"I'M STUCK IN DISNEY!!!!!!!!" A Delightfully Unliveable TR ~ NEW TR 9/27!!!!!!!!!!!

[flea1267]

Can't wait to read your entire trip report! My DD LOVES Hanson too! We started "touring" the East Coast from CT to FL when she was 12! She has seen them like 54 times...so I totally understand the addiction to them! Did you see the new tour dates that came out yesterday? Jennie is really excited!

 

[__disneygirl]

So I've been lurking on your trip report pretty much from the start and just had to finally join in and say hello. The reason for this you may ask is because while my mom and I were supposed to be in Disney from October 24th - 28th...we also got stuck in Disney. Which I mean is pretty much the greatest thing ever. Anyway...our morning on the 24th was almost exactly the same as yours - two rides on TSMM, ToT, RnRC, followed by red velvet cupcakes at starring rolls. I feel like we must have been right near each other so many times.

Looking forward to the rest of your report (hopefully I'll see myself in the background of some of your pictures).

Wow, all those similarities are so weird!! Thanks so much for reading & commenting. YAY FOR BEING #STUCKINDISNEY

I LOVE this trip report!!! I don't want it to end. EVER! lol! It makes me so happy, mostly because you are just a bubble of Disney energy like me!!

So hubby and I are headed in May too, only 40 DAYS!!! I mean seriously, I can't even contain myself....We are also going in October for our very first MNSSHP & Food & Wine Festival -- so this here trip report has been very helpful, cant wait to hear about MNSSHP!

I realize these comments are all over the place, but I really just wanted to stop by and say that you & this TR ROCK!!!!

Well, don't worry, it won't end for a long time, and then #BirthdayFestivus13 will be here!

Aw i'm at 39 days right now! It feels too long but hopefully the time will fly. I really really really want to go in October as well. I hope I can make it happen!

Thank you so much!! YOU ROCK TOO!!!

Lia, your updates were great! I love your solo time! I'm hoping to get some solo time at HS on my next trip since the rest of my family are sleep late people (which normally i am, outside of the WDW bubble). Not sure if i've said this yet but CONGRATS on the upcoming trip, it sounds amazing! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your time stuck in disney!

Thank you! Solo time is so lovely. I am also a sleep late person everywhere except Disney. I hope you get your solo time!! Thanks so much for reading!

Can't wait to read your entire trip report! My DD LOVES Hanson too! We started "touring" the East Coast from CT to FL when she was 12! She has seen them like 54 times...so I totally understand the addiction to them! Did you see the new tour dates that came out yesterday? Jennie is really excited!

Aw, you're such a sweet mom for supporting her Hanson tour addiction. YES I AM SO EXCITED TOO. I'm gonna try and do as many shows as possible, but it looks like they're gonna do Eat to the Beat again so of course I gotta see them in Epcot! We'll see what happens!

 

[AGPrincess]

Catching up! Loved your latest updates...sounds like it was a fabulous day at Hollywood Studios. I am so jealous, I have never gotten anywhere near 200,000 on TSM. Obvoiusly I need to put in more practice time.

Animation Academy is so much fun - I love all the different characters they do. Your Stitch looked great! And the BUTTERFINGER CUPCAKE. Oh my goodness, that may be my favorite cupcake on property. So much deliciousness.

 

[geckodani]

Okay, I absolutely adore this TR! I love how you are loving every minute, and I can't wait to read more!!!

 

[__disneygirl]

OCTOBER 25, 2012
Day 5, Part 2 In Which It's NOT Just Pending

Lee-Anne texted me to tell me she had gotten up, so I packed up the half of the cupcake that was left and headed out of the park.

While on the bus back to Pop, I checked my bank account statement on my phone because I wanted to see that my paycheck had been direct deposited in there. I noticed that there was a $20 charge from Disney Dining in there, dated the day before.

HOW ABOUT NO.

Disney charges you $10 a person for certain restaurants (all the signatures, character meals, Ohana, etc) if you do not show up or you cancel less than 24 hours before your scheduled ADR time. Since it was dated a day before, that would mean that they were charging me for not showing up to Artist Point. Which we of course DID show up! I was slightly annoyed, but Disney is so great with customer service that I was sure they would remove the charge as soon as I brought it to their attention.

I let Lee-Anne know about this and told her I would be in the Pop lobby talking to someone at the Front Desk about refunding this charge. I had all the evidence ready to ensure that this would be fixed immediately: my phone which had my bank statement on it, and my camera which had photos we took at Artist Point on it. Anyone who works with the public and has customers would know this is a no-brainer. Apologize, issue a credit, "Have a magical day!", and we out.

But no. I had to get one of the only CMs in Disney World who has to be difficult.

I explained the situation to this lady, and she looked up the reservation. The CMs at Artist Point had in fact checked us in when we arrived, so there was no need to show my photos as proof - she knew we hadn't skipped out on our ADR. And she still wouldn't issue a credit!

She said that because it said "Pending" on my statement, that meant that the charge was going to disappear in a few business days and that they had not taken the money out yet. I know that sometimes a pending charge does not turn into a real charge, but 9 times out of 10, it does. Anyone who has a bank account knows that when you use your debit card, the purchases say PENDING first, and then they go through.

Maybe I could have let this go if I had known I'd be in Disney another week, but it was Thursday, and I was supposed to leave Disney on Sunday. Since it was the weekend, there was a good chance that this charge still wouldn't be resolved by the time I left, so I wanted to take care of it in person while it was still a new problem - just nip it in the bud.

I told her all that and she insisted that it was just pending, and it would be removed. I asked WHY there was even a pending charge in the first place since we did show up. She said she didn't know, but that it would definitely disappear. I argued that she could not guarantee me that it would disappear. I mean, mistakes happen. OBVIOUSLY. I was here having this conversation in the first place because of a mistake in their system, so if they could think we didn't show up to Artist Point when we obviously did, that charge would most likely go through.

Bottom Line: WE WENT TO ARTIST POINT. THEY CHECKED US IN. EVERYONE IS IN AGREEMENT THAT WE DID NOT SKIP OUT ON OUR ARTIST POINT RESERVATION. SO WHY WAS A PENDING CHARGE EVEN THERE?

I simply did not want a charge that I did not incur on my account! How hard was this to understand?!

I'm sure plenty of people argue this charge when they actually DO skip out on their ADRs. BUT WE DIDN'T! So this made NO sense.

She was just not budging. I found this absolutely ridiculous. I was not asking for anything extra or bonus here. I was simply asking for my $20 back that they charged me for no reason. I didn't even want a refund in the form of money back on my card. I wasn't asking for any bonuses even though I was inconvenienced by having to stand here and argue with this woman instead of enjoying my time in the parks with my friend. I JUST WANTED A CREDIT TO MAKE UP FOR A CHARGE THAT I DID NOT CAUSE.

"It's just pending!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she kept saying. She was getting nasty, too. I don't know what her problem was. Maybe her supervisor had told her not to give out credits or something, but still, you can be nice while saying no. She was being rude.

I asked to see a manager or supervisor. All snotty she was like, "Well, I CAN go get someone but he is just going to tell you the same thing I am telling you!" I told her that was fine, I just wanted to talk to someone else. Preferably someone who wouldn't yell IT'S JUST PENDING in my face 1,000 times.

She went over to a tall guy who came over and helped me. I explained to him what happened, he looked up the reservation, saw that we had in fact been to Artist Point, and he apologized. I showed him the charge on my phone. He told me how puzzled he was by this. He seemed truly baffled, to the point of laughing.

"I really don't know why this happened, but I'm issuing a $20 credit to your room."

The rude CM was standing by and said to him all upset and out of breath, "BUT IT'S JUST PENDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

LOL.

Are you serious, lady? You're trying to fight a supervisor on giving me a credit? What's it to you? Is this ruining your day? WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?

He said back to her, "But it shouldn't even be pending in the first place."

DING DING DING.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!

He was so nice. I love you, Tall Guy. Thank you so very much for taking care of this situation like a professional instead of handling it the way a snotty teenage girl might. I mean, it was like she personally did not want me to get a credit. Ugh, some people just want to spread their bad vibes no matter what.

So, I was pretty annoyed the whole thing took a good chunk of time. Honestly, I was expecting to be in and out of there. Lee-Anne was waiting for me at the Downtown Disney bus stop and said a bus had just left. Ahhh, stupid mean lady CM!!!

Oh well. In the end, I didn't care. They resolved the situation and I was in Disney and I was so excited for the rest of our day!

So, I had asked Lee-Anne where she would want to go before lunch. I left this time open for her to decide what we would do being that it was her last full day there. Usually on my last full day I take a survey of what I saw and did, and try to fit in things that I missed. Lee-Anne, of course, chose shopping.

So we found ourselves in Downtown Disney.

Can I just say that I really don't care that they are changing DTD, I mean, it's not special to me in the way that the parks are. As long as they don't remove Wolfgang Puck Express, I'm good. However, Disney Springs sounds like a retirement community. So that's a NO from me on the name.

Our first stop was Art of Disney, where we again marveled at all the art we wished we could buy.

AHH. This Evil Queen one was my FAVORITE. I can't even tell you how much I love this piece. Oh my God. It's sick and haunting and sad but still Disneyish.

I also traded for a Vinylmation in here.

I honestly had no idea what this was. I asked and the CM told me that it was one of the wenches from Pirates of the Caribbean. Her name is literally "Big Wench". LOL. Whew, I'm glad to be a woman in 2013 and not back then.

I definitely made a note that I would trade that one away soon! We left and headed into dangerous territory: World of Disney.

I normally avoid this store completely. It is just too much. There is just too high a risk of me spending all my money. And I literally mean ALL of my money. I mean like, calling my bank and telling them I am no longer a customer because I have nothing.

I gotta say... I didn't act like a lunatic this time! Has World of Disney gone downhill, or have I developed better self control? Hmmmm...

The one thing I did really want was chapstick or lip gloss because I seemed to misplace mine and I can not stand when my lips are dry. It seriously nags and nags at me. So I asked a CM if they had anything like that, and she said no.

Lee-Anne really wanted to buy more Winnie the Pooh stuff, but they didn't have a Pooh section like I thought they would. So it was more of a browsing trip for us.

We stopped into Tren-D next because I figured they would have some lip stuff.

They did, but it was $8 for a pack of two. Yikes, no thanks! Luckily, I located my chapstick later on, so crisis averted.

We walked by Team Mickey, and saw that they were blowing bubbles and holding up a sign that said YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL.

Thanks, Disney. You're beautiful too.

Our last stop was the Christmas store. I am really not one to be in the Christmas spirit before November, but I still wanted to buy basically everything in here.

I held back though, because I knew if I bought one ornament my brain would immediately go into the whole "Well if I get a Mickey one then I need a Minnie one, and I may as well get the whole set of the fab 5, but I also want a princess one, may as well get a stocking too even though I already have one, and do they have garland? Hmm, I wonder if they can just ship this entire display to my house?"

That ALWAYS happens to me in Target. I go into Target for batteries and come out with a new apartment. It's inevitable.

I did get this cute little Mickey gingerbread pen/pencil topper though. I thought it was SO ADORABLE and I just could not resist.

I actually didn't use it as a topper. I just poked a hole in the back so I could make it into an ornament which worked quite well!

It was Day 5, and I still had not pin traded, so when I saw a cute pin on a CMs lanyard, I decided it was really time to start!

It's a mushroom from Fantasia! At the time, I thought this was a super cool, semi-rare pin. I had never seen it before. Apparently like every CM had been given this pin to trade, because I saw it SO many more times during my trip! I hate how so many CMs have the same pins now. It was super annoying. I plan on working harder to find awesome pins on my next trip.

Up Next: OUR AMAZING LUNCH OMG. Turn to the next page for that post!​

 

[__disneygirl]

OCTOBER 25, 2012
Day 5, Part 3 In Which Nothing Is Ugly and Everything Is Good

Our late lunch ADR time was nearing, so I let Lee-Anne know we should get going. I'm pretty sure she bought a Pooh stocking for her niece, and off we went!

It took *so long* to get to Epcot. We actually ended up being late for our ADR. It blew.

I hate so much that they do not have direct busses to the parks from DtD and vice versa. It is so annoying! I understand why they do it, but it is quite the inconvenience.

We should have just walked over to Saratoga Springs and took a bus from there, but instead we took a bus to the Yacht Club and then walked to the International Gateway. I can't believe I forgot that the busses stop at the 400 other Epcot resorts before the Y&B. I think I got it backwards and thought that the Y&B were first or I wouldn't even have done that. Le sigh.

This kind of threw the whole rest of the day off, but WHATEVER I WAS SO EXCITED TO FINALLY EAT IN THIS RESTAURANT.

Can you guess which World Showcase eatery we we were headed to?

VIA NAPOLI!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh. My. GOD I was so hungry and SO PUMPED for this.

Now of course, I heard of how absolutely delicious the food was, but this was not my main reason for booking. You all know me well enough by now to know what I am talking about here.

SIZZLING HOT FOREIGN CMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't wait to meet our server. I hoped he would have a name like Alessandro or Roberto or Fabrizio. Basically anything ending in O that I could say in an exaggerated Italian accent.

I checked in at the podium where two women were working.

Sigh.

Women. Ya gotta love them. Hey, I'm one of them. We rock. GIRL POWER!!!!

But as far as attraction goes, I enjoy the fellas, and I wanted to know where the EFF they were hiding!

I apologized to the CMs for being late and they said it was no problem and that we could have a seat. We would be called and led to our table shortly (hopefully by an Italian Prince!!!!!!!!!!!)

I waited anxiously and took a photo of this cool chandelier.

I usually have very good luck with the foreign CMs, as you know if you have read my prior reports. However, we were led to our table by a woman and then our waitRESS introduced ourselves to us.

Double Sigh.

She was very softspoken and sweet, I liked her a lot, but she was not a man!!!!!!

Triple Sigh.

Oh well, maybe it was for the best. I had almost fallen over when we were led into the dining room and I saw the swarms of gorgeous Italian men in there, so I probably would have died if I had to converse with one who was our waiter.

Here is the view from our table! Sorry for the lack of hot guys in this and every photo.

We perused the menu.

Our waitress told us what our choices were, being on the Dining Plan. Due to being a Disser, I already knew everything she was saying but I smiled and nodded anyway.

It was VERY hard to decide. I wanted to try every pasta dish except the seafood one, and basically all the pizza. I also wanted to try a couple of the appetizers! I decided to just stick to what was included in the DDP (non-alcoholic beverage, entree, and dessert), except for one little extra drink. I really wanted a Bellini!

It was $9, but worth it. I love Bellinis because they aren't super alcoholy. They're just lovely.

For my entree, I finally decided on the Mezzi Rigatoni all Crema con Pollo with cream, chicken, and peas. Lee-Anne got the same!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHTOODELICIOUS. This is one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had, and that's coming from an Italian girl with Italian chefs in her family who also often dines in Little Italy! SO YOU KNOW IT'S FREAKING GOOD. I ate every single bite.

I think about this meal so much, I can't even tell you. I crave it all the time. I am DYING to go back and get this exact same thing.

After I ate, I got up to use the restroom and who knows, maybe I took a detour on my way to and from the bathroom and who knows, maybe some flirting went on and who knows, maybe I'm betrothed to an Italian man.

WHO KNOWS.

Ahem. For dessert, I was torn between ordering the pistachio gelato or the Ugly But Good, which is an "Amarena cherry and vanilla gelato sundae with ugly, but good cookies of carnevale".

Pistachio is one of my favorite flavors, especially when it comes to gelato, but the Ugly But Good was just so different. I mean, you can get pistachio gelato anywhere, but not this!

Oh dear God. This is not ugly. This is one of the best desserts of all freaking time. Honestly I was dead inside before I ate this, okay? I can not even begin to explain the levels of deliciousness here so please don't make me. Just GET THIS DESSERT. I know that if you're not on the dining plan, it's like, really? 10$ for some ice cream? YES, IT'S WORTH 10. IT'S WORTH 20. (DON'T TELL DISNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Lee-Anne got the Zeppole Di Catarina - Ricotta Cheese Fritters, served with whipped cream, chocolate sauce - $10.00

I'm used to $2 zeppoles that come in a paper bag on the Seaside Boardwalk (NJ represent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and they're amazing enough. These were the fancy gourmet version and they were of course great. I don't think anything at Via Napoli could ever not be great. It is a piece of Heaven here on earth. That's my review of the place, man. HEAVEN ON EARTH.

Also, I CAN NOT BELIEVE I forgot to take a picture of this. But I assure you I am not making it up. We were sitting next to the window, and there was a statue of a frog wearing a tuxedo outside. I swear. Maybe I was hallucinating due to all the attractive men in the room, but I don't think so. Either way it was odd.

I was honestly sad leave Via Napoli, and on any other day I probably would have lingered to flirt with some Italian hotties over espresso.

But we had a party to go to!!! And not just any party... MICKEY'S NOT SO SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY!

So off we went on the long but lovely walk through World Showcase, Future World, and out to the busses.

OF. COURSE. It started raining during this time.

You don't even know. Oh my God.

I had PRAYED and PRAYED for months over this. "Please God, it can rain any other time. Just not during our MNSSHP. Literally if it rains during the entire trip, I will be okay if it just stops for MNSSHP. PLEASE GOD!!! And also can you feed the hungry and stop terrorism? Sheesh!"

And here the rain fell anyway.

That's my "I'm sad because we're going to MNSSHP and it's raining" face. Ugh.

By the time we got to the Pop Century bus, it was a full on downpour so we had to RUN for cover. Oh my God. A drizzle would have been bad enough, but now it's pouring? NO NO NO.

This was the first of a few unfortunate circumstances that occurred during this night and ultimately lead to me doing my own make-up MNSSHP the next night (and then of course a 3rd later on!). BUT I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Lee-Anne told me on the bus that she probably wouldn't even wear her costume now because there's no way she would survive in what she planned to wear while in a downpour. Luckily my costume would fare a bit better in the rain... but still... NOT REALLY. UGH.

I just could not imagine missing the parade and HalloWishes and the Villians show and being soaking wet, my costume getting ruined, etc.

Disaster.

I had originally planned for us to get to the party an hour before its official start at 7pm. There was no way that was going to happen now, especially with the rain. So we decided when we got back to Pop, we would take our time getting ready in a way of waiting out the stupid storm that had to LITERALLY rain on our parade.

UGH.

Up Next: A wonderful, awful, fun, exciting, disappointing, and confusing night at MNSSHP! But was it dry?!​

 

[__disneygirl]

Catching up! Loved your latest updates...sounds like it was a fabulous day at Hollywood Studios. I am so jealous, I have never gotten anywhere near 200,000 on TSM. Obvoiusly I need to put in more practice time.

Animation Academy is so much fun - I love all the different characters they do. Your Stitch looked great! And the BUTTERFINGER CUPCAKE. Oh my goodness, that may be my favorite cupcake on property. So much deliciousness.

Yay, glad you're caught up!! Thank you!! Don't feel bad... I'm a very aggressive player and also totally nuts, so those things contribute to my semi high scores.

Thank you!!! I'm really hoping to get to draw Eugene next time!!

Wow, that's your favorite?! You are the cupcake queen, so I do not take that lightly!

Okay, I absolutely adore this TR! I love how you are loving every minute, and I can't wait to read more!!!

Thank you so much!! Lucky for you, I just posted more! WOO!

 

[katt789]

Yay for getting your credit back! I mean, seriously, that girl sounds like a real pain in the butt, glad that the supervisor was better than her!! DTD is such a dangerous place for me, lawl! World of Disney, TrenD, I could spend my entire bank account in both those stores...or only one...it's not a large account

Via Napoli looks amazing! It won out on the Epcot ADR list for our next trip, and I'm super excited, also hoping for some cute CMs during that meal, bahah! THe gelato looks absolutely delicious, I will probably be having that...

BOO on the rain! Our second MNSSHP we ended up in the rain, let me tell you, it's hard to coordinate ponchos and fairy wings...but once you get it figured out, it works bahaha! I hope the rain dies down for ya!

 

[MrsDrewsky]

I hate getting crabby CMs at WDW. Hello, you work at WDW, lighten up.

I have to make it to Via Napoli sometime. The pictures always look so yummy!

I can't wait to see the MNSSHP pictures.

 

[Enchantress01]

Wow, seriously?! Your "friend" at the front desk was hopelessy clueless. After her second "It's just pending!" I would've been all..."So is your GSF card!" O.K., no I wouldn't. When I'm at Disney, I avoid conflict at all costs. No sense ruining the vacation and more importantly, gotta set the example for my daughter you know. You handled it perfectly. Override anyone stuck on stupid (or in the quicksand of inexperience) and get the manager. So glad it worked out for you.

Yeeaaah - Disney Springs gets a no vote from me too. I'm good as long as I can go to Fulton's. It's just a rose (or waterfront entertainment extravaganza) by any other name.

Big Wench???!!! Wouldn't Pleasingly Piratey suffice?

 

[MarieTheCat24]

Boo for bad CMs. What a piece of work. People who stomp all over everyone in their quest to be "right" bug me. Thank god Tall Guy came in to save the day.

$8 chapstick. Oh, Disney...

Mmmmmmmm Via Napoli. Your pasta looks delicious. And, right??? about the Ugly But Good. So good. When I was writing my TR, I had to check the menu because I completely spaced on what it was called and it's actually $14 dollars now which omg. But it's worth every single one of them.

I'm pretty sure rain gets a kick out of pouring down at the worst possible times. Like it probably full-on cackles in its raindrop language as it falls. Silly rain.

 

[beachphotog]

Cliffhanger! I'm so excited to read about MNSSHP!!!! Did the rain continue? Was LeeAnne able to wear her costume? Would your parade LITERALLY be rained on?

I must know!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Aw man that sucks dealing with a rude and unhelpful CM.
It super-size-sucks since CM's (at least in my experience) are usually super great.
Yay for Tall Guy restoring a bit of balance to the force.

However, Disney Springs sounds like a retirement community.

Bahahahahahaha!

Is it wrong that my laughter got increasingly louder and longer at the continuous procession of lady CM's at Via Napoli?

Or perhaps I'm just a bit jealous of sizzlin' hot foreign CM's, .

Despite the threat of rain, I can't wait for your MNSSHP. I know it'll be entertaining regardless!

 

[tinkgurl]

disneygirlfriend! 98 degrees performed this morning on the Today show or Good Morning America (I can't remember) and I thought of you and that one conversation we had!

I am so excited to try Via Napoli for he first time next month! I am still debating between pasta or pizza! I guess I will leave it up to the baby to decide! And good looking CM's....can't wait!

I am so glad you asked to speak to someone else and he was able to fix the problem. That lady got on my nerves and I was just reading about her!

 

[awdwnut]

Hey Lia,

I finally got a little time and was able to get caught up on your last few updates, awesome work as always!!

Modeling session at the Emporium =

An Animation class!

I was so pumped for this because when it comes to drawing, I am just awful. Seriously, if you asked me to draw a free hand picture of a farm, you'd look at it and be like "Why did you draw a spaceship surrounded by cats?"

For real.

HA, HA, HA!! This is sooo me!! I am just plain awful as well, stick figures are well beyond my sad lack of artistic abilities. Because of this, I did not try the animation class until two years ago. I was so shocked when I walked out of that first class with something which actually looked like Pluto. I just kept looking at it for the rest of the day, I was in a state of shock. This is now a "must do" for us, and I think it is one of the best hidden gems in all the parks!

Lastly, I LOVE the Little Mermaid artwork from the Art of Disney, you have really good taste. I am going to have a hard time coming home without that this October.

awdwnut

 

[__disneygirl]

Yay for getting your credit back! I mean, seriously, that girl sounds like a real pain in the butt, glad that the supervisor was better than her!! DTD is such a dangerous place for me, lawl! World of Disney, TrenD, I could spend my entire bank account in both those stores...or only one...it's not a large account

Via Napoli looks amazing! It won out on the Epcot ADR list for our next trip, and I'm super excited, also hoping for some cute CMs during that meal, bahah! THe gelato looks absolutely delicious, I will probably be having that...

BOO on the rain! Our second MNSSHP we ended up in the rain, let me tell you, it's hard to coordinate ponchos and fairy wings...but once you get it figured out, it works bahaha! I hope the rain dies down for ya!

She was! I was very thankful when Tall Guy saved the day. I feel you on Downtown Disney. It's the main reason why I don't spend that much time there!

OOOH you're gonna have an AMAZING time. I'm excited for you!

Oh gosh I'm sorry it rained during one of your MNSSHPs, but I'm glad to hear you were able to get the fairy wing/poncho thing under control! You're a professional.

I hate getting crabby CMs at WDW. Hello, you work at WDW, lighten up.

I have to make it to Via Napoli sometime. The pictures always look so yummy!

I can't wait to see the MNSSHP pictures.

Seriously. I mean, of course I understand everyone has bad days regardless of working at the most magical place on earth, but that is still no excuse to be mean.

You should go there on your next trip! It is a must do in my opinion.

There will be plenty of them between all 3 parties! Ahh I can't wait to share them with you all!

Wow, seriously?! Your "friend" at the front desk was hopelessy clueless. After her second "It's just pending!" I would've been all..."So is your GSF card!" O.K., no I wouldn't. When I'm at Disney, I avoid conflict at all costs. No sense ruining the vacation and more importantly, gotta set the example for my daughter you know. You handled it perfectly. Override anyone stuck on stupid (or in the quicksand of inexperience) and get the manager. So glad it worked out for you.

Yeeaaah - Disney Springs gets a no vote from me too. I'm good as long as I can go to Fulton's. It's just a rose (or waterfront entertainment extravaganza) by any other name.

Big Wench???!!! Wouldn't Pleasingly Piratey suffice?

SO IS YOUR GSF CARD hahahaha omg. I wish I thought of that. Good one.

I've never been to Fulton's, I'm not a big fan of seafood! So I'll have to take your word for it.

Boo for bad CMs. What a piece of work. People who stomp all over everyone in their quest to be "right" bug me. Thank god Tall Guy came in to save the day.

$8 chapstick. Oh, Disney...

Mmmmmmmm Via Napoli. Your pasta looks delicious. And, right??? about the Ugly But Good. So good. When I was writing my TR, I had to check the menu because I completely spaced on what it was called and it's actually $14 dollars now which omg. But it's worth every single one of them.

I'm pretty sure rain gets a kick out of pouring down at the worst possible times. Like it probably full-on cackles in its raindrop language as it falls. Silly rain.

Oh man I know. I seriously never care if I'm right or not unless I am REALLYREALLY positive that I am and then I stress the issue but I would never do that otherwise. Sheesh.

LOL $14. Oh, Disney. It really is worth it, but let's just say I'm happy I'm on the DDP again.

HAHAHAHA you never fail to make me laugh. I'm sure you're right. Rain is evil that way.

Cliffhanger! I'm so excited to read about MNSSHP!!!! Did the rain continue? Was LeeAnne able to wear her costume? Would your parade LITERALLY be rained on?

I must know!

And you will find out.... soon enough!!!

Aw man that sucks dealing with a rude and unhelpful CM.
It super-size-sucks since CM's (at least in my experience) are usually super great.
Yay for Tall Guy restoring a bit of balance to the force.

Bahahahahahaha!

Is it wrong that my laughter got increasingly louder and longer at the continuous procession of lady CM's at Via Napoli?

Or perhaps I'm just a bit jealous of sizzlin' hot foreign CM's, .

Despite the threat of rain, I can't wait for your MNSSHP. I know it'll be entertaining regardless!

99% of CMs are amazing, honestly I've had countless wonderful experiences with them and only a handful of crappy ones.

*SIGH* Yes it is because you are laughing at my pain. And don't be jealous, you are fabulous just the way you are!!

OH trust me it will be very entertaining! It was a rollercoaster of an evening!

disneygirlfriend! 98 degrees performed this morning on the Today show or Good Morning America (I can't remember) and I thought of you and that one conversation we had!

I am so excited to try Via Napoli for he first time next month! I am still debating between pasta or pizza! I guess I will leave it up to the baby to decide! And good looking CM's....can't wait!

I am so glad you asked to speak to someone else and he was able to fix the problem. That lady got on my nerves and I was just reading about her!

hahahaha oh, the 90's! I am not up to date on the 98 degrees reunion. I should probably get on that. *Sigh* WHY CAN'T IT BE *NSYNC?

You are going to absolutely love it and I'm sure the baby will kick like crazy when he/she tastes that amazing food too! haha

Yeah, I find that's the best thing to do in a situation like that! 9 times out of 10 you're gonna get a great CM, so if you don't, you'll probably have better luck if you ask to speak to another one.

Hey Lia,

I finally got a little time and was able to get caught up on your last few updates, awesome work as always!!

Modeling session at the Emporium =



HA, HA, HA!! This is sooo me!! I am just plain awful as well, stick figures are well beyond my sad lack of artistic abilities. Because of this, I did not try the animation class until two years ago. I was so shocked when I walked out of that first class with something which actually looked like Pluto. I just kept looking at it for the rest of the day, I was in a state of shock. This is now a "must do" for us, and I think it is one of the best hidden gems in all the parks!

Lastly, I LOVE the Little Mermaid artwork from the Art of Disney, you have really good taste. I am going to have a hard time coming home without that this October.

awdwnut

Hey!! Thank you!!!!!

We are Animation Academy twins I see!!! It will always be a must do for me from now on too. I am SO EXCITED to go back there, like it's one of the first things I'll do in Hollywood next time!

Oh I know, it's so hard to not spend every dollar I have in the Art of Disney stores! I don't even know where my self control comes from sometimes, seriously.

 

[kayemgi]

I love your trip reports! You strike such a nice balance of the perfect amount of personal detail and park detail and photos. Reading this one has gotten me really super excited for our upcoming trip in November!

 

[Enchantress01]

*

 

[Enchantress01]

Oops! Excuse my last post. I need coffee.

I've never been to Fulton's, I'm not a big fan of seafood! So I'll have to take your word for it.

That's because you missed your seafood immersion therapy appt. I'll settle for your trying a little on your next trip though.

Thanks for the amazing updates. That and the weather finally warming up around here make my day!

 

[khertz]

Oh my gosh, one of the things I literally miss the most about Disney trips is VIA NAPOLI!! I crave that pizza every single day until I get back to Epcot for a meal there. And any meal served by gorgeous Italian waiters is FINE BY ME!

Oh, yes, I definitely remember that day of the torrential afternoon downpour. Our stroller got SOAKED at AK that afternoon. Well, I remember how the weather turned out on our end, but it can definitely be raining over some parts of WDW and not others, so I won't presume to know how your night at MNSSHP went! But with 2 make up nights to come...I'm guessing not good?

What did you think of the new Hanson video? I'm pretty much OBSESSED with the song! It's been stuck in my head for days now.