How "just one trip" became three (babies)... update 6/29, huge triplets photo update

[abbybeth]

Great pics from DC - my fave is the one of Lease kissing the dolphin! Looks like the whole day was amazing - and I would LOVE to go down that lazy river. Your report on DC is definitely the most comprehensive I've seen - and you really did a great job - makes me want to go now.
Beautiful pictures of the birds too...

Great pic of you guys from Spoodles and of Lease on the boardwalk - those are keepers for sure.

It was so much fun running around MGM with you guys - I got some weird looks on the way over - I was the only one on the bus going TO the park and Im' pretty sure that the driver thought I was super weird (granted, I didn't know at the time that the hours were shorter than we thought) but I suppose maniacal giggling is indeed a good indicator that ToT was an excellent choice (Again! Again! Again! hehehehehe)

 

[Lease]

DC was an amazing day! It was so much fun and a nice break from the hustle of the Disney parks. Of course we were still thrilled to get back to the parks that night.

I was amazed out how not busy MGM was, of course we though it was open for a few more hours than it actually was

I can't decide what was more fun, riding ToT twice in a row or watching Abbybeth's reaction to it for the first time.

12 days!

 

[Abby's Dad]

Did I miss the single-digit dance?

It seems that two people we know and have affection for, are due such a dance. Rock On! Safe trip and have a wonderful time. Give Ants, and Lisa and Mum McNeil a hug for us at the ToT meet (Glenda too, if she makes it).

 

[Code]

Day 7 Part 1 - We try Beverly

Day 7 started with a quick meal at the food court before we headed for the early extra magic hours at Epcot. We made a beeline for Soarin' and were surprised to find it already had a line. We grabbed fastpasses for later, and jumped in line. A great ride as always! Next we crossed Future World and rode Test Track.

With two headliners under our belt, we decided it was time to check out Innoventions. First up was the Fantastic Plastics exhibit where we did the robot race as a team. Our creation was Zippy Slickster, and with him we won both the race and the style vote Go us!

We each made our free souvenir plastic robot after the race. I was very impressed with the robotic setup they had going to move the freshly molded plastic pieces into the bins. So impressed, I snapped a few photos...

We did the "Where's the Fire?" exhibit where our team won, then the IBM video game race, and I feel the need to post the results ...

We wandered through the "Test the Limits Lab", which was lame, before leaving Innoventions to use our Soarin' fastpasses. We had a bit of a wait while a protein spill in the group before us was cleaned up, and when we got inside, one of the chairs next to us was off limits.... gross. Still an enjoyable flight, and afterward we headed straight back out of The Land to go to Club Cool.

Yes, it was finally time for both of us to try the infamous Beverly. Lease was up first, and I had the camera ready.

Here she is pondering if spitting or swallowing is a better option...

And then it was my turn. Here I am contemplating the flavor...

... and then deciding that yes indeed, it is gross!...

None of the sodas on sample were very good, but we did our best to wash the Beverly taste from our mouths before heading toward World Showcase. Our destination was food, and we decided (for some reason) to eat at the Lotus Blossom Cafe in China. Of course I snapped some pictures along the way...

Lease described the food as "just barely okay" and I agree. While the food was not that exciting, we did have an interesting conversation about which country we thought should be next added to World Showcase. Our ideas at first included Australia, India, and Egypt, but exhaustion, caffiene and poor food eventually had us degenerate into silliness talking about how Iraq could be added and the main attraction could involve the search for WMDs.

After eating, we continued around World Showcase, finishing up China and heading for Germany...

Love this shot of Lease posing with the fuzzy ears, such a great smile...

Next up... more World Showcase to finish up our morning in Epcot!

 

[Code]

Did I miss the single-digit dance?

It seems that two people we know and have affection for, are due such a dance. Rock On! Safe trip and have a wonderful time. Give Ants, and Lisa and Mum McNeil a hug for us at the ToT meet (Glenda too, if she makes it).

Only 5 days! We're very very excited, just eyeing Tropical Storm Hannah wearily. Current projected path puts her in a very inconvenient place for our flights as we are connecting through Atlanta on Friday at about 8am

 

[Code]

Day 7 Part 2 - American Adven....zZzZzZzzzz

Continuing around World Showcase...

... we arrived at Italy where we wandered through the shops, took a few pictures ...

... and grabbed a pressed penny ...

... before heading for The American Adventure. Here we stopped to watch these guys perform for a moment ...

... and then headed inside (JOYOUS AIR CONDITIONING!!) where we watched the Voices of Liberty perform while waiting for the main show doors to open. They were great, and if you haven't heard them, I would highly recommend showing up a bit early for the main show so you can catch them.

After the performance, the main show doors opened and we shuffled into the theater. The early morning at the end of a full week of non-stop walking was catching up to us, and we were both struggling to stay awake in the cool, dark theater. It was just too much for Lease.. she ended up power napping through about half the show even though she really wanted to see it. I managed JUST BARELY to stay awake through the whole thing.

Once the nap was over, we quickened our pace a bit through the remaining countries.

Japan...

Morocco...

France...

UK....

hmm, no pics?!?

and finally Canada...

We had a chance to see the newly updated "O Canada" movie, and we really enjoyed it. Martin Short is a great choice for host, and the movie really makes me want to go visit our neighbors to the north someday. Another bonus, standing for the Circlevision movie meant there was no concern about falling asleep!!

With World Showcase behind us, it was time to head back to the hotel for a much needed nap.

Obligatory pics on the way out of the park...

We decided to check out the Spaceship Earth post-show area that they had just recently opened up even though the ride was still in refurb. We played a few of the games, and I snapped a pic of something I never though I'd see at Disney.. a maintenance worker on-stage! (gasp)

One last pic, and we were headed back to POFQ...

Next up... dinner at Prime Time Cafe, and a night at Downtown Disney and Disney Quest...

 

[SwansLoveDisney]

Stunning pics!

Makes me want to figure out how to use my camera!

 

[Code]

Day 7 Part 3 - Past Its Prime Time

We crashed back at the hotel for a much needed nap for about an hour before heading for MGM for our dinner ADR at Prime Time Cafe. Based on stories I had told Lease about my family's great experiences here and the reviews she had read, this was definitely her most anticipated meal.

I hate to say, it was a sad disappointment for both of us because our waitress, Omni, was just downright awful (doing my best Kevin Klose impression here). We were seated quickly, but weren't waited on until we had been there for 20 minutes. I was looking for the manager when she finally showed up at our table. She wanted our appetizer, entree, and dessert orders right away, and we should have known better than to give them all at once (oops). Appetizers (fried herb cheese for Lease and I forget what I had) came quickly, and the entrees (pot roast for me, meatloaf for Lease) followed far too close behind that.. we hadn't finished our appetizers yet. After that, our waitress disappeared altogether. We finished our entrees, and it was a full half an hour before she made an appearance again. We were joking with the table next to us, who was sharing in her bad service, about just how horrible she was. We did see her earlier interacting and making it a great experience for a large group on the other side of the room, but for some reason in the few times that she made it to our table, she wasn't very friendly. Once again I was looking for the manager when dessert finally arrived (s'mores for both of us, which we were really looking forward to) and it wasn't even remotely warm, to the point that the chocolate had lost its liquid consistency, and it was just gross. We would have complained to our waitress, but she had once again disappeared. We decided we had already wasted enough time (2+ hours in the restaurant), so we signed the check, left a nasty complaint about Omni with the lady at the front counter, and headed out. Besides the dessert, the food was okay.. the fried herb cheese was good and we both liked our entrees, but the whole experience was soured by the service.

With the park closing early and dinner taking so long, we didn't have any time for attractions afterward, so instead we headed for Disney Quest at Downtown Disney. We didn't really know what to expect, but we ended up enjoying it immensely. The Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for Buccaneer Gold game was fun, probably would have been better with a large group, but it was a crazy workout running from gun to gun with just 2 people. Lease handled most of the cannons while I steered the ship trying to pitch in on the guns. The Virtual Jungle Cruise seemed like a cool concept, but we had a very very hard time controlling the boat. Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlaster was pretty fun, though we probably spent most of our time spinning in circles from being hit by others. By the time we left, we had probably tried most of the "attractions" in DQ and maybe a few of the arcade games, and it was generally a very good time. I took a few pics inside...

After getting our fill of gaming for the night, we headed out to Downtown Disney and made our way toward the World of Disney store. I was, of course, snapping pics along the way (do I even need to say this?)...

We bought a few souvenirs.. a nice Walt Disney World pin, I bought a stuffed Eeyore. We tried on silly hats (doesn't everyone?) and made our way through pretty much the entire store.

It's a bit disturbing that the "My First Ears" hat fits Lease's head

By the time we finished, it was very late and we were VERY VERY tired. We staggered to the car, drove back to the hotel, and crashed out for another night of pure Disney-exhaustion sleep.

Next up... day 8 starts at Typhoon Lagoon and then AK!

 

[TKDisneylover]

Hey Code & Lease,

Another great update on your trip! I will say it again, the pics were all great and so colorful. They definitely brought back some great memories and added in the anticipation for our next trip.

I was just wondering, when you made your ADR's for California Grill what time was your reservation for? We are going back to the World with my BFF & her DH and I made 7:30 ADR's hoping to catch Wishes (8:00), do you think we will have luck being seated before Wishes begins? Also, had you asked for window seating?

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

 

[Code]

Stunning pics!

Makes me want to figure out how to use my camera!

Thanks!

Hey Code & Lease,

Another great update on your trip! I will say it again, the pics were all great and so colorful. They definitely brought back some great memories and added in the anticipation for our next trip.

I was just wondering, when you made your ADR's for California Grill what time was your reservation for? We are going back to the World with my BFF & her DH and I made 7:30 ADR's hoping to catch Wishes (8:00), do you think we will have luck being seated before Wishes begins? Also, had you asked for window seating?

You can get back up to watch from the observation deck with your receipt from any part of the day, so if we ever go back to Cal Grill, we'll just eat 1.5-2 hours prior and then mozy around the Contemporary until the show.

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Thanks also And our California Grill ADR was at 9:00 for Wishes at 10:00. I think 30 min prior might be pushing it if they are running behind at all, especially if you want to wait for a window seat. We didn't request a window seat because I wanted to watch it from the outside deck to take pictures. It wasn't a very convenient time as we hadn't finished our entrees yet. Since you can get back up onto the deck with your receipt from ANY part of the day, if we ever went back I'd just make the ADR 1.5-2 hours early then mozy around the Contemporary until show time.

 

[marianas00]

Your pictures are fabulous! Thanks for the report.

 

[Code]

Your pictures are fabulous! Thanks for the report.

Welcome and thanks for reading and commenting

 

[Code]

Day 8 Part 1 - Buzzed by an Owl

Day 8 was a bit of a sleep in day (and by this point, we needed it) since our plan was another water park.. this time Typhoon Lagoon. (Didn't bring the camera along again).

We arrived just as it was opening, and headed straight for Crush N Gusher and rode it 3 times in a row before any kind of line formed. Then we spent some time in the wave pool and then the lazy river before heading for Humunga Kowabunga (I didn't get to ride Summit Plummet at Blizzard, so I was looking forward to a speed slide of any sort). Lease was apprehensive to go on it, but she did anyway once.. and says it will probably be the last speed slide she ever rides She waited at the bottom while I rode it again. We only came to Typhoon to hit the major stuff that doesn't really overlap Blizzard Beach, so we were done within just a couple of hours. Back to the hotel we went to shower and such before heading back to the parks.

Once we had showered off all the chlorine, we were off to AK. First up was Primeval Hurl, err I mean Whirl.

We had planned on riding just the two of us in a car even though they can fit 4, and Lease ended up alone on her side, but at the last possible second a little boy from the group behind us, maybe 10 years old, jumped in the car with me on my side. His mistake! We weren't really prepared for the violent movement of this ride, even though we've both ridden a wild mouse style coaster at our local amusement park. I unintentionally mashed the little kid sitting next to me several times. Here is a good before/after.

Before...

And after, looking confused, abused, and not very amused...

Next we wandered past Everest...

Lease had started finding it amusing to take pictures of me taking pictures (a trend that would continue in the January trip). Here I am checking out my camera near Everest...

We headed for the Flights of Wonder bird show next. While we waited we had Mickey bars using our many leftover snack credits, and watched the owl they had brought out front before they let everyone in...

We got into the theater and the show started. Here I must say that whomever designed this theater did not have photographers in mind. The performers stand in the shade but the background is in full sunlight, so it's very hard to get a shot that isn't very backlit. Oh well. This guy was pretty funny... "I've lost my tour group!"

The show was fun, but nothing better than our local zoo has, just more production value. The really fun part came when they called for two adult volunteers with cameras, I was quick to throw my arm up camera in hand, and they selected me as one of two to go on stage and get buzzed by an owl! I missed the main shot of the owl right in front of my face, but got some pretty cool ones of him coming down the aisle. Lease had better timing with the point & shoot and captured the owl right in front of me.

Look at those eyes!!!!!

Some other shots from the show...

We got out of the bird show and made our way toward Finding Nemo: The Musical. We stopped and watched the apes playing for a moment...

Next up.. Finding Nemo: The Musical!

 

[Code]

Day 8 Part 2 - Nemo Show, and Goofy Hug

Along the way to the Finding Nemo show I grabbed an ice cream sandwich to munch on, once again trying to use up some of the snack credits that we had been neglecting to use all week.

We didn't have to wait long to get into the theater, and we sat down near the front to the right of the center stage. We both thought the show was absolutely fantastic. Neither of us really made the connection (though obvious) until the show started that Nemo wasn't originally a musical, but the songs were quite good, and the show is just truly unique with the blend of live acting/singing and puppeteering. I'll just let the photos do the talking on this one...

After taking in two shows in a row, I was feeling tolerant and let Lease lead me to Camp Minnie Mickey. We had expected lines to meet the characters, but much to our surprise it was so slow (literally only us and one other family there) that after meeting all 4, the characters actually left their pavilions to come out and play with us. It was one of our favorite moments with the characters, we really felt like big kids. Lease even got a shot of Goofy bear hugging me...

Next up.. Dinosaur finishes up AK and we head for MK!

 

[Abby's Dad]

Really great updates Code! Among my many thoughts, yes, we do miss WDW!, but also you have confirmed what we already felt, i.e., that we didn't spend near enough time in Epcot, and intend to remedy that in a major way next trip. You also confirmed what I suspected about Primeval Hurl - and I was glad that I had avoided that. And I really need to remember to volunteer at the bird show - and be ready for the owl! Great shots of the owl coming down the aisle.

Praying for the weather to work out for you guys. It would be nice if some sort of high pressure system would come along and force Hanna out into the Atlantic, and that Ike will dissipate (though the projected path, at this point, for Ike is south, similar to Gustav). Too early to tell about Josephine. If you haven't got trip insurance, is it too late?

Looking forward to you having a wonderful time at WDW and telling us all about it.

 

[Code]

Day 8 Part 3 - More AK, MK, DTD, Fauna Focker

After getting our character fix, we decided to do Dinosaur one last time before saying goodbye to AK for the trip...

Lease calls the last dinosaur the flash-blind-osaurus. This shot cracks us up mainly because of the guy in the front row...

... and this sign is just as funny as disturbing ...

After the ride, we made our way out of the park and headed straight to the Magic Kingdom...

Right as we arrived, the sky opened up. Luckily we came prepared with our dollar store ponchos, so we happily pressed on toward our second meal for the trip at Pecos Bill's... by far the best counter service in MK so we had to do it once more.

Lease snapped this pic without me knowing, and I love it! All the poor unprepared people either hiding out or soaked to the bone, and I'm just trudging along...

After our late lunch, we crossed the hub to check out the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor for the first time, and we were both surprised at how good it was considering the somewhat lackluster reviews we'd read or heard on podcasts. We both hoped that the next time we saw it that I could be "that guy".

Staying in Tomorrowland, next was the Carousel of Progress, something Lease had never seen before, and one of my classic favorites. Lease agreed it was a classic after seeing it. Man does that last scene need an update again, though. But what a great song ("There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day!"). Gets stuck in my head worse than It's a Small World. (and now one of these two songs is stuck in your head, too!)

After CoP, it was starting to get dark and we still had a bunch of leftover glow sticks, pendants, bracelets, and necklaces, so while Lease went to the bathroom, I had a fun time opening and cracking ALL of them. Glowing all over the place, we headed to watch Philharmagic one more time.. great show!

Next, we found ourselves back in Tomorrowland riding Buzz one last time (of course, I won!)...

After Buzz and against our better judgement, we decided to give Stitch's Great Escape a shot despite the resoundingly negative things we had heard about it. Hate to say it, but everything we had heard was right. It was the first and last time for Stitch's Great Escape for us... I should have just stuck with my AWESOME memories of Alien Encounter.

Thoroughly grossed out by the smell of fake chili dog (I tried so hard to block the smell I knew was coming but couldn't find the hole to cover in time), we headed out of the park and jumped on the monorail. We were getting on the parking tram right as Wishes started, so we were quick to get back to our car and we headed straight for Downtown Disney. We wandered around for a bit...

... and found ourselves in Goofy's Candy Company ready to burn off some more snack credits on the crisped rice Mickey heads. Mine was dipped in milk chocolate, covered in white and milk chocolate chips, then drizzled with white and milk chocolate and caramel. Wow was it good!

We continued to browse the shops, including the Christmas store where we bought a ball ornament for our tree, and had the year added to it. We also found the Pooh and friends stockings and thought they were great. Lease began plotting buying an Eeyore stocking for me.

In the Pooh's Corner store, we found this very unfortunate stuffed Eeyore. Lease said it looked like Kirby ate Eeyore, and that got me laughing out loud, because it's so true...

Lastly we ended up at the World of Disney where we browsed for a very long time, but still didn't buy anything for some reason.

At some point while we were shopping, Abbybeth called and asked if we wanted to meet up with her family at the Scat Cat Club back at the resort. We certainly did, so we headed back for POFQ.

Abby had brought a special guest to meet us: Fauna Focker...

She must have been feeling mischievous, because she tried to steal my delicious Mickey head...

... and then hoarded all our glowies!

We stayed to chat for a while with Abby, Fred and Lynn and had a great time just relaxing with good conversation. It was around 1:30 in the morning when we said our goodbyes (hopefully "see-you-later"s) and made our way back to the room to pack for check out in the morning.

Next up .. day 9, THE RE-HAUNTING!

 

[Abby's Dad]

We stayed to chat for a while with Abby, Fred and Lynn and had a great time just relaxing with good conversation. It was around 1:30 in the morning when we said our goodbyes (hopefully "see-you-later"s) and made our way back to the room to pack for check out in the morning.

That Fauna Fokker - she gets into all the best places, and knows everybody that is anybody! Just another fun part of the DISboard! As your TR grows I realize that there are still many places at WDW that I haven't see, and now I know that I want to (other than Stitch - that's always been a no-go for me).

And we have every intention that those goodbyes were only "see-you-laters," and we are going to find some way, some time, to continue the saga.

 

[jessily]

Your pictures are amazing! Wow!

 

[Rootskate]

Great pictures! Looks like you guys had a great time. I am crossing my fingers that the weather cooperates for you both next week! I must say your review of the 50's Prime Time has me rethinking our ADR there....Im wondering if we should try to switch it to somewhere else.

 

[pl'smama]

Wow, that was great reading all of those posts in one sitting!! Code, your Epcot photos are amazing! With the clouds and the bright, crispness of everything. You should enter some in a contest of some sort. They are great!

We had an awful expereince at Prime Time this past January. Same sort of situation as yours. Un-attentive waiter with zero personality and no "acting" whatsoever. It really ticked me off, but he also took way too long in getting food, dessert and then the bill. We ordered our desserts to go because he took so long and we wanted to get to Fantasmic. He left to get the bill and took 40 minutes! I kid you not. My DH and his brother took the kids out to play and my sister in law and I waited and waited and waited. Our smores looked like yours sounded and they were horrible when we ate them later that night. We missed Fantasmic which really upset me. I had a plan and they messed it up. So, I am not one to complain, but this time I did. At the front desk they were giving me all sorts of excuses. My favorite was that becasue we were one the dining plan it takes longer to pay the bill. Pullllease! So, I got the manager. Long story short he apologized and walked us to customer service. They gave all the kids the Tink pins with two to a set and some stickers. Whoo hoo. They did offer us a fastpass for several rides the next day, but we were doing MK and then leaving on the folloiwng day. So, they set it up that we could pick up the fastpasses at MK. Next morning I picked up the fastpass and it was good for all seven of us on any three rides of our choosing, whether they had FP or not. So, I was happy to get and use that, but I am still sore about missing Fantasmic.

Sorry to be so long winded. Are you all packed? Good luck on this trip and I hope the weather is great!

Suz