From Deployments to Disney and Textbooks to Trams here's a Dec 2010 TR. Completed!

[PirateKate]

Too bad about the noisy kids. Maybe the parents never considered that anyone might be napping in the afternoon. Or maybe they just didn't care. Still annoying to get woken up, though.

I think it's nice to have those moments when you realize you're really at Disney. Rushing is fun, sometimes, but not rushing can be even better.

 

[ChildAtHeart82]

Looking forward to hearing about your experience with the lights! I think they were my favorite part of the Disney trip. I say that about a lot of things from that trip, though.

We have never been huge fans of the afternoon break until our last trip. Now, I agree with you and everyone else. It's a good idea. I have to really work to take Disney at a slower pace but I'm always glad when we do.

I'm sorry your nap got interrupted. Every time I hear a story like this, I make it my goal to never be that parent. I'm sure at some point I may experience things from the other side, but I have yet to figure out how that happens.

 

[amazingact21]

So glad you guys were able to relax and take in the details! I can't wait the hear about the Osbourne Festival of Lights.

It was really nice to be able to rest for awhile and then take our time. HS might not be biggest park, but there are still a lot of details to take in.

Too bad about the noisy kids. Maybe the parents never considered that anyone might be napping in the afternoon. Or maybe they just didn't care. Still annoying to get woken up, though.

I think it's nice to have those moments when you realize you're really at Disney. Rushing is fun, sometimes, but not rushing can be even better.

Initially, I was thinking the same thing about the parents, but after about five minutes I gave the kids the benifit of the doubt. 3 o'clock is not a normal time to sleep, so the kids probably didn't even think about waking someone up. Plus, I just kept telling myself they were excited to be at Disney. Working at a daycare, I know the noise level of kids gets really loud really quickly, so I just brushed the whole thing off.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience with the lights! I think they were my favorite part of the Disney trip. I say that about a lot of things from that trip, though.

We have never been huge fans of the afternoon break until our last trip. Now, I agree with you and everyone else. It's a good idea. I have to really work to take Disney at a slower pace but I'm always glad when we do.

I'm sorry your nap got interrupted. Every time I hear a story like this, I make it my goal to never be that parent. I'm sure at some point I may experience things from the other side, but I have yet to figure out how that happens.

I say the same thing as well, but I really think the lights were my favorite part, as well. I guess because all my senses were engaged, I just felt more invovled.

Did you start deciding to take afternoon breaks when you started to bring a baby? I'm always curious to see how people's trips shift once they start bringing babies and children.


I know at some point my brothers and I probably woke some sleeping neighbor while staying at a hotel. Sometimes, it's inevitable. The parents are busy unpacking and figuring out schedules and activities, the kids are restless from a long plane/carride and want to burn off some energy. That's why my frustration didn't last long. By the time we were back in HS I'd forgotten about it.

 

[robin19871]

SOG was wonderful, and I plan on staying there again on future trips. Have you stayed poolside before? I'd be curious to know if that is better/worse/same as staying on the golf course side.

I discovered Starbucks on my last morning there. It was the ONLY morning I managed to get a good cup of coffee. [/QUOTE]

The first year they put us ground floor by the pond facing the golf course. Last year I requested the new wing on the top floor facing the castle.(We were able to watch the fireworks every night.) This year we are staying poolside in the old wing because it is a hike everday to get anywhere from the new wing.(Magnolia pool so we can see the fireworks.) (Thanks Dis Board people.) Glad you finally found your coffee even it was the last day.

 

[amazingact21]

The first year they put us ground floor by the pond facing the golf course. Last year I requested the new wing on the top floor facing the castle.(We were able to watch the fireworks every night.) This year we are staying poolside in the old wing because it is a hike everday to get anywhere from the new wing.(Magnolia pool so we can see the fireworks.) (Thanks Dis Board people.) Glad you finally found your coffee even it was the last day.

Being able to watch the fireworks from your room had to be wonderful, but I can understand you wanting to be closer to everything.
Our room overlooking the golf course was nice and quiet, especially when it was just the two of us, but I think for future trips I'd like to have someplace closer to the pool. If I tell DBF about being able to watch the fireworks from the new wing, he'll insist we try and get one of those rooms.

 

[amazingact21]

I can't believe how long it has been since I updated this TR! I am really sorry. It's the most hectic time of the year for me. I've been trying to get my taxes done, resubmit my scholarship applications for next year, schedule summer classes, intern, and complete some very challenging school projects. Add on to that visiting family and DBF's work shift changing and you have my reasons for putting my TR on the back burner.

Luckily, though, my Spring Break begins next Wednesday and my internship ends on Tuesday, so I should have plenty of free time to post updates.

Whew, and I'm rambling. Let's get back to my trip!


My favorite moment of the trip: The Osbourne Spectacle of Lights

I left off with DBF and I staking out a spot for the light show. we sat down near the entrance, by the Cheverlot sign:


I had to use the restroom and DBF was freezing, so we agreed I'd go use the bathroom and then walk down to a little shop and see if I could find him a beanie to wear. He had on a nice leather jacket and pants, but his head was really cold.

"You've got a nice head of hair keeping your ears warm. I've got nothing."

Seeing as I've had my hair fairly long all my life, I never really thought about how cold some people's heads could get without it. Hence, why I agreed to go do some shopping for DBF.


However, when I got to the outside shop, there weren't any hats or beanies that I was willing to spend good money on. I ran back to DBF really fast and asked him if he'd prefer a blanket, instead.

He consented, so I returned and picked up a blue and white one and got in the ridiculously long line. Apparently, everyone who was waiting for the lights to turn on had the same idea as me, and we were all congregated into this one tiny store.

Five minutes passed, and I was around the 3rd person in line when I remembered we only had a few dollars in cash.

Not enough to cover the cost of the blanket.

Our only other option was to use the card we'd brought along (which was our main form of payment, anyways.)

The only issue with that is that it wasn't my card.

We'd put all our vacation money into one account, that way we wouldn't be worrying about carrying around two different cards in the parks.


I stood there for a couple seconds weighing my options. I could go ahead and pay with the card and pray that they wouldn't ask to see my ID. So far on the trip, none of the CMs had asked that. And thankfully Alex is a unisex name so I could get away with signing that name.

I seriously considered going through it. I would've called DBF to come switch places with me, but
1)His cell phone was in the bag I was carrying
and
2) If he left, we'd lose our nice seats

In the end, I returned the blanket to its spot on the shelf and walked back to DBF. I explained the situation, and he agreed it was the right choice. Taking the bag, he left to go buy the blanket himself.


Fifteen minutes later he returned with a black and yellow blanket. He thought that one was cooler looking, so I suppose it was good that I didn't purchase my original choice.

"So, guess what happened?" DBF asked me after he sat back down.

"What?"

"They verified my identification."


WHEW. Being a good, honest person paid off for once.


So now, DBF was nice and warm and we sat waiting for the show to start, very content.



Before the lights came on, the snow began to fall.
It was beautiful. I've lived in places where it snowed, and even my current home in Florida saw some snow two winters ago.

I love the stuff.

Now, I say that, but I've never had to drive in it, plow it, or clean the floors after dragging it in. I'm sure if I had to do that on a daily basis I'd hate the stuff.

But since I haven't...I was estatic to see the fluffy white flakes falling from the rooftops.




Between that and the extreme cold, I truly felt as if I were in the middle of winter. It definitely did not feel like I was in central Florida, that's for sure.

Soon after, the lights turned on.

Seeing all those lights appear in the dark is remarkable. We stayed long enough to see them come on several times, but nothing compares to that first time.
I couldn't believe there really were that many lights.

Pictures cannot do justice. It's something you have to experience yourself to completely understand how overwhelming it is.




I stood in the streets in complete awe for a good five minutes. It was jam packed with other families, but everyone was so incredibly friendly. DBF turned to a couple and asked if they could take a picture for us, and they were very friendly about it.



As the show went on, we walked around to see what it looked like from different views. My favorite place was under the red arches, facing the big Christmas tree.






Along the sidewalks, there were so many details to take in.




I wanted to stay there forever. The whole atmosphere put me in such a happy mood. Everywhere I looked people were dancing and singing. We passed by a young family and their baby was having the time of his life. He ran into DBF a few times, because he was too busy looking up to watch where we was moving.
Seeing him made me want to bring my own children to the lights someday.


DBF and I saw a stand selling hot cocoa, and we figured that'd be the perfect thing to have at the moment.
And we were right.

My senses were on overload. Seeing the lights, listening to the carols, feeling the snow hit my cheeks, smelling and tasting the hot cocoa.


Perfection




DBF and I stayed and strolled around for a good 45 minutes. I didn't want to leave. I knew from the moment the lights turned on, nothing was going to top the lights, and so I didn't want to leave that moment behind. Originally, I'd planned to stop by the lights for a little while, and then we were supposed to go see Fantasmic!

Well, about 7:00, the time when we really needed to head out if we were going to catch the show, I turned to DBF and asked what he'd rather do.
His response: "We can see Fantasmic any time we come back here. What are the chances of us coming during the holidays again? It won't be anytime soon, that's for sure."




Those words sang in my heart. My DBF knew me well enough to know how much I was enjoying myself.

So forget Fantasmic! We stayed another fifteen minutes, then finally, depressingly, we made our way out of the lights.

I had to take one last picture before we left!



Overall, it was amazing. By far, Disney's best holiday special, in my opinion. Even now, months later, when I think back to my trip, that night is the first thing that pops into my head.

I was bummed that we'd left the Osbourne lights, but I knew we had to move on. DBF and I had our first ever EMH night ahead of us, and we wanted to party until 1a.m!


Coming up....DBF and I found a new love...going on rides in the dark!!!

 

[PirateKate]

I love the Osbourne Lights! They are so magical, I can see why they would be your favorite. I agree that no picture really does it justice.

I can totally see my boys doing just what that baby was doing, running into people and not watching where he's going in all the excitement. There were too many people for me to let them run around.

Good call skipping Fantasmic! I don't care for Fantasmic in the cold weather. Something about sitting there on the cold concrete by the water makes me extra cold. Of course in the summer, it's great!

 

[amazingact21]

I love the Osbourne Lights! They are so magical, I can see why they would be your favorite. I agree that no picture really does it justice.

I can totally see my boys doing just what that baby was doing, running into people and not watching where he's going in all the excitement. There were too many people for me to let them run around.

Good call skipping Fantasmic! I don't care for Fantasmic in the cold weather. Something about sitting there on the cold concrete by the water makes me extra cold. Of course in the summer, it's great!

It seemed like the babies enjoyed the Spectacle of Lights the most. They all seemed to be fasticnated with the dancing lights.

Skipping Fantasmic! was definitely a good call. That night was the coldest of our trip, and we would've been frozen sitting by the water! I do agree with you, though, watching Fantasmic! in the summer is better. We actually did manage to catch the show two nights later, but it wasn't as much fun as it was when I went in June six/seven years ago. I guess it's all about the atmosphere. Appreciating the cool air after a long, hot day at the parks...

 

[amazingact21]

Hello again! It's been awhile since my last post, but my schedule has been full of appointments and assignments and obligations. I've barely had any time to sign on to the DIS board, much less post anything substantial.

DBF gave me a very big shock two weeks ago. He brought up the topic of Disney's marathons. Apparently, a guy came into his work wearing a Disney marathon t-shirt and the two got to two talking. The talking soon led to DBF researching the events.
Which led him to discovering the Expedition Everest 5K race....
He became so happy when he talked to me about it, his whole face lit up.

So, I looked into the dates and saw that the race will be held on May 7th, right smack in between my spring and summer classes.
I talked to DBF and explained to him that a lot of factors had to be figured out before we could even consider the event.

My classes had to fit perfectly in between...
His tax return had to cover the trip...
The dog had to have a sitter...


Well, now, two weeks later..DBF discovered his tax return would more than cover the cost of a short trip, my classes will be on-line, so if needed I can work on homework during breaks, and DBF's parents gladly offered to watch Buster.

Not to mention, DBF's sister has shown a lot of interest in the race and wants to sign her and her boyfriend up, as well.





It's been a lot to take in. I never in my wildest dreams imagined DBF and I would be able to go back so soon!

Of course, this has meant I've had to start training. I have 40 something days to get ready for a 5k. I used to run, but after I had foot surgery in Dec. 2009, I stopped. So now, I'm starting from scratch and it's been a lot of hard work, but the idea of another trip has kept me motivated.


We have not registered for sure, yet, because I am making DBF wait until my school advising appointment next Monday. I want to hear from a professional that my school schedule won't be affected by this little get-away.
But, hopefully, in a week, everything will be set!!!


DBF wants to stay in the sponsoring resort (All Star Sports) AND be on the Dining Plan. He even called for price quotes the other day. Of course, the trip won't be long, probably May 6-10, but I'll take any Disney days I can get.


DBF has given me another trip to the world, and all I have to do is run 3.1 miles!!!




This is all off-topic, though. My next post will have the last Hollywood Studios update. And no, it won't take me a week to post it...I should have it up in a few hours.

 

[amazingact21]

Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios:

After leaving the Osbourne Lights, DBF and I meandered through the streets, once again content to just look around and live in the moment.

I became ridiculously giggly when I saw advertisements for my favorite show, Modern Family.


DBF and I messed around with the camera for awhile, taking photos of random posters and unimportant scenery. As we walked along, we neared Toy Story Mania.

The line was not out the door, but the time posted still said 60 minutes. Thinking about our earlier time on the ride, DBF and I debated if it was worth the wait.
Well, who knew the next time we'd ever get to ride on the attraction again? Plus, we had EMH that night and therefore had plenty of time to spare.
So we hopped in line and began our wait.

It was a mistake.

I was not feeling very Disney-ish during that hour wait. I think there were just too many negative aspects working against me that particular time. Both the visitors in front and behind us were not the best company to be around. The group in front of us were slightly rude and enjoyed complaining, which got old after the first twenty minutes.
Plus, my mother had texted me while we were waiting and informed me my dad just lost his job.

That right there sort of killed my Disney magic for awhile. I spent the whole hour freaking out to DBF about all the problems that would arise, and I felt pretty guilty about being on vacation.
DBF eventually cleared my mind up and convinced me to forget about the situation for the rest of the trip; there was nothing I could do to solve the issue at 9 o'clock at night at Disney World.

Even without those factors added in, I still think the ride wouldn't be worth the 60 minute wait. Hearing Mr. Potato head's voice over and over again made me start to imagine all the ways I could pull the lips outta that huge potato and allow them to disappear for awhile.

I think the longest part of the wait happened when we reached the big circus tent (where we were shuttled off last time). The line was at a stand still for about ten minutes, and DBF and I passed the time taking more pictures.


DBF and I finally got a seat and I lost again. By alot. DBF managed to get the best score in the car.
However, I did point out to DBF that I had far better accuracy than him.




Exiting TSM, DBF and I chowed down on some sandwiches we'd brought with us. We were still pretty full from our lunch at Sci Fi and didn't feel like buying a meal at a CS place.
Finished with our food, we headed to our next destination....Rock 'n' Roller Coaster!


By that time, EMH had began (11pm) and we jumped in a 40 minute wait time line. The line flew by!

DBF asked to be seated in the front row, so we had to wait an extra turn, but before we knew it, we were back in the limo seats again...blasting off!

Happy as a clam, we walked into the gift shop and started to look around. DBF was on the hunt for a cool RnRC pin. I was flipping through a display stand absentmindedly, when I happened to catch something to the left of my peripheral vision.

A really tall man.

I mean.....huge.

I turned my head to take a closer look.

Hey, he looks kinda familiar. Where have I seen him before?


Without even realizing it, I began walking towards the man.

He was standing near the exit, next to a woman and a little girl.


I walked closer....

It wasn't until I was a foot from the man, staring very intently at his face that I realized who it was.


Trace Adkins.
(For those who don't know him, Trace Adkins is a country singer/former contestant on Celebrity Apprentice and Dec. 19th's CP narrator.)

As soon as I realized who the man was, I was mortified.

Did I really just walk right up to this man like some crazy fan?!?!

I looked to my left and his wife was giving me a very scary glare. But who could blame her? She was probably watching to make sure I didn't maul her husband.


The entire time my insanity stunt was going on, Trace Adkins was just staring straight ahead. Of course, straight ahead for him was over my head. Very quickly, I grabbed DBF's arm (who happened to be walking towards me) and dragged him into the long hallway that leads to the exit.

"Do you know who that is?!?!" I whispered loudly. I felt it would be rude to point, so I kind of nodded my head in the the celebrity's direction.

DBF was clueless. He had no idea that he'd just walked right past the country singer.
As I was telling him about my embarrassing adventure, a mother and daughter came up to us and asked us, "Is that...."

"Trace Adkins...yeah."

The four us stood there for a few seconds and debated if we should go and ask for a picture with him. The two women decided to go for it, but I told DBF it'd be best to leave. I'd already irritated him. Plus, it was obvious he was trying to let his daughter enjoy Disney, and I felt like all he wanted to do was melt into the walls.

DBF begged me to let him take a quick photo of him from his phone, but I told him not to.


We left and stood in front of the massive guitar sign for about five minutes. I was texting my aunt and best friend the news, because both women are HUGE Trace Adkins fans. They were telling me how unfair it was and other people were commenting on my facebook status when out of nowhere he popped up again!

I got to see him and his family leave with a bodyguard and CM and disappear behind a gate that opened.

DBF and I managed to get over our shock with another tasty cup of hot chocolate. That drink had us addicted.

The wait for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster had increased to 60 minutes, but DBF and I wanted to ride it again. Getting in line with our hot cocoa, we had a much better hour-long wait than we did at TSM. There was a young couple behind us and a family of four behind them. Together, we had a wonderful time waiting in line. The male from the young couple and the little girl from the family were thrill-ride junkies and bonded with DBF over rides. The little girl couldn't wait to ride RnRC for the first time.

The man talked about EE with us. We had never been on it, and we were asking him how it was compared to RnRC.

When we got to the lobby, we showed them the Hidden Mickey and explained to them what they were.

We also discussed how many days we'd been at Disney/how many we had left. We all seemed to get a kick out of talking to each other about what do everyone should do before they left, what rides were worth waiting for, what rides were appropraite for young kids, etc..

After we finished our ride, DBF and I spotted the family of four and asked the girl if she liked the ride. She loved it.


Overall, I think waiting for the ride was almost as fun as going on the ride. DBF and I spent an hour getting to know people from different parts of the country and making our wait enjoyable.


After riding RnRC for the third time that day, DBF and I decided it was time to head out. It was after midnight, and we were completely worn out.

Sadly, we said goodnight to DHS and left.





Up next....A Magic Kingdom morning.

 

[magichusky]

Yaaay- I finally caught up w/ your TR! I've been quite busy w/ school as well so my DISing quota has been suffering unfortunately. I was highly amused by the TSM running situation- hopefully next time I'll be able to check it out! My mom, sister, and I actually went to DHS for EMH that evening and it was SOOO cold!!!! The Osborne lights were so fabulous, even in 28 deg weather. I also thought your encounter w/ Trace was super hilarious- you must've accidentally gotten rather close to warrant such a reaction from his wife. Hee-hee!

 

[amazingact21]

Yaaay- I finally caught up w/ your TR! I've been quite busy w/ school as well so my DISing quota has been suffering unfortunately. I was highly amused by the TSM running situation- hopefully next time I'll be able to check it out! My mom, sister, and I actually went to DHS for EMH that evening and it was SOOO cold!!!! The Osborne lights were so fabulous, even in 28 deg weather. I also thought your encounter w/ Trace was super hilarious- you must've accidentally gotten rather close to warrant such a reaction from his wife. Hee-hee!

It was freezing that night!!! I know for my stay, it was definitely the coldest night.

I was so embarrassed by my Trace incident. When I came back from my trip and was retelling the story to friends/family, they would listen and then stop me going, "Wait?! You actually walked right up to him? Like, to his face?!"
That was one those times when my brain decided to stop working and I went a little crazy.

 

[amazingact21]

Magic kingdom Arrival!

Finally! The morning I could go to the one and only Magic Kingdom had arrived! I had been teased by the castle's silhouette in the distance long enough. After 6 years, I was going to step foot inside the magical land and see the castle up close.




Since Alex and I stayed out really late at Hollywood Studios, we slept in pretty late. We took our time getting ready, not in a huge hurry. This was going to be our "take it easy" day, and I didn't want to start it off by rushing.

We reached the TTC center at 10:45-ish. It was packed!

Wanting a change of pace, I asked Alex if we could take the ferry to MK.
Dsc03063 by Alicia Wolchick, on Flickr


It was a dumb idea on my part. The weather wasn't as cold as the previous day, but the wind was really bad. Taking the ferry only made the wind worse; we spent the entire ride shivering and hiding behind the people in front of us.

Despite being frozen to death, the trip reaped us rewards. We were able to watch Space Mountain, the train station, and the castle loom closer.


I kept whispering to DBF. "Look! We are going there! We are about to go on Space Mountain!"


We docked and walked to the bag check and ticket turnstiles and spotted MK's Christmas tree.




Magic Kingdom was packed!!! Oh man, it was wall to wall people. DBF and I had been extremely fortunate our first two days, because we had not encountered horrendous crowds. But we made up for it at MK.

I have never seen the park that busy before, even in the middle of the summer, during tourist season.
Here's a picture to give you an idea of how busy it was:



Immediately after we walked onto Main Street, there was a cast member directing us to the sidewalk. Unknowingly, we had arrived right as the Move It! Shake it! parade was occurring:



Good timing, considering it got DBF and me moving and singing and took our minds off of the overwhelming crowds.
The parade was cute; we got to see some of our favorite characters such as Sebastian and Woody. This was also our first parade we'd seen on the trip, and I was glad that we could catch at least one. I agree that they're more geared for children, but I enjoyed feeling like a child watching the floats pass us.


After the parade, DBF and I took some photos in front of the castle.




We had an adventure there. Since the streets were so crowded, we found it was difficult to back up enough to snap a picture. The second DBF stepped back, a huge crowd would fill the gap, trying to get their own pictures of the castle.

We also recieved a lot of peeved looks from people walking. They were very unhappy that we stopped moving, causing them to swerve out of the way.



Needless to say, DBF and I scrammed from Main Street as fast as we could.

Got the pictures? Good, let's go, quick!


We were headed straight to Tomorrowland, opting to gaze and give the castle googly eyes later when the crowds had thinned out.
We made it to the edge of the spoke where the entrance to Tomorrowland was when out of nowhere a show began on the castle stage.

Naturally, I made DBF stop and watch. He had brought his long range lens with him that day, so he attached it to his camera and concentrated on taking photos while I watched on with giddiness.

The show had princesses dancing, which made me feel all girly.



And it had pirates....which made me even happier.



And of course, what would a show be without a malicious villian?



Okay, enough of this. I'm not 12 anymore. I need to concentrate.

Alex and I walked away from the show shortly before it finished. As much as I would have loved to stayed and discussed the performance with DBF (Did you see Cinderella?!?! And Peter Pan! Oh, I love Peter! Don't you wish we could've been taken to Neverland? And...) I knew we had to get going.

We'd slept away our morning and we had a lot to do that afternoon. The day had arrived to ride Thunder Mountain for the first time! (This was the only Disney ride I'd NEVER rode on before.)

It was going to be an exciting day. I mean, it's not every day that you experience your last first time on a ride.....

But before frontiering the old thunder mountain, we had to take care of some business in a space mountain.

 

[DisneyAsh32]

Your Trace Adkins story is hilarious. It honestly sounds like something I would do. lol. And I can't wait to hear about the rest of your day at MK. I've never ridden space mountain before, so I want to hear what you think about it.

 

[PirateKate]

What a great night at the Studios! I love RnRC in the front row. Sadly, we very seldom wait for it, but when we do, it's fabulous.

Magic Kingdom looks awfully crowded. And that ferry boat can be very cold when the wind is blowing just right. Even with the cold and the crowds, I bet it was really exciting to be back in the Magic Kingdom after so many years.

How fun, a chance to run the Everest 5K! I love it when you get to go back sooner than you expected to. I'm actually going to be at Disney at the same time, May 5th-9th. Jeremy has to go to Jacksonville on business, and one thing led to another, and I decided to take the boys to Disney for a few days. Have you started trying to get ADRs yet? I've been pleasantly surprised by how many decent restaurants are still available.

 

[robin19871]

It was freezing that night!!! I know for my stay, it was definitely the coldest night.

I was so embarrassed by my Trace incident. When I came back from my trip and was retelling the story to friends/family, they would listen and then stop me going, "Wait?! You actually walked right up to him? Like, to his face?!"
That was one those times when my brain decided to stop working and I went a little crazy.

I know what you mean about wanting to say hi to someone you admire.(Trace) Two of my friends are on TV shows and movies and they said its nice to meet people when they are at events however they dislike it when they are having time with their families..( I was born and raised in California with a lot of friends and family in the enteretainment buisness.) I learned one thing about the MK.If you get there at rope drop then you can usually do all the big attractions in the first 3 hours..

 

[amazingact21]

Your Trace Adkins story is hilarious. It honestly sounds like something I would do. lol. And I can't wait to hear about the rest of your day at MK. I've never ridden space mountain before, so I want to hear what you think about it.

Oh, you should definitely give Space Mountain a try when you go in June. A heads up, though, the right side feels a little more jerky than the left. However, it also feels more like a "roller-coaster."

What a great night at the Studios! I love RnRC in the front row. Sadly, we very seldom wait for it, but when we do, it's fabulous.

Magic Kingdom looks awfully crowded. And that ferry boat can be very cold when the wind is blowing just right. Even with the cold and the crowds, I bet it was really exciting to be back in the Magic Kingdom after so many years.

How fun, a chance to run the Everest 5K! I love it when you get to go back sooner than you expected to. I'm actually going to be at Disney at the same time, May 5th-9th. Jeremy has to go to Jacksonville on business, and one thing led to another, and I decided to take the boys to Disney for a few days. Have you started trying to get ADRs yet? I've been pleasantly surprised by how many decent restaurants are still available.

It was very exciting to return to Magic Kingdom. I had the largest grin on my face the whole day.
How exciting! A mom and sons trip. I bet you are going to have a blast spending some quality time with your boys at Disney.

And I was completely surprised when I checked the dining reservations and saw all the openings! Initially, DBF and I were going to do the quick-service dining plan, because I didn't think there'd be any open ADRs this late in the game, but I checked this past Saturday and we're reconsidering.

Have you made any? I remember from your past PTR that you've gone to Disney in May before. How'd you like it compared to other times of the year?

I know what you mean about wanting to say hi to someone you admire.(Trace) Two of my friends are on TV shows and movies and they said its nice to meet people when they are at events however they dislike it when they are having time with their families..( I was born and raised in California with a lot of friends and family in the enteretainment buisness.) I learned one thing about the MK.If you get there at rope drop then you can usually do all the big attractions in the first 3 hours..

I still feel bad about walking up to him on accident. I knew he was just trying to let his daughter enjoy some Disney time while they were there. Hopefully, I didn't annoy them too much.
Before my trip, I'd read about getting to MK at rope drop, but I was just too tired to get up that early. However, if I ever go again, I will be sure to follow this method, because we missed a lot of ride time due to us getting there so late.

 

[PirateKate]

It was very exciting to return to Magic Kingdom. I had the largest grin on my face the whole day.
How exciting! A mom and sons trip. I bet you are going to have a blast spending some quality time with your boys at Disney.

And I was completely surprised when I checked the dining reservations and saw all the openings! Initially, DBF and I were going to do the quick-service dining plan, because I didn't think there'd be any open ADRs this late in the game, but I checked this past Saturday and we're reconsidering.

Have you made any? I remember from your past PTR that you've gone to Disney in May before. How'd you like it compared to other times of the year?

I've got lunch at Yak and Yeti, dinners at Kona Cafe and Whispering Canyon Cafe, and of course, Kona Cafe breakfast. We're thinking of Beaches & Cream, too. Jeremy's going to drive down and meet us for the last two nights, so that will be really nice.

I like Disney in May. A large draw is the Flower and Garden Festival. I always like to see that, and May is a nice alternative to going to Spring Break Season. Last year, it was crazy hot, which at times was a bit of a nuisance. After the cold in December though, the heat in May really doesn't seem that bad.

 

[amazingact21]

I've got lunch at Yak and Yeti, dinners at Kona Cafe and Whispering Canyon Cafe, and of course, Kona Cafe breakfast. We're thinking of Beaches & Cream, too. Jeremy's going to drive down and meet us for the last two nights, so that will be really nice.

I like Disney in May. A large draw is the Flower and Garden Festival. I always like to see that, and May is a nice alternative to going to Spring Break Season. Last year, it was crazy hot, which at times was a bit of a nuisance. After the cold in December though, the heat in May really doesn't seem that bad.

Beaches and Cream sounds wonderful. I really want to do a Kona breakfast, but my DBF is really picky, and I don't think he'd like Tonga Toast. I showed him pictures of the food, and he kinda cringed and suggested I wait for another trip.

That's nice that your husband's gonna catch up with you guys. Gives you a chance to spend some time with your kids, and then get some time with the whole family. Plus, I'm sure extra pair of helping hands by the end of the trip will be nice.


I agree with the December statement. My one condition for our next trip was we had to go when it was warm! I have anticipated it being hot, but this trip is mostly a short, relaxing get-away so I don't forsee us spending all day in the parks. Maybe the heat will give me the excuse I need to be lazy by the pool all afternoon.

 

[amazingact21]

Confused at Magic Kingdom:


Alex and I entered Tomorrowland, excited to see what lay inside the world.



Immediately, we passed Stitch's Great Escape and saw that it had a fairly long wait. 30 minutes. Obviously, there were a lot of people who'd never been on the ride before.



We made it to Space Mountain and saw that the wait time was 60 minutes. Hmmm, it was our first attraction of the day, I was fresh on my feet, but I wasn't willing to wait that long. So we hopped into the fastpass line and retrieved two tickets with a return time of 4:45 and 5:45.

Several hours away.

Well....Space Mountain was taken care of.

What next?

"Let's walk over to Frontierland and see how the crowds are over there."

As we were walking, I passed by a snack stand and realized I had yet to eat a premium Mickey ice cream bar!

Yes, it was 11 o'clock in the morning.

And yes, it was about 40 degrees out.

No, I did not care.


As I was munching down on my delicious snack, I recieved some funny looks from guests walking by. They probably thought I was insane, eating a cold dessert when my fingers were half frozen.

I chose to ignore them, and looked around at the beautiful scenery.


While I was thinking how nice the Riverboat must be when it's warmer out, I looked over at Alex, who was taking photos of....

a bird.


Here we were, at Disney World, and my DBF was interested in capturing a photograph of a bird.

At least he was enjoying himself....that was all that mattered.


Finishing the ice cream, I asked Alex if we could go on Thunder Mountain. I had realized by that point that the lines were never going to ease up, so I wanted to knock the one attraction I had to do out first.

Taking a quick pit stop at the Splash Mtn restroom, we got in line for Thunder Mountain. The line was past the entrance area and was extended to the sidewalks.

The wait time was listed at 60 minutes.


Time to test out our patience...