my cell phone to get into my email, and noticed I had one from her - asking if we were there yet! Turns out, she had been waiting more around the gift shop area, and we were right about where strolling parking is!
We made our way over past the entrance, and finally spotted her in the shop. We were meeting Hayley, of the Magical Ribbons fame!
A little before our trip, I had put in an order for a Gadgets and Gizmo Board, and five Christmas collection minis - and when she noticed on my Tumblr that there was a countdown for our Disney trip, she messaged me to tell me she was supposed to be there right about the same time! So she suggested, to save on shipping cost, that we meet up so she could give us the order instead, which was super sweet. She also had a random grab bag of super cute mini bows, which she was giving away to people who would 'find' her (as she'd announced on her Tumblr she would be in Disney around that time), and she let us each pick one! I'd figured she wouldn't, seeing as we were technically meeting up and not randomly coming upon her, so that was really nice of her!
We had figured it would probably be a quick meet up, seeing as she was bound to be busy, but we ended up talking for good half hour at least! She is really nice, and we actually got to meet her again in October, and will hopefully spend the greater portion of a day with her in May as well!
Eventually we did have to part ways though, and we headed off to do a bit of shopping! After all, who could go to Downtown Disney and not spend a tiny little bit?
Our first stop was the Pin Trading Store!
Pride Mickey Head on display!
We went around the store a little, but didn't actually end up buying anything. However, as we were there, the trading board was up for grabs, and so we jumped right in that line!
Amber got herself two Pooh characters themed pins! I, however, only ended up grabbing one - a toddler Mulan pin - because I couldn't see anything else I liked. And boy do I regret it still! There was a Rapunzel shoe pin right there, and the Cast Member even pointed it out as it's only bought through a set, but I hadn't really seen the set so I wasn't super interested. Turns out, now it's one of only two that I'm missing!
Point is, if you see a pin you think you might possibly end up liking, grab it! If you change your mind, you can trade it back, but otherwise, your chance is lost.
Our next destination was the World of Disney store, which we explored very thoroughly, as we had decided that all our Christmas presents for friends and family that year would come from Disney! (Spoiler alert - we spent a lot of money).
We spent a looot of time looking through the store, trying to find presents for everyone. Result of the evening - a big bill, a slightly grumpy Marie from not feeling like she found the perfect present for everybody because she's a crazy overachiever, and killing feet.
Boy were we glad to be on our way!
With everything paid for, and set to ship back to our resort, we trudged back to the bus stop and waited for transportation to come along. It was my turn to be in a bad mood - my back was in a lot of pain, so were my feet (which, granted, was my fault for wearing flats, but I'd figured DTD wouldn't be as much walking as a typical Disney day. Yes, I know.) and I was exhausted.
I'm more of the silent grumpy type though, so I just quietly waited along with Amber for the bus and leaned against her on the ride back after it finally got there. By the time we were dropped off, I was very thankful our room wasn't a far walk, and we collapsed into bed almost instantaneously!
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amberg93
here, queer, etc
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2013
- Messages
- 1,150
Yeah, I was pretty much like the child that was like, moooooooom stop taking all those pictures But now I wish I hadn't been because you were super cute in all of yours.
I do wish I remembered the father and daughter's names though because they were awesome and I did love dancing with her and just chatting away. It's a great memory for me about how nice strangers can be when we actually talk to them.
And everyone ended up loving their presents, so it's okay.
But now I wish I hadn't been because you were super cute in all of yours. I do wish I remembered the father and daughter's names though because they were awesome and I did love dancing with her and just chatting away. It's a great memory for me about how nice strangers can be when we actually talk to them.
And everyone ended up loving their presents, so it's okay.
DisneyKid4Life
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2013
- Messages
- 4,409
Jingle Jungle is a cute parade no doubt. And I sure do appreciate that they Christmas it up. Not a favourite, but certainly worth a watch.
I kind of regret not having made it over to DTD last Christmas, but the parking construction was just chaos. It really is a photo op magnet.
I have never been inside Planet Hollywood. Holy WOW ribs potion. That sucker belongs on the Flintstones.
Hahaha, I love that the waiter did that. Making 'em go up and ask for a song he KNEW wasn't there. LOVE IT!
So cool with the meet up. Not technically a DISmeet, but awesome nonetheless.
I kind of regret not having made it over to DTD last Christmas, but the parking construction was just chaos. It really is a photo op magnet.
I have never been inside Planet Hollywood. Holy WOW ribs potion. That sucker belongs on the Flintstones.
Hahaha, I love that the waiter did that. Making 'em go up and ask for a song he KNEW wasn't there. LOVE IT!
So cool with the meet up. Not technically a DISmeet, but awesome nonetheless.
MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 882
Yeah, I was pretty much like the child that was like, moooooooom stop taking all those pictures
I do wish I remembered the father and daughter's names though because they were awesome and I did love dancing with her and just chatting away. It's a great memory for me about how nice strangers can be when we actually talk to them.
And everyone ended up loving their presents, so it's okay.
You shouldn't have been because you were super cute in yours
I know, I really feel like her name started with a C or K but I don't know, I'm probably completely off.
It is a pretty cute parade! Kinda iffed at their retiring it. Disney needs to stop taking away parades
Yeah, those ribs were huuuge! I definitely wouldn't have splurged on those without the dining plan
And that was pretty priceless, especially when they told him the DJ didn't have it and he was just like, oh yeah, I knew that
Meeting people is definitely fun! We've actually gotten to chat with a few people because of Hayley's bows - people who notice us wearing them and approach us cause they love them as well!
MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 882
November 15: Part 1 - "We probably could have planned a bit more"
Another day, another early morning! Boy that trip was full of short nights. Such a difference from our October trip, which was full of sleep ins.
We got up to gloomy looking skies, but got dressed and went on our merry way nonetheless! No gray cloud is gonna rain down on my Disney parade!
We met up with my Aunt and Uncle at the food court (they were always up earlier than us, so they generally had a bit more time for morning eating than we did - not that Amber's a breakfast eater anyway) and got in line for the buses. Amber was wearing a special pin assortment today
Aaaall the Pooh and friends pins! That was basically the basis of what she was looking for this whole trip. She got different ones as well, but if a Pooh pin passed by, she was sure to grab it!
With the seemingly impending rain, we got on the bus and sang along to the music as we made our way to Magic Kingdom! Ziiip-a-dee doo daaah, ziiip-a-dee aaayyyy, my oh my what a wonderful day!
First things first, we had some important people we wanted to meet, so we went ahead and got ourselves some FastPasses for it!
That's right! We hadn't met the Princesses yet! Yikes!
(To be fair, this was our first full Magic Kingdom day)
The wait time wasn't actually that bad, so the return time was fairly soon. Honestly, we could probably have waited in the standby queue and met them faster.
But then, miss out on these?!
Never!
(Honestly, of all the surprise FastPasses to give? Though, it is a nice ride. But if you're gonna help me, give me Peter Pan's Flight or something.)
We were pretty much alone in our little FastPass gathering spot, but there was one more person to the side - and she seemed so lonely that we decided to drop by and say hello!
Yes, we'd already met Mary Poppins at Epcot. Did I care?
Obviously not. Honestly, it should be a rule. If a character is out meeting and has no line, you just go for it. I mean, what are the odds that you'll regret it? (Unless I guess you're rushing to get to a ride or a meal, then fine, have it your way).
Since we had a bit of time to kill before our FP opening, we headed off to the hat store. I had a friend from work who'd given me money to bring her back a few things she wanted, and on that list figured a personalized Mickey hat, so I went right ahead and got her one!
While it was being engraved, my Uncle decided to try on a few picks of his own.
There was a clear favorite. It did, however, end up back on the shelf (no worries, he has a clean head).
Hat in hand, we skipped back out and decided to do the logical alternative to waiting in line for characters you've gotten FPs for.
We got in line for characters.
To be fair, it was a very important meet - I did have to meet my namesake!
Isn't she just purrfectly pretty?
Amber has a newfound appreciation for the Aristocats. When she was little she couldn't stand it because her sister would watch it over and over. Her disinterest in it had always struck me as odd though, seeing as she's such a cat lady - I mean lover. Now, the wrongs have been righted.
After meeting one of our favorite kitty friend, we finally made our way inside Town Square Theater!
I honestly have no idea why we didn't go and meet Mickey. Like, no idea at all. What were we thinking?
Yep. 20 minutes wait and we got FastPasses. So we could meet a cat. We make lots of sense.
I do lovelovelove that they play Lady and the Tramp over and over in the lobby of Tony's
Look at this line! Whew, dodged a bullet with those FPs
Soon enough, it was our turn to go and meet our royal friends. First up was Cinderella!
Cinderella is my favorite childhood princess, so she definitely holds a soft spot in my heart. I had a Disney book of the story, and knew it by heart before I even knew how to read
Also, she kind of looks like Carrie Underwood. Or is is just me?
Next up was Aurora! Goodness that dress is so stiff
Amber was so dismayed to hear there was a problem with the makeover dress and they recalled it to fix it, and in the meantime had to put Aurora back in her old dress. It does look very frumpy by comparison.
Thankfully, she gets to keep her new crown and hairdo
Last, but certainly not least, was Rapunzel!
She was so, so, so precious. We both loved this encounter - she totally and entirely embodied Rapunzel, with her spirit and cheerfulness and just her general behavior. She set up high expectations of future Rapunzels for us because she was so awesome. She went on about our lanyards, how they were so full of colors, and how she'd painted right over Pascal that morning because she hadn't seen him on the wall. Precious.
My Uncle wasn't into this whole princess meeting deal, but I'm sure even he didn't mind taking a moment to meet Punzie!
Our first FastPass used, we made our way into Fantasyland (which we had yet to explore) to use our surprise set. Well, I mean, you got it, might as well use it right?
We didn't spend too much time looking over the queue, though it really does seem super neat. Instead, my Aunt, Uncle and I went right on the ride.
But where was Amber you ask?
Amber was on the ground. She hasn't got the best of tummies for anything that goes in circles, even wider circles, and seeing as Astro Orbitor hadn't agreed too much with her a few nights back, she decided to skip out on this one. Instead, she went on a search for a Mickey pretzel, which was unfortunately unsuccessful, so she got popcorn instead.
We soon got off our favorite elephant ride and I munched on some of Amber's popcorn while we headed to our next destination.
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Another day, another early morning! Boy that trip was full of short nights. Such a difference from our October trip, which was full of sleep ins.
We got up to gloomy looking skies, but got dressed and went on our merry way nonetheless! No gray cloud is gonna rain down on my Disney parade!
We met up with my Aunt and Uncle at the food court (they were always up earlier than us, so they generally had a bit more time for morning eating than we did - not that Amber's a breakfast eater anyway) and got in line for the buses. Amber was wearing a special pin assortment today
Aaaall the Pooh and friends pins! That was basically the basis of what she was looking for this whole trip. She got different ones as well, but if a Pooh pin passed by, she was sure to grab it!
With the seemingly impending rain, we got on the bus and sang along to the music as we made our way to Magic Kingdom! Ziiip-a-dee doo daaah, ziiip-a-dee aaayyyy, my oh my what a wonderful day!
First things first, we had some important people we wanted to meet, so we went ahead and got ourselves some FastPasses for it!
That's right! We hadn't met the Princesses yet! Yikes!
(To be fair, this was our first full Magic Kingdom day)
The wait time wasn't actually that bad, so the return time was fairly soon. Honestly, we could probably have waited in the standby queue and met them faster.
But then, miss out on these?!
Never!
(Honestly, of all the surprise FastPasses to give? Though, it is a nice ride. But if you're gonna help me, give me Peter Pan's Flight or something.)
We were pretty much alone in our little FastPass gathering spot, but there was one more person to the side - and she seemed so lonely that we decided to drop by and say hello!
Yes, we'd already met Mary Poppins at Epcot. Did I care?
Obviously not. Honestly, it should be a rule. If a character is out meeting and has no line, you just go for it. I mean, what are the odds that you'll regret it? (Unless I guess you're rushing to get to a ride or a meal, then fine, have it your way).
Since we had a bit of time to kill before our FP opening, we headed off to the hat store. I had a friend from work who'd given me money to bring her back a few things she wanted, and on that list figured a personalized Mickey hat, so I went right ahead and got her one!
While it was being engraved, my Uncle decided to try on a few picks of his own.
There was a clear favorite. It did, however, end up back on the shelf (no worries, he has a clean head).
Hat in hand, we skipped back out and decided to do the logical alternative to waiting in line for characters you've gotten FPs for.
We got in line for characters.
To be fair, it was a very important meet - I did have to meet my namesake!
Isn't she just purrfectly pretty?
Amber has a newfound appreciation for the Aristocats. When she was little she couldn't stand it because her sister would watch it over and over. Her disinterest in it had always struck me as odd though, seeing as she's such a cat lady - I mean lover. Now, the wrongs have been righted.
After meeting one of our favorite kitty friend, we finally made our way inside Town Square Theater!
I honestly have no idea why we didn't go and meet Mickey. Like, no idea at all. What were we thinking?
Yep. 20 minutes wait and we got FastPasses. So we could meet a cat. We make lots of sense.
I do lovelovelove that they play Lady and the Tramp over and over in the lobby of Tony's
Look at this line! Whew, dodged a bullet with those FPs
Soon enough, it was our turn to go and meet our royal friends. First up was Cinderella!
Cinderella is my favorite childhood princess, so she definitely holds a soft spot in my heart. I had a Disney book of the story, and knew it by heart before I even knew how to read
Also, she kind of looks like Carrie Underwood. Or is is just me?
Next up was Aurora! Goodness that dress is so stiff
Amber was so dismayed to hear there was a problem with the makeover dress and they recalled it to fix it, and in the meantime had to put Aurora back in her old dress. It does look very frumpy by comparison.
Thankfully, she gets to keep her new crown and hairdo
Last, but certainly not least, was Rapunzel!
She was so, so, so precious. We both loved this encounter - she totally and entirely embodied Rapunzel, with her spirit and cheerfulness and just her general behavior. She set up high expectations of future Rapunzels for us because she was so awesome. She went on about our lanyards, how they were so full of colors, and how she'd painted right over Pascal that morning because she hadn't seen him on the wall. Precious.
My Uncle wasn't into this whole princess meeting deal, but I'm sure even he didn't mind taking a moment to meet Punzie!
Our first FastPass used, we made our way into Fantasyland (which we had yet to explore) to use our surprise set. Well, I mean, you got it, might as well use it right?
We didn't spend too much time looking over the queue, though it really does seem super neat. Instead, my Aunt, Uncle and I went right on the ride.
But where was Amber you ask?
Amber was on the ground. She hasn't got the best of tummies for anything that goes in circles, even wider circles, and seeing as Astro Orbitor hadn't agreed too much with her a few nights back, she decided to skip out on this one. Instead, she went on a search for a Mickey pretzel, which was unfortunately unsuccessful, so she got popcorn instead.
We soon got off our favorite elephant ride and I munched on some of Amber's popcorn while we headed to our next destination.
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MarieLightning
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
- Messages
- 882
November 15: Part 2 - "Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow"
So, what was our next destination then?
The Barnstormer!
I know, we had a fascinating morning.
I do love the details in the queue. That silly Goofini.
Once we got the shortest roller coaster ride ever out of the way, we walked around Fantasyland some more and headed onto another first for us.
The teacups!
And when I say for us, I obviously mean minus Amber. If wide circles don't do her any good, spinny rides are a big no. (Which is why I was surprised that she wanted to go on Primeval Whirl in AK, but I digress).
For my part, I love spinny ride, and the spinnier the better! Amber enjoyed herself trying to snap pictures of us, while we went 'round and 'round and 'round and... well, you get the picture.
Once we were done spinning, we decided to go cruisin'
On the Tomorrowland Speedway! Yes folks, we really wanted to do it all, and we clearly had our list of priorities straight.
After our short drive, we pondered a bit as to what to do. We had a lunch reservation coming up, but it was still fifteen or twenty minutes away, making it too far to just head over right then, but too close to really get into a long line anywhere.
So, we did what any Disney doer might do in the Magic Kingdom when trying to pass the time (and take a rest at the same time!)
We rode the People Mover!
There is such a deep appreciation in our hearts for this ride. We're super excited to ride it with our friends in May.
We had a huge moment of deception though as there was talk that they were planning on closing down the People Mover for refurb for the greater part of May, to match up with the Astro Orbitor's refurb. I think Amber was honestly more upset about that than about the Festival of the Lion King not running.
Thankfully, plans have changed, and refurb now doesn't start until June! Sorry for June goers, but we were ridiculously excited to hear the news. Makes sense, though - you don't want two rides down, no matter how minor they may seem, during a 24 hours event. Especially one on which people can just go and chill for a little while.
With our visit to the People Mover done and over, we started slowly but surely making our way out of Tomorrowland and back toward the Hub.
The Trolley show was making its way up Main Street, but we went past to get ourselves checked in (we never actually ended up watching the whole of it. On our to do list!)
Recognize the look of our surroundings?
That's right, lunch at the Crystal Palace!
Funny story - the Crystal Palace is actually how I got Amber to agree to do the regular Dining Plan rather than the Quick Service. That's right, she sold out for a meal with Pooh bear and friends!
Fine by me!
We chose to do lunch because I'd heard the Crystal Palace got pretty crazy around dinner time, so it seemed like a better alternative. There was still a good chunk of wait though.
We didn't mind too much, passing the time by taking pictures and chatting and such
The same couldn't be said for other people however. There was a lady who was being especially unpleasant and mouthy (she got there after us, mind you) and complained to several people. She ended up being taken inside before we did, so either her reservation was before ours and she just took her sweet time getting there, or complaining pays off (actually, it's probably the latter, but whatcha gonna do?)
Click for next post
So, what was our next destination then?
The Barnstormer!
I know, we had a fascinating morning.
I do love the details in the queue. That silly Goofini.
Once we got the shortest roller coaster ride ever out of the way, we walked around Fantasyland some more and headed onto another first for us.
The teacups!
And when I say for us, I obviously mean minus Amber. If wide circles don't do her any good, spinny rides are a big no. (Which is why I was surprised that she wanted to go on Primeval Whirl in AK, but I digress).
For my part, I love spinny ride, and the spinnier the better! Amber enjoyed herself trying to snap pictures of us, while we went 'round and 'round and 'round and... well, you get the picture.
Once we were done spinning, we decided to go cruisin'
On the Tomorrowland Speedway! Yes folks, we really wanted to do it all, and we clearly had our list of priorities straight.
After our short drive, we pondered a bit as to what to do. We had a lunch reservation coming up, but it was still fifteen or twenty minutes away, making it too far to just head over right then, but too close to really get into a long line anywhere.
So, we did what any Disney doer might do in the Magic Kingdom when trying to pass the time (and take a rest at the same time!)
We rode the People Mover!
There is such a deep appreciation in our hearts for this ride. We're super excited to ride it with our friends in May.
We had a huge moment of deception though as there was talk that they were planning on closing down the People Mover for refurb for the greater part of May, to match up with the Astro Orbitor's refurb. I think Amber was honestly more upset about that than about the Festival of the Lion King not running.
Thankfully, plans have changed, and refurb now doesn't start until June! Sorry for June goers, but we were ridiculously excited to hear the news. Makes sense, though - you don't want two rides down, no matter how minor they may seem, during a 24 hours event. Especially one on which people can just go and chill for a little while.
With our visit to the People Mover done and over, we started slowly but surely making our way out of Tomorrowland and back toward the Hub.
The Trolley show was making its way up Main Street, but we went past to get ourselves checked in (we never actually ended up watching the whole of it. On our to do list!)
Recognize the look of our surroundings?
That's right, lunch at the Crystal Palace!
Funny story - the Crystal Palace is actually how I got Amber to agree to do the regular Dining Plan rather than the Quick Service. That's right, she sold out for a meal with Pooh bear and friends!
Fine by me!
We chose to do lunch because I'd heard the Crystal Palace got pretty crazy around dinner time, so it seemed like a better alternative. There was still a good chunk of wait though.
We didn't mind too much, passing the time by taking pictures and chatting and such
The same couldn't be said for other people however. There was a lady who was being especially unpleasant and mouthy (she got there after us, mind you) and complained to several people. She ended up being taken inside before we did, so either her reservation was before ours and she just took her sweet time getting there, or complaining pays off (actually, it's probably the latter, but whatcha gonna do?)
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