Hijinks & Shenanigans but not much Mayhem@The Dark Side+Disney:Link to DL/Hawaii TR

[natebenma]

Finally getting caught up with everyone again but first things first-

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Hope you all have fun today

And the very same to you and your family!

Ok is it fine if I admit I have Lego room envy Seriously I would spend my days in your lego room playing

That Lego table is one of my favorite purchases ever! It was on sale for around $15 after Christmas at Sam's Club Warehouse store and came with the table, chairs and lots of Legos.

Well, the room doesn't look like this any more. When we got the kittens two years ago, we tried to keep them out of the Lego room with baby gates.

Silly humans!

That lasted like 12 hours before the cats climbed and jumped over the gates.

Now most of the Legos are down in the basement until Ben brings them up to play with.

Now, after 12 years in the house, we actually have furniture in the Lego Room now and horrors- we actually call it a Living Room!

I have a question -if you had to choose between big thunder and space mountain for the fun factor which would you pick? I've never done SM and the 1 time I managed to get my daughter on BTM she was a teeny tiny 4 yr old and though she was going to fall out of the car. The words "mummy tried to KILL me " may have been uttered between sobs to my husband when daughter and dad were reunited She obviously brain-washed her brother into believing this was an accurate experience of this ride as until now I have never got anyone back on there but as you know my birthday gift from my son has been agreed and I get to choose 1 ride each park that he might otherwise not do So now I can't decide?????????

Hands down! Big Thunder Mountain!

That ride may be my favorite in all of Disney. It never fails to make me smile!

As far as coasters go, it isn't really one of the more terrifying thrill rides, it is pretty smooth.

I like Space Mountain, not as much as the boys do. It is a little whiplashy and scary in the dark. It really does seem like your head could be ripped off at any moment by hitting the tracks above you.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We love to make our way to Frontierland first thing in the morning, before the crowds get there. BTMRR is my favorite ride at MK. Buzz Lightyear is the other ride we always try to hit right away, before the crowds get there. It seems like there is a definite advantage to being a veteran at these parks.

When we got the queue area, we saw those dreaded matching colored shirts and flags. A tour group was gathering in front of us! We stepped up our pace, pulled ahead of them and got into line before they made it into the line.

PHEW!

I work in downtown Chicago and have to maneuver around mobs of tourists every single day. I've learned to read the patterns and can dodge in and out of these groups really quickly. Unfortunately, my family doesn't always follow me and I end up waiting for them anyway.

At this point, it was about 30 minutes from our brunch reservation at Kona. We split up - Ben and I headed to the monorail and Mark and Nate off to secure a FP. They had a few options, and the one they chose would depend on the return time- we needed something in the 12:30 to 1:30 range for when we would be returning to the MK.

I can't help but wonder how the new fp+ system will work for your family. You'll have to use a new strategy. Hopefully, Disney will improve the current system so that families can get more than 3 fp+ a day.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

OMG that cartoon!!! Can you imagine the horror that would cause?

I love those ride posters at MK. I need to get all of them.

that picture of Buzz. OMG. You totally caught him in a "WHA????" moment.

Two rides on Space so quickly? I approve.

Ahhhh nice job bypassing the tour group. Kudos for that!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Yay for an impromptu Dis meet at the pool! Your clothes looked very similar to swim clothes so I'm betting nobody was the wiser that you didn't mean to just jump right in...clothes and all.

Your morning sounds like it's off to a wonderful start. From the looks of your pictures, it wasn't crowded at all.

 

[natebenma]

Did you guys see this on the news today?

The fish tank at T-Rex sprung a leak yesterday! It looks like this is one table over from where we were sitting in July!

Fortunately, according to the reports I have read, all of the fish were saved.

Twitter post by Kate:

Having dinner at TRex Cafe in Downtown Disney when - all of a sudden - a fish tank burst open! #trexcafe #wdw pic.twitter.com/jgPdn4UOBS





Link to article in Huffington Post, with video

We love to make our way to Frontierland first thing in the morning, before the crowds get there. BTMRR is my favorite ride at MK. Buzz Lightyear is the other ride we always try to hit right away, before the crowds get there. It seems like there is a definite advantage to being a veteran at these parks.


I work in downtown Chicago and have to maneuver around mobs of tourists every single day. I've learned to read the patterns and can dodge in and out of these groups really quickly. Unfortunately, my family doesn't always follow me and I end up waiting for them anyway.


I can't help but wonder how the new fp+ system will work for your family. You'll have to use a new strategy. Hopefully, Disney will improve the current system so that families can get more than 3 fp+ a day.

I love the empty parts of the park in the early morning. As I mentioned, BTM is my favorite, too!

That's funny about your crowd avoidance practice in downtown Chicago. I worked in Boston BC (Before Children) so I know exactly what you mean. We called them "tourons"

Sometimes when I am cutting through crowds at Disney, I signal with my hands (like a swimming fish) the path I am going to take to help my family follow me.

We "owned" the previous FP system, so we are very anxious about the changes. My husband does not like it all. First, the return window enforced and now the advanced FP+ with just 3 choices

There is no sign of the new changes anytime soon at DL, so at least we will have one more shot playing the FP game in July.

And, BTW:

HAVE A FANTASTIC TRIP!!!

OMG that cartoon!!! Can you imagine the horror that would cause?

I love those ride posters at MK. I need to get all of them.

that picture of Buzz. OMG. You totally caught him in a "WHA????" moment.

Two rides on Space so quickly? I approve.

Ahhhh nice job bypassing the tour group. Kudos for that!!

Regarding the cartoon- one of the funniest things I have ever read on the DIS was about an inebriated guest who accidentally got onto a cast bus full of "Friends of Mickey" who had lost their heads. Let's suspend our disbelief for a moment (drunk at dry MK? Don't the cast members leave costumes in the Utilidors? Where do you even find the cast buses?), but it is a great story.

I'm not sure if I had noticed those posters before as we are always rushing through those tunnels. I took the pictures on the move and now the OCD in me is going nuts that I didn't straighten out those MK maps in both pictures!

That was Mark's strategy to stick around in Tomorrowland to get in two rides on Space.

We will encounter the tour groups again, in my chapters

"I'm not proud of what I did (well, maybe a little)"

and

"Karma is a b*tch"

And I thought of you, and your BOG stained glass photo, when I was watching TMZ last night and they reported on hidden phallic symbols at WDW- apparently there are a couple of "things" decorating the doors or walls in the men's room at Cosmic Rays.

Yay for an impromptu Dis meet at the pool! Your clothes looked very similar to swim clothes so I'm betting nobody was the wiser that you didn't mean to just jump right in...clothes and all.

Your morning sounds like it's off to a wonderful start. From the looks of your pictures, it wasn't crowded at all.

Well, apparently Cathy did notice that I was a little wetter than I should have been, but yes, the choice of coverups did mask the fact that I jumped in the pool without removing my clothes!



It was a great morning so far, conquering the mountains!!!

 

[MEK]

First of all - that video of the fish tank breaking is pretty dramatic. Wow! Who would think that would happen? Thankfully it was a small leak!

I love your castle pictures. Just lovely. I love the view from outside of the Plaza. Those umbrellas frame the picture so well.

And look at you - taking pictures ON Space!

I always like to fight Zurg while waiting for my FP time to come due.

You also got the shot from the top of Splash! Nice - I will admit I have never been brave enough to do that. I am always afraid my timing will be off and my phone will fly out of my hand.

Great morning. That is the morning with teenage boys - conquer the mountains!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Did you guys see this on the news today?

The fish tank at T-Rex sprung a leak yesterday! It looks like this is one table over from where we were sitting in July!

Fortunately, according to the reports I have read, all of the fish were saved.

I tried to make lunch reservations for Thursday, and it was booked solid. Maybe it was a good thing I couldn't get a reservation.

HAVE A FANTASTIC TRIP!!!

Thanks. I'm very excited.

 

[tiggerfan77]

Did you guys see this on the news today?

The fish tank at T-Rex sprung a leak yesterday! It looks like this is one table over from where we were sitting in July!

Fortunately, according to the reports I have read, all of the fish were saved.

Twitter post by Kate:

Having dinner at TRex Cafe in Downtown Disney when - all of a sudden - a fish tank burst open! #trexcafe #wdw pic.twitter.com/jgPdn4UOBS

Did you also hear that there were people in the restaurant who were refusing to leave their seats and just kept on eating. That is some serious dedication to your meal!

Looks like a productive morning at MK. Ooo, can't wait to hear about Kona Cafe! It is on my Disney bucket list to eat there for breakfast

Let me guess...the monorail showed up first?

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Did you guys see this on the news today? The fish tank at T-Rex sprung a leak yesterday! It looks like this is one table over from where we were sitting in July! Fortunately, according to the reports I have read, all of the fish were saved. Twitter post by Kate: Having dinner at TRex Cafe in Downtown Disney when - all of a sudden - a fish tank burst open! #trexcafe #wdw pic.twitter.com/jgPdn4UOBS http://s657.photobucket.com/user/na...Report/Disney/TRex 2013/FishTankLeak.jpg.html Link to article in Huffington Post, with video I love the empty parts of the park in the early morning. As I mentioned, BTM is my favorite, too! That's funny about your crowd avoidance practice in downtown Chicago. I worked in Boston BC (Before Children) so I know exactly what you mean. We called them "tourons" Sometimes when I am cutting through crowds at Disney, I signal with my hands (like a swimming fish) the path I am going to take to help my family follow me. We "owned" the previous FP system, so we are very anxious about the changes. My husband does not like it all. First, the return window enforced and now the advanced FP+ with just 3 choices There is no sign of the new changes anytime soon at DL, so at least we will have one more shot playing the FP game in July. And, BTW: HAVE A FANTASTIC TRIP!!! Regarding the cartoon- one of the funniest things I have ever read on the DIS was about an inebriated guest who accidentally got onto a cast bus full of "Friends of Mickey" who had lost their heads. Let's suspend our disbelief for a moment (drunk at dry MK? Don't the cast members leave costumes in the Utilidors? Where do you even find the cast buses?), but it is a great story. I'm not sure if I had noticed those posters before as we are always rushing through those tunnels. I took the pictures on the move and now the OCD in me is goin

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Did you guys see this on the news today?

The fish tank at T-Rex sprung a leak yesterday! It looks like this is one table over from where we were sitting in July!

Fortunately, according to the reports I have read, all of the fish were saved.

Twitter post by Kate:

Having dinner at TRex Cafe in Downtown Disney when - all of a sudden - a fish tank burst open! #trexcafe #wdw pic.twitter.com/jgPdn4UOBS





Link to article in Huffington Post,

I saw this on the Today show this morning!! to funny

We "owned" the previous FP system, so we are very anxious about the changes. My husband does not like it all. First, the return window enforced and now the advanced FP+ with just 3 choices

My DH is NOT happy about FP+ either. He almost didnt renew the APs
We were finally able to order MBs last week. I can schedule FP+ for April the end of this week.

Last post was a mistake I pressed send too early. oops!!!

 

[natebenma]

First of all - that video of the fish tank breaking is pretty dramatic. Wow! Who would think that would happen? Thankfully it was a small leak!

I love your castle pictures. Just lovely. I love the view from outside of the Plaza. Those umbrellas frame the picture so well.

And look at you - taking pictures ON Space!

I always like to fight Zurg while waiting for my FP time to come due.

You also got the shot from the top of Splash! Nice - I will admit I have never been brave enough to do that. I am always afraid my timing will be off and my phone will fly out of my hand.

Great morning. That is the morning with teenage boys - conquer the mountains!

I heard it was a seal (not the animal) in the tank that leaked.

I think that is my favorite view of the castle, with the Plaza umbrellas. I like the little pop of color.

I was happy with the couple of pictures from Space. That is one of the things I love about my compact point and shoot. I can't remember if I was able to stick it in my pocket, or my fanny pack or if I just held on to it for dear life during the ride.

Isn't that what Buzz is there for? Filler until it is time to ride Space Mtn?

I always try to get that shot before the drop on Splash. Again, the waterproof point & shoot is perfect for this.

Yes, while at Disney with the boys we "Climb Evr'y Mountain"

I tried to make lunch reservations for Thursday, and it was booked solid. Maybe it was a good thing I couldn't get a reservation.

Thanks. I'm very excited.

Did you also hear that there were people in the restaurant who were refusing to leave their seats and just kept on eating. That is some serious dedication to your meal!

Looks like a productive morning at MK. Ooo, can't wait to hear about Kona Cafe! It is on my Disney bucket list to eat there for breakfast

Let me guess...the monorail showed up first?

Have you seen the prices of those meals? I can't blame people for making sure they finished every bite!

Kona coming soon!

Thanks for your guess!

My DH is NOT happy about FP+ either. He almost didnt renew the APs
We were finally able to order MBs last week. I can schedule FP+ for April the end of this week.

Last post was a mistake I pressed send too early. oops!!!

Not renewing your APs is serious! I'll be interested to hear how your experience with using the MBs and FP+ for April goes.

 

[glennbo123]

Hey, I'm all caught up Dee! Too much to comment on, but I'll say that I'm lovin' the report. There's interactive stuff in the Thunder Mountain queue? I did not know that...huh!

 

[natebenma]

Hey, I'm all caught up Dee! Too much to comment on, but I'll say that I'm lovin' the report. There's interactive stuff in the Thunder Mountain queue? I did not know that...huh!

Thanks for catching up! Glad you are enjoying the report.

I'm trying to remember some of the interactive elements in the BTM queue. In my update, there is a picture of Nate with a TNT plunger- it causes an explosion to happen out by the tracks. Or maybe it involves a certain coyote getting his comeuppance once again. Meep! Meep!

The box with the crank that Ben is turning has graphics of the canary in a coal mine- the very poor yellow blob in the next picture is me trying to get a picture of the canary in the crank machine.

 

[HockeyMomR]

Nice. I love the pics of the backside of the castle!

T-Rex. Wow we were going to try during our upcoming trip. However, couldn't get ADR for our arrival day when we will be staying at POFQ for one night before heading to WL.

Rebecca

 

[jenseib]

Skip called in the house from the barn and asked if i heard and I told him yes. then I told him we have a reservation there on the 31. I had hoped to sit next to the tank.

 

[emmysmommy]

I'd say you've a successful morning between hitting up all the Mountains and battling the evil cow! (That is still such a funny story! Kids say the cutest things.)

I'm going to venture a guess and say that the monorail arrived before you family. Hey, I have 50/50 odds!

I'm looking forward to hearing about Kona. Was it the lunch or breakfast menu? I've never done lunch there but definitely interested.

BTW: You were not kidding about having a few legos!! That's enough legos to actually build that lake serpent like at DTD.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

And the very same to you and your family!





That Lego table is one of my favorite purchases ever! It was on sale for around $15 after Christmas at Sam's Club Warehouse store and came with the table, chairs and lots of Legos.

Well, the room doesn't look like this any more. When we got the kittens two years ago, we tried to keep them out of the Lego room with baby gates.

Silly humans!

That lasted like 12 hours before the cats climbed and jumped over the gates.

Now most of the Legos are down in the basement until Ben brings them up to play with.

Now, after 12 years in the house, we actually have furniture in the Lego Room now and horrors- we actually call it a Living Room!


Imagining you now being the proud owners of a "living room" made me laugh!! Just as well because the OCD bit of me wanted to swap 2 of your lego drawers around so all the colours ran the same



Hands down! Big Thunder Mountain!

That ride may be my favorite in all of Disney. It never fails to make me smile!

As far as coasters go, it isn't really one of the more terrifying thrill rides, it is pretty smooth.

I like Space Mountain, not as much as the boys do. It is a little whiplashy and scary in the dark. It really does seem like your head could be ripped off at any moment by hitting the tracks above you.

Thanks for the ride feedback I have decided to heed your advice and go with BTMRR It looks like so much fun! I'm having a ball planning which rides I'm doing this trip that I don't normally do. Only park I have yet to decide now is HS and at the minute I'm leaning towards RnR but that may change if he decides he wants to try it as then I can pick ToT and get to do both

I'm guessing the family made it before the monorail (just to shake things up a bit).
Oh and so glad that all the fish were rescued but what a mess! Had to laugh when the newsreader said she was "glad it wasn't a shark tank"

 

[teekathepony]

Well, cousin, we certainly could be related. I am French-Canadian on both sides of my family- my dads grandparents came over from Canada, but I'm not sure where.

My Aunt Jeanne has traced our Geneology back quite a ways and a common ancestor in a lot of families in our area is Jean Cote from Quebec (early 1600's)

My husbands family also had a tradition when the three brothers were younger. Their grandparents lived on a pond and the rule was "No Swimming Until Memorial Day"

Well, every year, the boys would push each other into the pond, in their clothes, before they were allowed.



So my husband may be related, too!

That is too funny! Maybe it's something in the French genes that makes us so eager to swim that we forget or forgo taking our clothes off first! (I can't wait to tell my mom this story!)

Can you just imagine!?

You can never have too many pictures of that glorious castle!

Agreed!!

The silhouettes of the boys on Buzz are great, really nice action shot.

Holy cow, you guys got a lot done that morning!

What would arrive first? A monorail or the rest of my family?

My guess is monorail!

 

[natebenma]

Nice. I love the pics of the backside of the castle!

T-Rex. Wow we were going to try during our upcoming trip. However, couldn't get ADR for our arrival day when we will be staying at POFQ for one night before heading to WL.

Rebecca

I like that viewpoint of the castle too. We don't usually go that way, so it was like forging a whole new path.

Did you try for a reservation through Disney or did you try calling the restaurant directly? Disney used to have just a small subset of reservations available, but there are more choices through the restaurant. Although for awhile I don't think T-Rex was part of the dining plan but it is now, so that may be a factor in the difficulty getting a reservation there.

Skip called in the house from the barn and asked if i heard and I told him yes. then I told him we have a reservation there on the 31. I had hoped to sit next to the tank.

Maybe you still can sit near the tank. They should call that "The Splash Zone" now.

I'd say you've a successful morning between hitting up all the Mountains and battling the evil cow! (That is still such a funny story! Kids say the cutest things.)

I'm going to venture a guess and say that the monorail arrived before you family. Hey, I have 50/50 odds!

I'm looking forward to hearing about Kona. Was it the lunch or breakfast menu? I've never done lunch there but definitely interested.

BTW: You were not kidding about having a few legos!! That's enough legos to actually build that lake serpent like at DTD.

It was a very good morning. The boys were pretty happy.

This was breakfast. Second breakfast for you Hobbit lovers. We have had both breakfast and dinner, but never lunch at Kona, although I have looked at the menu and it sounds yummy.

Those Lego pictures are from 2 years ago and since then we have acquired at least 20 more sets, possibly 30 (including ALL of the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit sets). No. I was NOT kidding!




Off Topic-

Just want to say once again, congratulations to Emmy and Jordan and to your family on their engagement. I didn't want to hijack your trip report with personal details, but since this one is mine, I thought I would share here.

Mark and I started dating when we were sophomores in high school. The age Nate is now. YIKES!!! After 3 years we got engaged, and we married a couple of years later, in between our junior and senior year in college, age 21.

We have been married for 27 years and honestly, neither one of us can picture what life would be for us without the other.

We were young, but whenever someone would comment about whether it was a good idea to get married without having dated others first, my efficient engineer-to-be husband would comment "I wouldn't waste my time dating someone I wouldn't consider marrying"

Everything I have heard about Emmy and the comment about Jordan talking to your husband before proposing leads me to believe that this is a very mature couple who are very considerate of others and have a very bright future together.

I'm guessing the family made it before the monorail (just to shake things up a bit).

Good strategy, going for the other choice.

Thanks for the ride feedback I have decided to heed your advice and go with BTMRR It looks like so much fun! I'm having a ball planning which rides I'm doing this trip that I don't normally do. Only park I have yet to decide now is HS and at the minute I'm leaning towards RnR but that may change if he decides he wants to try it as then I can pick HM and get to do both

Can't wait to hear how your son's "present" to you works. Hopefully he will enjoy the rides, too. RnR was Nate's threshold coaster- once he rode that, there was NOTHING he wouldn't try!

Oh my gosh- I went back to look at the Lego pictures and you are right! Those two drawers should have been switched!!!



Yes, we are now adults with a real Living Room. In our prior house, the two front rooms- dining room and living room- didn't have furniture for a very long time. I called it our burglar protection. If someone looked through the windows, they would say "These people don't have **** "stuff" and would pass us by."

That is too funny! Maybe it's something in the French genes that makes us so eager to swim that we forget or forgo taking our clothes off first! (I can't wait to tell my mom this story!)

The silhouettes of the boys on Buzz are great, really nice action shot.

Holy cow, you guys got a lot done that morning!


My guess is monorail!

Maybe those of us from the north are just so frustrated by the short swimming season that we try to stretch the season, but we wear clothes because the water is too cold!

Thanks!

I liked taking ride photos of the boys on Buzz, but I have no idea why my score always stinks!

 

[eandesmom]

Oh that lego organization takes me back! At one point in time I had 3 sets of organizers for different sized building blocks. Lego, Duplo and there was something else that escapes me at the the moment. Not to mention all the Thomas stuff and the Lincoln Logs. The big thing ultimately became playmobil which took over.

that you jumped in with your shirt and shorts on. I missed that little update.

Fun morning, I've not seen the standby queue at Big Thunder yet. It was down almost every single time we were scheduled for it and when I did make it on the line moved so fast, didn't see a thing. Hoping to rectify that in May.

Kona breakfast. Someday I will eat there!!!! It is on my maybe list for September.